Help the Poor 2

James 1:27

The other night at Bible study I commented that I felt James was a Methodist. It is part of the Methodist heritage, initiated by John Wesley about 300 years ago, that we not only pray for and have compassion for people in need, but we also do something about the situation. In other words, we can’t simply sit around feeling sorry for the plight of people. We need to get out there and try to make things better.

What is James’ comment on religion? How might we do these two things?

James is blunt and perhaps has over-simplified our faith. His claim is that what God wants, what is acceptable to God as pure, is a faith that takes care of the needs of others. In this specific instance James refers to widows and orphans, but I believe this comment can be extended to anyone who is struggling and poor.

James urges us to “look after” these needy individuals. I don’t think he is referring to dropping in on them from time to time to see how they are getting on. I believe he means for us to be active in improving their situation. Looking after another might involve helping them get a better life.

In Matthew 26:11 Jesus tells those around him, “The poor you will always have with you . . . .” There is indeed no shortage of needy persons. There are desperate poor in Africa and Asia, in the Middle East, and in Eastern Europe. We have recently been made aware of the poor in Haiti.

But you don’t need to go beyond the borders of our country to find people who are struggling. I would wager that you don’t even need to go beyond your own community, maybe your own neighborhood, to find someone who needs help.

The questions are, do you see the need, and will you do anything about it?

If we will be followers of Jesus then we must live out our faith. If our faith is to be pure and faultless, if our faith is to be acceptable to God, then we should be looking for ways to assist those in need. Being active in your expression of God’s compassion can help you to remain free from the spiritual pollution of the world.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Can you find a ministry that helps the poor and become involved in it?

Help the Poor 1

Mark 12:38-40

We recently saw the movie “Up in the Air,” with George Clooney. The movie centers on a man whose job it is to down-size employees – lay them off, end their employment. Watching the uncomfortable scenes of employee reactions to the fact that they are no longer employed reminded me of the times when I faced down-sizing myself.

In that moment a person feels that they are nothing but a number, a cipher, a dollar amount that is completely expendable to the corporation. In that moment a person feels little worth.

Jesus addresses the attitudes of religious leaders in his time. How does he characterize these teachers? According to verse 40, how do they treat the poor? What will be the result?

There is little any of us can do to bring a sense of humanity to the bottom line of corporate America, but in this lesson from Jesus we can see what not to do in the life of our faith. Just as business owners and corporate managers may view people as a number that must be removed or spared, there are many Christians who can take a cold attitude when dealing with people in need.

It often surprises me when I encounter Christians who do not even seem to take notice of the needy around them. It is all too easy to see these working poor, these struggling individuals as objects. It is too easy to not have any compassion for them.

So often help to the poor is seen as a drain on what we have. We must give up something and that is hard to do.

But if we will truly imitate Christ in our lives then we must open our eyes to the poor. If we will live a life of compassion and mercy we must recognize that those who are suffering and struggling are people with real feelings and real worth.

As followers of Jesus we need to be willing to abandon the lofty appearances of devout believers, a look and behavior that may separate us from the needy, and treat all people – even the poor – as children of God deserving of our help and compassion.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How many poor people do you see every day during the mundane activities of life? How do you treat them when you see them?

Rebel 3

Luke 2:8-10

Nancy, a woman from our previous church, started her own ministry by helping out underprivileged school children. She raised money throughout the year by accepting used book donations, and then selling these used books for $1 or 50¢. With that money she took Christmas presents to needy children in select families.

It was a simple ministry, but it had a big impact. She said that there were many times that her gift was the only gift these children received.

We can easily forget about the poor and underprivileged in our society when we surround ourselves with the abundance of Christmas. But we need to remember who was involved in the birth of Jesus. Who heard the message about the birth? Who told them?

A few years back we found information that pointed to the concept that these shepherds were not just any group of men. Indications are that they were temple shepherds, special shepherds responsible for a flock of perfect sheep available for sacrifice.

But that really doesn’t matter. Shepherds in that society at that time were considered to be among the poor. Shepherds, even temple shepherds, were considered outcasts, laborers who were physically dirty and therefore spiritually unclean.

Yet they were the first to hear about the birth of Jesus. They were informed, not through a mysterious sign in the sky or a dream that needed to be interpreted, but by the physical and personal appearance of God’s own messengers, a host of angels. The glory of God, the promise of salvation, the great news was all revealed to these poor outcasts.

This serves as a reminder that Christmas is all about love and not about presents and spending. Christmas is for everyone.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Will you rebel against tradition and include the hungry, the poor, and the underprivileged in your Christmas?

