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A woman sent me a note asking me to please stop sending her newsletters about our ministries’ work with the homeless in Chicago. “I don’t want to have anything to do with those people”, she wrote. “I let a homeless woman stay with me and she stole from me.”
“I’m afraid to get too involved with people who have such desperate needs,” Toni told me. “I know that if I get personally involved it’s going to get messy. I had an experience once where I was taken advantage of. I felt like an idiot. I was angry. That’s what I get scared of, that I’m just being foolish.”
None of us enjoys being duped. After experiencing two or three of these unfortunate confrontations, it is understandable that some would rather just avoid dealing with people in need. After all, aren’t there government programs that take care of the legitimately poor and the unemployed? Why should we be bothered and chance contributing to someone’s addiction or being taken advantage of?
Yet Jesus was very clear in his teaching that Christians don’t have the option not to care for the down and out.
The Good Samaritan crossed the road and was moved by compassion for the mugged man. He got involved by bandaging his wounds and then took him to the nearest rehab center and paid for his rehabilitation.
What we do for the least of these, Jesus said, is what we do for him. The list included providing food and clothing, looking after people in prison, caring for the sick and taking in strangers.
Compassionate care for the poor is central to the teaching of Scripture. Ultimately the power to overcome poverty lies in learning to live the Jesus way, to follow him in how he interacted with the poor and the marginalized, and to be willing—like Jesus, to lay down our self-centered, materialistic lives to take up the cross of loving generosity, gentle kindness, and tenacious advocacy for the rights of the poor and the oppressed.
The needs of the poor are often complicated. Generations of social castaways are plagued with inadequate education, dilapidated housing and few employable skills.
What can the church do find and serve the least of these?
As I have walked for the past eighteen years alongside thousands of men and women who have become homeless in the city of Chicago, and as I have visited impoverished communities throughout the world, I have discovered good news. We actually can, in very practical ways, find sustainable, manageable ways to make a difference in the lives of the poor.
Caring for the poor is something we do together. In the body of Christ, we each have a role to play. God raises up leaders who start movements, ministries and organizations that are feeding and clothing the homeless, providing shelter, caring for the sick and ministering to those in prison. Each of us can join these movements in some way through giving and volunteering.
When was the last time you shared a meal or had a meaningful conversation with a poor person? Find a ministry in your community that is caring for people in need and find out how you can get involved. It will change your life.
The Christian church is the largest grassroots movement on earth. How we respond to the poor is central to the life and teachings of Jesus and to what it means for us to follow Christ. Together we can make a profound impact on poverty. Indeed, I believe we are called by God to do so.
[Source – Thank you Arloa!]
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[video: Claudio Oliver on ‘What is Poverty‘?- from Relational Tithe]]]>
Excellent. I feel sorry for the people who have been hurt in attempting to help the hurting and so reject the whole business. When my wife and I started working with the needy, inviting them into our home for meals, we had our checkbook stolen from us and someone wrote checks upwards of a thousand dollars, which we never got back. From this, we learned that it was foolish of us to leave our checkbook in a place where it could be stolen. Sometimes, having the needy around is like having a toddler in the house– our lives have to be restructured for their safety. But it is worth it to participate in Jesus' ministry. Praise God for His grace in allowing us to be with the people of struggle and faith.
Steve, thank you for the encouragement to 'get our hands dirty' in befriending folks in need. I love hearing about your attempts to reach out and the realities of dealing with the brokenness of those who are desperate for new life. Like you said, it is hard, but worth it. My wife and I are just beginning the journey- but I am encouraged that we are on the right path.
I've worked with the poor and disadvantaged in both city and rural environments, and with homeless adults and orphaned children. The most I've ever lost was a jar of peanut butter, which the children at the orphanage found in my room – I thought it was funny, as I had a camera, a gold crucifix necklace and other valuables there. Now I have nothing worth stealing – no goods, no money. (Okay, I have the Dodge truck – not worth stealing.) Entering into poverty ourselves -and sometimes risking that we too will be homeless and hungry – puts us into the community of the poor, where we too are helpless but for Christ. I know how controversial this is – but the preferential option for the poor is what I think Christ calls us to. I expect to be called out of the community of religious (small as it is – 4 of us) in which we now reside to parish minsitry again, and I hope I will not forget the lesson I have learned over the past year.
Magdalena: entering into poverty either on purpose or by happenstance is life changing -it has been for me. There is so much shame and condemnation that we heap on those who can't 'make it. I never understood that until I was on the receiving end (if only ever so slightly). The reality is- if we are not willing to know others who are struggling in life- and to walk with them in mercy- than how can we expect mercy ourselves? It is easy to give to charity but difficult to befriend and be in relationship with those who are struggling and on the margins.
I look forward to hearing of your adventures 🙂