When Jesus turned and saw the disciples of John following, he said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi”, “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day.-John 1: 38-39

It is a strange request. Only the gospel of John mentions this peculiar event. Normally I would have skipped past this part and focused on something else. However, we do minister to homeless children and teens. The homeless disciples of John wanted to see where Jesus lived. Sounds like something our children would ask of us.

We have been told often times that the Church is a House of God. I grew up in the church my whole life and never questioned it. However, churches and cathedrals are look more like extravagant palaces than any place our Lord chose to stay in the gospels. Christmas is still fresh in our memory. We read and even sang hymns about His birth in a manger. When questioned, Jesus made it clear that he was little to offer far as accommodations.
“Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”- Matthew 8:20

From the company He kept to the places He visited, Jesus always chose places that would make the average person a little uncomfortable. The home that the Church attempts to offer Jesus in its buildings seems to domesticate Him rather than giving Him an appropriate home; not unlike what the Hebrew people attempted to do in the Old Testament when they constructed the Temple. However, our Lord is His own Master. He lives where He desires to dwell. Therefore, it leaves a great challenge for us as modern Christians to discover where Jesus dwells in our cities or neighborhoods. Rest assured that Jesus never hides from us. He always made it clear where His preferred place is in this world. He is constantly inviting us to go and visit with Him.

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”-Matthew 25:35-36

Jesus always dwells among those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers or abandoned, the naked and sick and imprisoned regardless of their crimes. He doesn’t visit them. He makes His home among those whom we tend to forget or ignore and maybe even feel a little uncomfortable being around for a multitude of reasons.

We have been going to streets almost daily for more than six years. We have to admit that there are still many things that disturb us. The dirt, the unhygienic places where people sleep, the lack of bathroom facilities, not to mention the violence and the sight of very young children being left alone to fend for themselves. I am not sure that we want to get used to these things. This is where Jesus lives in a real and concrete manner. We go to the streets everyday to visit Jesus.

Our homeless children are not necessarily hungry. They are usually fed with leftovers from the restaurants. They are not naked nor sick usually. However, they are always strangers in their own city. They are always invisible. They sense this rejection strongly. Of all the things they suffered, this is the one thing that cuts deep into their souls. Their crimes and sometimes aggressive begging are attempts to assert their presence. Consequently, their negative actions make them even more despised but they prefer this than not being acknowledged at all. Jesus sets His home among them because He wants to recognize their presence. Our children also sense His presence there. They have been subjected to rejection and neglect from the day that they were born and yet, they do not harbor hatred and bitterness in their hearts. This is because Jesus dwells among them. Where our Lord is present, He brings healing to broken souls.

There are many churches and cathedrals in our city. Unfortunately, they haven’t brought much healing to those who are abandoned and perhaps not even to those who frequent their buildings. Many have even joined the voices of hatred towards the very poor. Perhaps, it is time to question everything we learn about Jesus within the walls of these churches. It doesn’t mean that we need to stop attending churches. It is just time for us to challenge the idea of confining God in one place. We have to engage in the task of going out and discovering the preferred dwelling place of Jesus.

Where Jesus is present, there is always healing. Some may think that they do not need any healing. Then for these people, remaining confined within the walls of the church will suffice. However, there are those whose souls yearn for a deeper understanding and meaning in this life. There are those who feel that they have eyes and yet do not see clearly and ears and yet do not hear intelligibly. If you are that person, then it is time to seek out where Jesus lives in your city. He is calling you to be with Him.

We have been visiting Jesus among in the homeless children and teens for more than six years. Jesus has received us with love. He has brought healing to our souls. We are beginning to understand the depth of His Love for us through the children and teens. However, now the time has come for us to take the next step. We have to reciprocate. We have to invite Jesus to our house; not in the spiritual sense. We have been meeting Jesus in a real sense through the children. It was time us to invite Jesus manifested in the children to our home. We were a little nervous.

The past year, we have heard and seen Jesus through Felipe many times. It only makes sense that he should be the first to come to our home. We have known him for six years. We have accompanied the changes in his life from living directionless in the streets to become a father. We were worried about inviting him. The contrast between our homes is great. He and his partner together with four very young children squat in a small room in an abandoned building. His home is infested with scorpions and cockroaches. All this sounds horrifying for us, however, for Felipe, these are signs of his own personal achievements. Something that he is truly grateful to God. We wanted to invite him to our home but we were worried. We thought perhaps he might feel uncomfortable in our home. We thought perhaps he might think that our home was luxurious and that he might not be able relate to us after his visit.

We meet with him weekly near in a library to talk; sometimes about his struggles and sometimes just about life in general. One day a storm interrupted our conversation. There was hardly any place to take shelter but our apartment was nearby. We asked him if he wanted to go there instead. He gladly accepted our invitation. When he entered our apartment, he was completely impressed even though it was in a mess. I have to admit that we tend to lean a bit on untidy side. Felipe did not care. He saw my houseplants and was curious about them. He wanted to know if he cultivate plants too. He talked and shared about things as if he was in the streets. In other words, he felt at home in our home. Then we realized that Jesus felt comfortable in our home and it was worthy of His visit. Now the doors are opened. We have discovered the joy of having the Lord in our home. Now, our ministry has a path from the streets to the doors of our home.