OK, this hasn't been a life-altering trial, but the recent difficulty I've had with a simple document attachment reminded me of an important principle when confronting issues of justice and mercy. If you've been checking your inbox recently, you've noticed an abundant amount of messages from me with faulty attachments (sorry!). What should have been simple and efficient quickly became a test of endurance and persistence.
Our efforts to address individual and structural justice and mercy will test us in the same way.
Plunging into the waters of poverty and inequality is not a one-and-done thing. We should not expect one letter, one cup of cold water, or one conversation to remedy the issue. Can they make a difference? Absolutely! But it will take endurance and persistence to impact others for the long haul.
Whether you're working on a relationship with an individual struck by poverty or lobbying Congress on issues relating to injustice, don't get discouraged by a lack of short-term success. Trust in God and His ability to take what little we have and turn it into a feast for many. It will take time. It won't be easy. But in serving others, we serve Christ.
Well done.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Monday, February 22, 2010
The Place of Powerlessness
So...we're not in a strong blogging culture here at PR. That's OK. Its not required to get into heaven. :)
Nevertheless, I was struck by a comment that came at the close of our gathering last Wednesday and wanted to throw it out there. The subject of feeling "overwhelmed" by issues related to justice and mercy came up after our time of prayer. The comment was made that perhaps God brings us to that place so we can experience our inability to change the situation. Then we are open to the work God wants us to do--the work He is already doing.
I thought of the disciples and the feeding of the five thousand. The text clearly shows that Jesus had a plan all along. But he threw it to the disciples to see how they would respond.
They were overwhelmed. "But Jesus...three months wages would barely give each one a bite..."
Then Jesus did what he was planning all along. A miracle.
And when we look throughout Scripture, we find God leading His people to a place of overwhelming impossibilities in order to prepare them for His miraculous plan. Think of the Red Sea, Jericho, Gideon, Esther, Mary...and the list goes on.
The next time you feel overwhelmed by the circumstances in which God has placed you, embrace the impossible and join God in His miraculous work. I'd love for you to share the results with me. I'll even help you pick up the leftovers.
Nevertheless, I was struck by a comment that came at the close of our gathering last Wednesday and wanted to throw it out there. The subject of feeling "overwhelmed" by issues related to justice and mercy came up after our time of prayer. The comment was made that perhaps God brings us to that place so we can experience our inability to change the situation. Then we are open to the work God wants us to do--the work He is already doing.
I thought of the disciples and the feeding of the five thousand. The text clearly shows that Jesus had a plan all along. But he threw it to the disciples to see how they would respond.
They were overwhelmed. "But Jesus...three months wages would barely give each one a bite..."
Then Jesus did what he was planning all along. A miracle.
And when we look throughout Scripture, we find God leading His people to a place of overwhelming impossibilities in order to prepare them for His miraculous plan. Think of the Red Sea, Jericho, Gideon, Esther, Mary...and the list goes on.
The next time you feel overwhelmed by the circumstances in which God has placed you, embrace the impossible and join God in His miraculous work. I'd love for you to share the results with me. I'll even help you pick up the leftovers.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Careless or Care-FULL?
The question I believe challenged us the most this week was, "How have we become careless with the poor?" Judging from the answers and emotions that followed, its safe to say we're not all at the same place on this one.
That's OK.
As I reflected further on this question and read the Day 11 journal entry, this quote stuck with me:
For Jesus, everything was personal. Reading the Gospels, Jesus seemed to have intensely personal relationships with the poor. Jesus was full of care for those in need. And Jesus had compassion, which means he did something about it.
We can't safely judge another's heart for the poor. But we can judge our own. We're called to do so. If Jesus is our standard (which he is) and not what others may or may not be doing, let's ask ourselves a tough question this week:
Am I in danger of being careless with the poor?
That's OK.
As I reflected further on this question and read the Day 11 journal entry, this quote stuck with me:
"The pesky facts of poverty can bounce off of me. It's all so far away, the numbers are so big that they are just too much to digest (how many is a billion anyway?), and it's so much easier to just close my mind and move on."I think where we as individuals and as a community of faith are in danger of being careless with the poor is when it ceases to be personal. When we can check it off our list, blindly throw money at it, or develop a program that stands between us and the poor, we're being careless. At that moment we are but a breath away from an apathetic carrying out of our duty.
For Jesus, everything was personal. Reading the Gospels, Jesus seemed to have intensely personal relationships with the poor. Jesus was full of care for those in need. And Jesus had compassion, which means he did something about it.
We can't safely judge another's heart for the poor. But we can judge our own. We're called to do so. If Jesus is our standard (which he is) and not what others may or may not be doing, let's ask ourselves a tough question this week:
Am I in danger of being careless with the poor?
Monday, January 18, 2010
Opening Our Eyes
Last Wednesday, we ended with the challenge to consider making eye contact with strangers, in particular with people in need due to poverty or other personal crises.
What do we see when we look into the eyes of strangers?
Do we see someone in the way?
Do we see a threat to our comfort zone?
Do we someone who pricks our conscience?
Do we see another person created in the image of God?
Do we see a father, brother, mother, daughter, son or sister?
Do we see another person who needs the love of our Savior and the embrace of His Church?
