undercover angels

last night i took the unis to elm street mission
in santa cruz-
it took me forever to park the big old bus
and by the time i got to the the kitchen,
everyone already had a job to do.
i found myself standing around-

but then i heard that music-
it was captivating-
i was drawn to it-
i haven't heard it
since my days of serving the homeless in modesto-
it was the sound of a crowd of homeless people,
loudly and passionately singing those classic hymns.
i have been to elm street mission
to feed the homeless dozens of times-
but i've never been to their church service.
i told the unis that they were on their own-
i was going to church!

and we had church.
i was amazed at what i saw and heard-
there was this toothless, homeless woman
playing those old hymns with so much soul,
that i did a double take.
she played this rickety old piano,
but it sounded like something out of a gospel church
in the deep south.

i would have never have guessed
that she had that kind of talent-
i looked around and saw people in dirty clothes
she played this old hymn,
"blessed assurance,"
it stayed with me all night-
it goes like this-

"blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior, all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Savior, all the day long..."

they shouted that song-
i could have wept right there.

the preacher came up-
i've met him on several occasions
he's a big guy and always encouraging.
he told stories of days
when he held cardboard signs
to raise money to feed his alcohol habit
and how christ had freed him from that.

i would have never guessed that he came from that life-
God took him off the street, and put him
behind a bible and in front of a crowd-
"this is my story-
this is my song..."

i guess the old saying is true-
"you can't judge a book by its cover."
there's an older saying that goes like this:
"keep on loving each other as brothers.
do not forget to entertain strangers,
for by so doing some people have entertained angels
without knowing it."

undercover angels-
i think i found some last night.

"this is my story-
this is my song..."