Was That Smelly Guy Jesus?

God as a homeless man is Hollywood cliché. That may have been just what happened last Tuesday though. I’m going to set this up with my favorite joke about God.

As flood waters rise a family climbs out a window onto their roof. They begin to pray to God for rescue. A neighbor comes by in his fishing boat. They wave him on confident that God will save them. The water is running fast now and starts to lap over the eaves of the house. A helicopter flies over ready for them climb aboard, but again they wait on God. A giant wave washes them off the roof and they find themselves face to face with God.

“God,” the family’s father says, “Why did you let us die in the flood?”

“I sent you a boat and a helicopter. What else did you want?”

I was running late and really wanted to catch the very first bus I could. As I was coming up to the bus stop I saw the 101 take off. Traffic had it bogged down so I ran thinking I could make it to the next stop a block north. I was gaining fast, but was about to miss it when a nice guy waved at the driver to wait. I thanked him as I stumbled onto the bus heart pounding. Elated that I had shaved twenty minutes off my commute home I found a seat toward the back of the bus and pulled out the Austin Chronicle I’d picked up earlier in the day.

Half way through Lewis Black’s comprehensive article on the late 60’s band Moby Grape I looked up to discover we were passing my church. The church is not on my bus route home. Not one to panic I figured I just got on the 10 instead of the 101 and since my truck was at the North Lamar Transit Center I would be fine. All busses heading north go to the Transit Center right? No, they do not. This became clear to me shortly.

As the bus ambled north I went from confident I would end up at the Transit Center to thinking I would find myself deep in East Austin. Being that I ran to catch the wrong bus I was feeling shy about asking the bus driver any questions. I was in the middle of an upswing in confidence when a rather large man got on the bus. As he sat down to my left I noticed he was dressed in a suit that had seen better days and he had some of the worst body odor I’ve ever experienced.

A couple people sitting farther back in the bus got off at the next stop. Thinking a few seats distance might make a bit of difference - it didn’t - I jumped up and took an empty seat. While switching seats I put my paper under my arm. Seeing I was no longer reading the paper a man sitting across from me asked if he could have it. While I was looking forward to the other half of Black’s epic article I gave it to him anyway because I’m just too nice to say no. This act broke the ice and I asked him if this bus went to the North Lamar Transit Center. It did not, but I could get off at Rundberg, walk two blocks to Lamar and catch the 1 back to the Transit Center.

Walking toward Lamar I looked back to see the bus heading off toward east Austin. If that smelly man hadn’t gotten on when he did and that guy hadn’t asked for my paper I would have been even farther off track and a very long time from getting home. I’m tempted to write this story off as a little too mundane for the all powerful hand of God, but God is an everyday God. It’s not always about the burning bush.