Deacon Tracy Anderson's Sermon at the Homeless Memorial - March 29, 2025

Author:
April 03, 2025
SEE ME

A whisper on the wind, a shadow in the street,
a face unseen, forgotten name, a story incomplete.

You pass me as you hurry by, you do not see me here,
my hunger, loss, and agony aren’t worthy of your tears.  

In rain or shine, in cold or heat, you have your comforts fine,
you see no need to help me find some comforts that are mine. 

Your silence, it speaks volumes, your blindness of me, too,
of what you think of one like me, who reaches out to you, 

As though I’ve never laughed or loved, as though I’ve never given
 a thing of value to this world in which we all are livin’. 

But I am more than what you see, or what you think you know,
a heart that loves, a brilliant mind, such talents I could show. 

Please look at me! See who I am! To ignore me hurts so much.
Your value of me as a person, too, is truly like God’s touch.

Please don’t ignore. Please show me grace, please see me as I am! 
For just like you, I’m a child of God, held forever in his hand.  

I’m not a ghost, or burden, or blight, I am a part of you.
We live together in this world, I belong in this family, too. 

We live in a society that values many superficial things; wealth, productivity, and power, to name just a few. We admire the prestigious, young business wizard, the CEO of a global corporation. We faun over the beautiful young starlet. We wish we could be like the multi-millionaire to whom the world is his oyster. Society not only values these things but it also views them as a measure of a person’s worth. 

What does it mean to have value? In our world this often means things that can be easily quantified, the biggest, the best, the most lucrative; things that can be seen and admired. 

Society holds in high regard those who appear to be doing the most, those who hold the most power, those who have the most money, as though these are the things that give a person the right to dignity and respect.

We gather today to remember the personal value and innate dignity of our unhoused neighbors who have died this past year, people who in life were often given little or no respect or dignity simply because they didn’t fit neatly into society’s norm.   

There is much misinformation and many lies spread about the homeless community, lies perpetuated by people who seek to banish the homeless population from our cities and towns, even from our very state, words spoken in an attempt to isolate, stigmatize, and incite fear. 

They say: “But homeless people are violent, they're addicts and alcoholics and mentally ill. They did this to themselves.”

When I hear comments like these I get angry. Really angry. Because although those things may be true for a small  percentage of the homeless community, they’re also true for the general population.  In every segment of society you will find people who are violent, who have addictions, who live with mental illness, people who have dug themselves into a hole they struggle to escape. It's the nature of man, although it doesn’t diminish their integral dignity. To target and shun the homeless community with these accusations is simply cruel and immoral.
In a world locked in a continual battle of “Us vs. Them” it is vital to remember that they are us and we are them.  We’re all part of the human family, together just trying to get through this thing we call life.
The truth is that our real value, our true worth as a human being, comes not from any job we may have or any goal we may achieve, but rather, our value comes from God. God The Creator, who is above ALL and through ALL and in ALL things.  We have innate value simply because we are created by the God who loves us. All people, everywhere. No exceptions.
Rich or poor, black or white, gay or straight, housed or unhoused, we all possess this inherent value.
Today we remember and celebrate the lives of those deemed by society as having little value. We remember and celebrate them because they are worth remembering and celebrating. 

The composer of Psalm 139 declares , “I am fearfully and wonderfully made and your works, Oh God, are wonderful!”

Isaiah chapter 43 gives us these tender words from God:
I have called you by name; you are mine.
You are precious and honored in my sight,
And I love you.

All of us, precious. All of us, honored. All of us, loved.  Every single one of us, instilled with dignity because we are children of God. We make a powerful difference in this broken world any time we choose to see the image of God in people, regardless of their circumstances. 
Today, I would like for us to give some dignity back to those we remember. Though I didn't personally know any of them, they were part of our Oklahoma City community, which made them part of my community.
These were real people. They were daughters and sons, mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers. They had real life stories. Some held college degrees, others were skilled in a trade.  They were musicians, artists, and poets. Some were fluent in more than one language. Some had traveled extensively and while others may never have crossed the borders of Oklahoma. Some were deeply religious, while others never set foot inside a church. They were real people with real memories, hopes, and dreams. 
There were those who were quick with a joke and those who were more philosophical. Some were easy to get along with and others held people at arm's length. Some liked Pepsi and some liked Coke. Each one filled a myriad of qualities that marked them as a unique individual.
Here at St Paul’s Cathedral we offer an emergency cold weather shelter during times of dangerously low temperatures. I’ve had the privilege of being involved with this ministry over the past couple of years.  Our guests during these times have many and varied needs besides shelter; food, clothing and hygiene products, or help navigating ‘the system’.
 But in my experience, the most common and desperate need of nearly everyone we serve is the need to be seen and heard.  See me as a person!  Listen to the things I have to say! 
During my hours of volunteering I spent a lot of time just listening to people who wanted to talk; “this is who I used to be, this is what I used to do, let me tell you about my children or my siblings or my pets.  Let me read you some of my poetry. Let me tell you about my childhood. Please, look me in the eye and see me not as a homeless person, but as a person in my own right.”
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. We all know this biblical saying. We all hope to be remembered one day with dignity and respect after we're gone. We choose today to remember, with dignity and respect, our brothers and sisters who have died. We remember them as members of our community, as well as the larger family of humankind. And we unequivocally acknowledge their right to dignity and respect as beloved children of God.  
In closing, I’d like to leave you with this powerful and thought provoking quote from acclaimed author Laura Hillenbrand, who penned both “Sea Biscuit” and “Unbroken”.
“Without dignity, identity is erased. In its absence, men are defined not by themselves, but…by the circumstances in which they are forced to live.”
May we never forget the inherent, God given dignity and identity of the men and women we remember today.  Amen
(Sermon by Deacon Tracy Anderson 03/29/2025)

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