Intro: My new friend It has almost been 2 years since we painted Mr. Sanchez’s home. I can still remember a call from one of his daughters to ask if we really painted houses of families in South Phoenix. She was adamant that her dad’s house needed painting. I explained that he needed to fill out an application and that I would meet with him. Little did I know that this phone conversation would begin a journey with me visiting Al almost every week to bring him a donut or burrito.
#1. Why of planting seeds Jesus has just told a story about a farmer or actually himself, where he goes out and casts seeds of the gospel everywhere he walks. Last week we talked about fruitful hearts, hard hearts, crowded hearts and shallow hearts. We talked about the soil that God’s seed is planted in and what we can do to best prepare our hearts to act on God’s truth.
My parable or story is about painting houses, not growing plants. We paint houses with the purpose of showing God’s love in a tangible fashion to a family, neighbors and the community. Each time we do this we give a Bible to the family we are helping. I will always remember the first couple of times I met with Al Sanchez. I had gotten him a Spanish/English Bible that was actually very nice. At first I thought maybe I shouldn’t spend $40 on a leather Bible. Yet, after the last couple of years I am glad I did. The first couple of times I visited with him I discovered that he was really a funny, crusty 80-year-old man who had recently lost his 2nd wife and had 5 daughters, a son and Dorthy’s family. I seriously doubted he would read his Bible. I will always remember some of the funny stories and ways that he related back to real life. We became good friends over the months that I would just drop in and talk. If I was gone for a couple of weeks he would always look me in the eyes and say, “Where the ‘Hell’ have you been?” Yes, he at times was foul mouthed but he showed his care and concern for me as a new gringo amigo or as he would say, “My preacher David”.
#2. The mystery of God’s love As you read the parable of the sower it becomes clear that Jesus is living this story out as he explains it. He was actually casting seed to his disciples, other followers and to the crowd. As I put myself into the center of Al Sanchez’s life I slowly got to meet and know his five daughters. At times I ended up taking him to Safeway to get meds or go shopping. As I did this I discovered that he was actually reading his Bible cover to cover. Each morning he would copy a cartoon from the newspaper onto this little pad. I could always tell how he felt by whether he had done this. Slowly I noticed that his bookmark in the Bible was moving forward. I asked him now what he had read. He would always give me a summary of what was happening. The mystery of how God’s seed/word worked was slowly starting to make sense and come alive in Mr. Sanchez’s life.
I have to admit that I never dreamt that Al would become like a second father to me. I knew he had real health problems that eventually would kill him. I would joke about his being a diabetic, his cooking skills and that eating fried foods wasn’t the best. I would ask each time I visited about his sugar levels. Yet, we both would consume a burro, donut or whatever he had just cooked. I am glad that life has a side to it that is a mystery. I am so glad that I don’t have to figure everything out in life. It became clear to me after about a year that Sanchez expected me to come over. We would invite him over to our house for our monthly barbecues or to church. He would come when he was up to it or if I picked him up. Fortunately he didn’t play bingo on Sundays otherwise he probably wouldn’t have come. I did forget to mention that he had won significant money playing bingo that helped him get his truck and do the block wall around his house.
#3. The beauty of Grace & Mercy I think one of the mysteries of this parable is that God’s seed can grow in the craziest places like in rock, around weeds or in a crusty 82-year-old man. I can remember Sanchez telling me some rather off colored jokes at times and also asking about whether it was ok for him to have a girl friend at 82. What stood out was that every time I would see him, especially when he was in the hospital, that he would have this gleam in his eye and way of either shaking my hand or doing a thumbs up that showed me that he got it when it came to grace and mercy. He was an honest man who didn’t have anything to hide. I was actually learning through his life the lessons about grace and mercy. The point of the parable is that it isn’t our seed that grows inside of us but God’s living Word. The mystery of God’s Kingdom is that it comes to the most unassuming people by God’s choice. I know that God’s heart is to love those who have been forgotten or viewed as being insignificant in the world’s eyes.
Conclusion – I miss my friend Al Sanchez I will never forget the look of Mr. Sanchez when I saw him at Chris Ridge’s Skilled Nursing area when he was having dinner. My dad was also on the same floor for a few weeks because of breaking his hip. He was staying to get extra help before being released to go home. I had memories of the previous year of being with him when he was in the ICU when he almost died. I know that life is fragile, is a gift and that God is the one who has our days numbered. I wasn’t totally shocked when I saw a post on Facebook about Al being taken to Hospice. I quickly went over to see him and help the sisters understand why Hospice is a great place for their dad and them.
I will miss seeing Al every week or so. I can still get a burrito or some donuts but I won’t see that smile, great handshake or cartoon that had just been copied. I will remember him eating the last day or so of his life some special made avacado and a protein shake. I am so thankful that my God put it upon one of his daughter’s heart to call me and that a group of friends helped paint his house. I cried as I am writing this but know that Mr. Sanchez is in heaven and that he will never again suffer and even more importantly he now sees and knows that his savior lives!! Good Bye my friend I miss you.
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