Raised from the Dead - Advent Musings #3

 

T

o think that we have just remembered the 3^rd of only 4 Sundays of Advent is shocking to me. Time keeps flying by and it overwhelms me to think of how quickly life seems to keep on happening.

The 3^rd Sunday of Advent is known in liturgical circles as ‘Gaudete Sunday’. And the symbolism of this 3^rd Sunday is perfect for those of us who cannot quite believe that we are this close to Christmas already. The word ‘gaudete’ means to rejoice, and anticipates the arrival of Christmas. It is the first word in the liturgy of the day; 

Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice; let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God.

Of the 4 candles in the Advent wreath to be lit on each Sunday of Advent, three are purple and one is pink. The pink candle is lit on this 3^rd Sunday as it is meant to symbolize the joyous anticipation of the coming of the King of kings and the Prince of peace. Pink is meant to symbolize the merging of the purple more somber candles with the white Christ candle which gets lit on Christmas day. Gaudete is an early celebration of what is to come. It anticipates light overcoming the darkness, peace overcoming war, hope overcoming despair, and life defeating death.

Here at Gateway we get to have these gaudete days quite regularly amidst the turmoil of the streets. I’d invite you to meet Anthony;

“Imagine the dirtiest, smelliest bum you’ve ever seen. Now multiply that by 100. That was me in 2002,” says Anthony Schofield, now 34.

Anthony grew up in a home with a stepfather who has since lost his life to crack cocaine and alcohol abuse. Anthony had low self-esteem, and his erratic behaviour led his parents to have him placed in special education classes, group homes and a mental health centre. Anthony started selling and using drugs at a young age. His drug problem escalated when he was accepted into the Ontario College of Art. His $8,900 student assistance loan and the downtown school’s proximity to drug dealers proved to be too tempting of a combination.

In 1994, Anthony dropped out of school and started living on the streets. He was one of the first “squeegee kids”, cleaning drivers’ windshields for a donation. “When we first started doing this, drivers were sympathetic to us and quite generous. I was making about $60 an hour.” Yet, this newfound source of plentiful cash only made it easier to feed his crack addiction.

Living under an overpass, Anthony’s white skin turned black with grime. Hardly eating, he dropped to 100 pounds. His shoulder length hair matted into dreadlocks. His face was swollen. His feet were so bruised and raw, he could barely walk. Not bathing for months, he constantly smelled like urine. “Even other bums were repulsed by me. It’s a miracle that I’m alive today,” says Anthony

For four years, he popped into the Gateway on occasion to warm up, get a bite to eat, clean up, or sleep in a bed. “At the beginning, I was belligerent and foul-mouthed with them, and abused the place by smoking crack in their bathroom. And they’d kick me out because they didn’t allow that behaviour. Yet, every time I came back, I received unconditional forgiveness and support.

“One day while in the Gateway, I was really feeling hatred for myself. I started punching myself in the face, and blackened my own eye. The staff at the Gateway held me down so I couldn’t hurt myself any more. They hugged me and prayed for me until I settled down.

“Over the years, they have listened to me and I’ve received counseling from everyone there, on my addictions, on managing my life, on self-awareness. They helped me make the decision to get off drugs. On the day I was going into detox, one staff member dropped everything to drive me to the hospital. The Gateway helped me to get into a recovery home. I lived there one year as a recovering addict, and the next year, they hired me to manage that home, which I did for a year. With the grace of God, I’ve stayed off drugs ever since, and continue to go to Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

“The people at the Gateway gave me the strength to turn my life around. They have become my friends, and they never stopped believing in me. They taught me what it was like to have a healthy relationship with someone, and how to love.

I’ve done a lot to get myself back on my feet, but they’ve supported me every step of the way and still do - I run all the big changes in my life past them. “The people at the Gateway never turned their back on me. I owe them my life.”

Presently Anthony is employed at Gateway as a street outreach specialist. In fact, he tapped into his skills as an artist this year and designed our Christmas cards that we used as a fundraiser (I still have a few packages of these for sale if anyone is interested) In my opinion, he epitomizes the theme of gaudete Sunday in that he is alive and has defeated death.

In fact I would say that he has literally been raised from the dead.

Still waiting but rejoicing.

Dion

Writer: The Concise Oxford is written by Dion Oxford who, along with his wife, Erinn, and daughter, Cate, live in Toronto, Canada and are committed to journeying alongside people in the margins of society. He and Erinn have spent a combined 30 years working amongst folks who are living on the streets of Toronto. Dion is a recovering Salvationist who currently worships at an evangelical Anglican church but still works for The Salvation Army at the Gateway, a shelter for men experiencing homelessness. He and his wife see the solution to homelessness as the church taking seriously the two great commandments of loving God and loving our neighbour. He likes to read, write, fly kites, cycle long distances, watch TV, play in his band and hang out with his friends.

2 Comments to Raised from the Dead - Advent Musings #3

1. This story is like the Grand Canyon at sunset: awesome.

   Sean
Sean on December 15th, 2009

2. Thanks for these reminders of what Christmas (and our work) is really all about - seeing people become whole through a relationship with the Christ of Christmas.

   Bless you Dion.

   Peter B.
Peter B on December 16th, 2009

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