Do we see someone who reminds us that we might have neglected a part of our commission to love others as we love ourselves?
When we look into the eyes of a stranger, do we see that we could be in their place but for the grace of God that led us along a different path? Do we see that we are not all so different after all?
What difference would it make if we saw strangers along our path as Christ sees us?
What do we see when we look into the eyes of strangers?
Do we see someone in the way?
Do we see a threat to our comfort zone?
Do we someone who pricks our conscience?
Do we see another person created in the image of God?
Do we see a father, brother, mother, daughter, son or sister?
Do we see another person who needs the love of our Savior and the embrace of His Church?
Do we see someone who reminds us that we might have neglected a part of our commission to love others as we love ourselves?
When we look into the eyes of a stranger, do we see that we could be in their place but for the grace of God that led us along a different path? Do we see that we are not all so different after all?
What difference would it make if we saw strangers along our path as Christ sees us?
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Outside the Box
Doing a little research I found it is estimated that $5-$8 billion dollars (yes, that's with a "b") were left on unused gift cards each year over the past few years. If that isn't an indication of how rich our country is, I don't know what it! But, I digress...anyway, here's the idea. What if we found a way, working with consumers and retailers, to recapture some of that unused money for poverty? Even if we were only able to gather 10%, we could redirect $500-$800 million toward wiping our poverty EACH YEAR!
Some of the best ideas emerge when you toss around some crazy one. What crazy idea do you have to for wiping out poverty?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Deny Yourself
As I read the Day 5 devotional thought this morning, a brief phrase of a verse I'm very familiar with (it was the foundational verse of the youth ministry I lead in Fort Worth for 5 years) jumped out at me. Jesus' words from Matthew 16:24:
God is calling me, calling us, to take daily steps away from self. Self-denial is the fertile ground from which justice and mercy spring forth. What are the "first steps" of self-denial that God is calling you to take?
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."The first step of a disciple is a step away from self--it is a step of self-denial. However, much of our lifestyle as western Christians (as much as we'd like to believe otherwise) involves subtle steps toward self. We want our worship to be comfortable, in our preferred style, we want to schedule our Christianity so that it does not interfere with our "lives", we tailor our spending habits to perpetuate ease of living, and we cordon off our relationships so they do not intrude and bring with them the risk of change.
God is calling me, calling us, to take daily steps away from self. Self-denial is the fertile ground from which justice and mercy spring forth. What are the "first steps" of self-denial that God is calling you to take?
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Justice rolling like a river...
"But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" - Amos 5:24 (NIV)
I love the comparison Amos makes of justice to a river. Rivers are steady and bring life and replenishment to the land. Rivers follow a constant path and provide sustenance to the thirsty. And at times, rivers absolutely overwhelm the land by their flooding. It's at these times of flooding that we realize despite the dams or the levees we build that rivers are beyond our control...they go beyond our ability to manage and contain.
It's important to note that Amos doesn't tell the Hebrews to "create justice" or "start justice" or "come up with justice". No, he says to "let justice roll..." You see, God's justice is always there and always flowing...the problem is we dam it up. We quench it. We prevent it from reaching the people who need it. There are times that we do that intentionally, there are times that we do that out of lazy apathy, and there are times that we do it simply because we don't know better. Regardless of why this quenching occurs, though, Amos tells the Hebrews (and American Christians) to let justice roll!
We live in a world that is "parched" with people in need, people who are hungry and thirsty, people who are suffering from various types of injustice and oppression. Billions of God's children throughout the world and in our own community are hurting.
I encourage you to consider how we have quenched God's justice or prevented His justice from rolling on to those in need. Also, consider how we can live in such a way that we let justice roll on like a river...how can we join in with God and His justice? (Feel free to privately reflect on these thoughts, and also feel free to post a reply...sharing our thoughts and reflections with one another is very helpful in us growing as a group!)
I love the comparison Amos makes of justice to a river. Rivers are steady and bring life and replenishment to the land. Rivers follow a constant path and provide sustenance to the thirsty. And at times, rivers absolutely overwhelm the land by their flooding. It's at these times of flooding that we realize despite the dams or the levees we build that rivers are beyond our control...they go beyond our ability to manage and contain.
It's important to note that Amos doesn't tell the Hebrews to "create justice" or "start justice" or "come up with justice". No, he says to "let justice roll..." You see, God's justice is always there and always flowing...the problem is we dam it up. We quench it. We prevent it from reaching the people who need it. There are times that we do that intentionally, there are times that we do that out of lazy apathy, and there are times that we do it simply because we don't know better. Regardless of why this quenching occurs, though, Amos tells the Hebrews (and American Christians) to let justice roll!
We live in a world that is "parched" with people in need, people who are hungry and thirsty, people who are suffering from various types of injustice and oppression. Billions of God's children throughout the world and in our own community are hurting.
I encourage you to consider how we have quenched God's justice or prevented His justice from rolling on to those in need. Also, consider how we can live in such a way that we let justice roll on like a river...how can we join in with God and His justice? (Feel free to privately reflect on these thoughts, and also feel free to post a reply...sharing our thoughts and reflections with one another is very helpful in us growing as a group!)
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