At worship last Sunday at Worcester Fellowship, an outdoor ministry with folks who are homeless or at-risk of becoming homeless, the pastor welcomed people for a prayer of blessing and a laying on of hands.  Her question was whether anyone had an anniversary to celebrate – being free of drugs or alcohol or violence.  One man, a frequent worshipper asked for a blessing to celebrate six months sobriety from alcohol.  We gathered and prayed for him.  A woman came forward, black trench coat covering bony shoulders, and asked for a blessing to celebrate twelve years abstenance of cocaine.  Another man who had brought sandwiches for the lunch provided to 70 impoverished people came forward with his wife to ask for a blessing for 26 years free of alcohol.  Each prayer moved with a higher pitch and a powerful sense of spiritual presence.  Finally a fellow who had been sitting on a bench with his friends passing a paper bag back and forth stumbled into the worship service interrupting us.  “I want a prayer too!” he demanded.  The pastor asked him what anniversary he was celebrating.  “I haven’t had a drink for 15 minutes!” he yelled.

And I despaired.  Here we were offering prayers and support to those seeking sobriety and a more faithful way of living without violoence, and this clown was mocking our efforts.  He was interrupting, inappropriate, and inebriated.

The pastor asked if he would like a blessing.  Then she asked if we could place our hands upon him.  Yes and yes.

And then the most amazing thing happened.  She prayed.  She thanked God for this 15 minutes of sobriety and prayed that there might be another 15 minutes and maybe 15 minutes after that.  She prayed for the Holy Spirit to descend and for love to cast out fear.  She praised God and thanked Jesus Christ for the presence of the holy in our midst.  And I felt the power of God course through my body into my palm laid gently upon this particular gentleman’s shoulder.  I felt the power in the several hands upon me flow through my spirit and into my hand to bless this brother in Christ.

I don’t know if this man was changed by God through our prayers or not.  Maybe he went back to his bench and his bottle.  Perhaps he stayed sober another 15 minutes or an hour and then drank some more.  Perhaps he has changed and today counts another new day of sobriety.

But I do know that I was changed.  My arrogant thinking for whom we should or should not pray was soundly challenged.  My assumption of someone mocking us was transformed into a brother in Christ seeking the same connection to the divine that I seek every day.  I learned that the divisions between us are illusions.  “I want a prayer too.”