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Homelessness: God of second chances

[additional-authors]
May 3, 2017
I remember watching a video with my kids when they were little called “Jonah: A Veggie Tales Adventure.” Jonah is portrayed as a reserved and cautious asparagus, with a whole host of vegetable sidekicks that make up the rest of the story. The story was fairly representative of the story in the Bible, but I was most interested in one scene in particular. After Jonah is tossed overboard and swallowed by the big fish, he has an encounter in the belly of the fish that speaks to the heart of Biblical theology. Remember, all the characters are vegetables and this is animated! Upon asking himself why God is doing this to him, Jonah is uplifted by an entire gospel choir of endless carrots and broccoli telling him “God is a God of second chances.” They were singing it from their hearts and souls (sing a little gospel!), and they reminded Jonah that God is a God of mercy and compassion, one of justice and righteousness, but most importantly, God is a God of second chances.
I have been thinking about that phrase these days, asking myself how that theology applies to our lives and our world today, particularly around the scourge of homelessness in the nation, and in Los Angeles county.  ‘God is a God of second chances’ calls us to not be complacent or satisfied when things are not as good as they could be, when we have not reached goals that are attainable, when we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again.
Being in the midst of that spiritual time between Passover and Shavuot, these liminal days between slavery and revelation, I recall that Dr. King and Rabbi Heschel reminded us that the plague of darkness is always lurking; the teaching of Moses and the Exodus is universal and eternal. That is why we tell the story every year. God is a God of second chances: that is the miracle of being human, the immense glory and responsibility of taking life seriously. Heschel said, “We have forgotten the meaning of being human and the deep responsibility involved in just being alive. Shakespeare’s Hamlet said, “To be or not to be, that is the question.” But that is no problem. We all want to be. The real problem, Biblically speaking, is how to be and how not to be; that is our challenge, and it is what makes the difference between the human and the animal.” (“Choose Life,”Moral Grandeur, pg. 252)
Homelessness, poverty and hunger, all problems that can be solved, continue to deprive millions of people in the world, including nearly half a million in the United States, and almost 47,000 in LA county, a better life for lack of commitment of the wealthiest nations. We continue to propose national budgets that increase spending for defense and security, while cutting social services and funds to take care of our most vulnerable citizens. Nobody wants to be homeless or poor or unemployed; yes, there are people who continue to make mistakes and aren’t able to get their lives back on track, even after help, but God is a God of second chances. And, every day, at the agency I lead, Friends in Deed, I see homeless and at-risk men, women and children who are only seeking that second chance to have a home, a job, a life that they see those who walk by them on the streets, ignore them or chastise them, have for themselves. The people we serve want to get back on their feet, and thanks to the work of our partner agencies, amazing congregational volunteers, and our staff, we are helping many people to rise back up into the community. The priorities that we set as a nation, primarily in our budgets and financial commitments, must reflect our highest ideals. At the moment, these ideals appear to be military and defense. When we vote for compassion and caring for the vulnerable, as many other nations do, our priorities might come into line with our highest ideals. Certainly we need to defend our nation, and take care of the men and women who serve, but we can do that while also creating programs and services to support the most vulnerable. A $1 trillion budget should have room for both, no?
We must find a way to raise ourselves above the culture of individualism that has taken hold of our country, reminding ourselves that we are all inter-connected in this life, now more than ever.
I am encouraged by the recent passing of Measure H, a minimal 1/4 cent tax increase, a vote by this community to take care of the most vulnerable. I know that it only passed by a razor thin majority, but now that we have the $355 million for ten years coming to our communities, we have the real opportunity to house many of our homeless neighbors, offer services that will educate, support and track those folks getting back into self-sufficiency. Permanent supportive housing, bridge housing, case management services, navigation through the immense bureaucracy, vocational training, mental health care and other vital needs, are now going to be available to those of us doing this work on the ground, each and every day. I am grateful for the passage of this measure, and I can only pray that the work we do, to better our communities and society, will make the 1/4 cent tax increase seem worth it in the long run. I am proud of LA county residents for taking responsibility to take care of our own.
The Torah of love and compassion, the Torah that commands us to care for those who are less fortunate, this Torah needs to be elevated higher, bringing us higher in the process. I continue to hear that we are ‘one nation under God…” but where are the religious convictions that demand we spend money and time and resources on those who need it most, which is what a compassionate nation is truly about? Jeremiah reminds us, “Woe to those who build their house with unfairness and their upper chambers with injustice; Woe to those who make their fellow human being work without pay and does not give them a fair wage.” (Jer. 22:13) We are in the midst of that “woe,” but you know what? We have the capacity and ability to get out of it. We have the capacity and ability to create a world where everyone has a home, access to food and medical needs, can get a good education and make their way in the world. We must find a way to raise ourselves above the culture of individualism that has taken hold of our country, reminding ourselves that we are all inter-connected in this life, now more than ever.
The most amazing part of this struggle is that we have power to make it happen; God operates through us in this world and God has given us the power of free-will — God is waiting for us to respond. This is the message that Dr. King tried to teach us, if only we would listen. Dr. King called us to be extremists for love, extremists for justice, extremists for hope, extremists for peace. He called for a creative extremism to better our world. But we are stubborn.  And as Heschel said, “One of the dreadful aspects of today’s existence is that we seem to be doing things we hate to do.” (Choose Life, pg. 253) I pray that we have the courage to recognize the great potential in this generation, one that, while requiring sacrifice, has the capacity to bring about the world to come right here on Earth. Or at least give it a running start.
God is a God of second chances and it is time to take God up on that offer.

Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater is the Executive Director of Friends in Deed, a faith-based homeless and poverty agency in Pasadena, CA. www.friendsindeedpas.org
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