A glimpse of salvation on bus # 1

     He was the third one within  ten minutes to not have the bus fare. The first guy stepped on the bus, digging around in his pockets looking for a way to pay, all the while still clutching his plastic bags full of possessions. One of the guys just stood there looking at the bus driver like... sorry, I don't have it. She let the first two on, even graciously gave the first guy a transfer, even though he only paid with an expired transfer in the first place. She loudly, but kindly reminded the second man to remember his card next time, however, I think we all knew that the card he was forgetting, didn't actually exist, but what man wants to claim he doesn't have what he needs to a bus full of strangers, let alone admit it to himself.
     Well... there was one, the third man. He wasn't as bold as the other two. When the bus got to his stop, he stayed on the sidewalk, slightly leaning forward, again with plastic bag in tow and a coat wrapped around his waist, even though it was cold and rainy. In a loud, child like, hopeful tone he asked the bus driver, " Do you... Do you want me to just catch the next bus? I only got a dollar." He dared not step on the bus. He knew he didn't have the correct fare, he knew his deficit. He was so vulnerable right there. Admitting to all, well at least the motley crew on the bus, that he was indeed short, and could not pay to ride the bus, after all, he only had one dollar and the bus fare was $ 1.75, going up to $2.00 on November 1st. Whether he continued to stand out in the rain and cold, was at this point completely up to the driver. She had the opportunity to show compassion or point to the sign and remind him that the bus fare was $ 1.75 and he was short. She looked at him, told him to come on up mumbling to herself ... "cause everybody else already did."
     He got on the bus and sat down. Before he got on,  I could see that he was hopeful and unsure at the same time. Now, I could see that he was surprised and relieved that he was not rejected there in the cold, on this wet morning.
     I call this A Glimpse of  Salvation on Bus # 1, because really in a nutshell, that is what Jesus has done for us. There we stand, cold, wet, hungry, needy, clutching what we have, holding onto it with dear life: our plastic bag full of doubt, shame, hurt, pain, desire, hope...  not really sure of what to expect. Not wanting to put ourselves out there but in some way desperate to be rescued from the place we are in. Then comes the bus... Jesus. It's already full of passengers, what do they think of me, will they want me? Not having the right amount of money, clothes, fame, personality will I be accepted? Then the driver, the one with all the power, to admit or deny, to show compassion or shame, is there and we are at the mercy of the driver.
     God knows we can't pay the fare, He knows we are not okay where we are, he knows we hold tightly to what we know, have...hoping it will be enough, but it usually never is, is it?
    God looks at us and sees our need, our pain, our hope, our doubt. He sees the expressions on our faces and reads our body language even when we don't know how we are feeling. The bus usually stops when they see a person standing on the sidewalk. They don't try and guess ahead of time whether or not the person will be able to pay.
     The bus just stops, cause that is what it is designed to do, pick up passengers, get them to their destination. We don't usually stand at a bus stop unless we want to ride the bus, and at times, we don't want to ride the bus, but we stand there anyway, knowing it's the only way to get where we need to go. That man stood there even though he couldn't pay, he admitted he didn't have what it took to ride the bus, the bus driver acknowledged that, let him on as he was, and never asked for the dollar he said he had.
     His ride was free, and so is God's love, grace, and salvation. Anyone need a ride?