Rebel 2

Luke 2:22-24

Childhood memories of Christmas growing up are memories mostly of what we did together as a family. As I grew up our family never had a great deal of money to spare, but we always had sufficient presents to be happy on Christmas morning. Yet, I can only remember one or two presents from all those years.

What I remember most is how we celebrated the holidays. Christmas was a solid week of visiting with friends and extended family members – cousins and uncles and aunts. It was the socializing, the fellowship and the fun that made Christmas so special.

Returning to the story of Joseph and Mary at the temple, where they will encounter Simeon, we see some interesting information about them. Why were Joseph and Mary in Jerusalem? What was their offering?

While this passage may seem to be one of those sections that is entirely utilitarian – something helpful and necessary for the story, but really not interesting – it actually tells us something of Jesus and his family. The sacrifice they brought to the temple consists of two birds, either doves or pigeons.

In Leviticus 12 we see regulations for this sacrifice. What is required is the offering of a lamb; however, Leviticus 12:8 states that if a person “cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring two doves or two young pigeons.” With that we are to understand that Joseph and Mary could not afford a lamb. In other words, they were among the working poor of the land.

Why is this important? I believe it is important to be reminded that Jesus was a gift not just to wealthy and powerful people, but was born among the poor of Israel. The celebration of his birth does not require that a great deal of money be spent. Rather, we should rebel against the temptations of over-spending and worship God with our hearts and not our wallets.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Can you reduce the amount of money you spend on Christmas gifts this year? A good goal may be to lower your spending by 25%.

Relevance 3

James 1:27

Coming from a secular business background into the ministry, one of the hardest issues I have had to deal with – and still do – is getting caught up in getting things done. With an eye toward the completed project I can become frustrated when someone interrupts me because they need to talk. But that is the primary purpose of ministry – helping those in need. The neatly decorated altar, the tidy Sanctuary, the completed bulletin can and should be set aside when someone comes to me.

James condenses ministry into a very simple instruction. What is our “religion” supposed to do?

Each of us can get caught up in our “religion” – going through the motions of worship, Bible study, prayers, and so on. We can easily forget that one of the main things we are called to is helping those in need. The perfect examples in the First Century were the widows and orphans. In our community we might replace these with the homeless, working poor, drug addicts, alcoholics, AIDS sufferers.

Last week we looked at the problem of appearing to be a Christian without really feeling or thinking like a Christian. Now we look at doing the work of the Christian. We must be relevant. We must address the issues of strife and struggle in the lives of people.

To be relevant we need to be involved and engaged with our society. We cannot keep our eyes on Jesus by avoiding looking at the people all around us who need our compassion and help.

But part of our “religion,” our faith, requires that we avoid falling into the secular sinfulness of the world. James tells us to keep “from being polluted by the world.” We can not nor should not avoid the world. Real Christians work to ease the distress of others. We must, however, be cautious of the temptations of the world.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How are you “religious?”

Love One Another 4

1 John 3:16-18

Members of our church have family in Mexico, and last year we sent used clothing down to be given out to needy people. We got a report back that a young man in Mexico was thrilled to receive a pair of jeans that we had determined to be too ratty and torn for our son. It is amazing how much of the material possessions, the abundance of food and space for living, the comforts of our life we take for granted.

We do not need to go far to find others who would benefit from our excess. They can be blessed by our gifts with very little sacrifice on our part. Yet we so often overlook the opportunity to show love by providing for others.

In this letter from John we see examples of how to live out our love. What did Jesus do as an example for us? How can the love of God be in us? What is the final instruction offered?

As always we can turn to Christ to see how we are to live and love. Jesus sacrificed his very life so that we might be blessed, so that we might receive forgiveness and the fullness of God’s mercy. It was an act of love.

We are commanded to love. Are we to lay down our life for others? I believe the answer is that we should, if necessary. And if we do not lay down our life, we can give our life by being in constant service to others in need. We may not have to physically die to show love, but love can be expressed by putting our own wants and comforts aside, even if only for a little while, so that others may benefit. Love can be shown by giving away our excess without hesitation or complaint.

How can we look on the poor and needy and then turn away? That same question haunted me during our mission trip to Haiti. When I witnessed the abject poverty of the people, especially the children, I asked myself how it could be possible for me to walk away.

We are urged to love, not just with words, but with actions. Wherever and whenever possible we should, as Christians, do whatever we can to help those in need. That is how the love of God lives in us. That is how we love one another.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can the love of God in you be expressed through acts of love?