Government Aid? Never enough...
A proposition for my readers: If there is disagreement please let me know...
If we were to invest the same amount of time and energy into pursuing change through the Church that we invest into pursuing change through the government, the payoff here on earth would be exponentially greater (not to mention the Kingdom benefit).
Sure, positive change can come through the government (or through the rather limited avenues for change that the government allows). However, it takes a great deal of time and energy to create even a little change, and big changes only occur very rarely.
I suspect that when we work through the Church (ie. the Body of Christ) we will be able to create much larger change with much less time and much less energy.
Let me provide an example of what I'm talking about.
Homelessness is obviously a major problem in many urban centers. Pursuing change through the government requires a great deal of lobbying, of protesting, of capturing (and holding) the attention of the media, of rationalising, and of imposing constant pressure upon politicians, corporations, and policy-makers. Engaging in that process requires a great deal of time and energy and the end result is always minimal. The government creates 50 more units of affordable housing, or offers to open up 40 more shelter beds (in the winter only), that sort of thing.
So, what is the alternative to this that the Church (followers of Christ) offer? Really, it's quite simple. We take the words of Isaiah 58 seriously and "bring the homeless poor into our homes." Rather than begging and pleading with the government, we simply become the change we seek elsewhere. Rather than wasting a great deal of time and energy asking the government to open new homes, we simply open our homes to the homeless.
And so on and so forth. Rather than waiting for the government to eradicate poverty (something that it will never do), we can become the sort of community that is described in Acts wherein a form of sharing exists that leads to the observation that "there were no needy persons among them" (Acts 4). It's all rather simple (which isn't to say that it is easy). All we need is a little imagination and a little courage; a little hope, a little faith, a little love.
Why waste all that time and energy elsewhere? I'm certain this seems quite simplistic, but I currently have two empty bedrooms in my house every night, plus a cozy basement I'm blogging in right now, which would comfortably sleep several folks looking for a place to stay.
Sorry, guess I'm feeling idealistic tonight. Oh to take Jesus literally...Lord, that's what I want my life to look like. Yours. Literally.
If we were to invest the same amount of time and energy into pursuing change through the Church that we invest into pursuing change through the government, the payoff here on earth would be exponentially greater (not to mention the Kingdom benefit).
Sure, positive change can come through the government (or through the rather limited avenues for change that the government allows). However, it takes a great deal of time and energy to create even a little change, and big changes only occur very rarely.
I suspect that when we work through the Church (ie. the Body of Christ) we will be able to create much larger change with much less time and much less energy.
Let me provide an example of what I'm talking about.
Homelessness is obviously a major problem in many urban centers. Pursuing change through the government requires a great deal of lobbying, of protesting, of capturing (and holding) the attention of the media, of rationalising, and of imposing constant pressure upon politicians, corporations, and policy-makers. Engaging in that process requires a great deal of time and energy and the end result is always minimal. The government creates 50 more units of affordable housing, or offers to open up 40 more shelter beds (in the winter only), that sort of thing.
So, what is the alternative to this that the Church (followers of Christ) offer? Really, it's quite simple. We take the words of Isaiah 58 seriously and "bring the homeless poor into our homes." Rather than begging and pleading with the government, we simply become the change we seek elsewhere. Rather than wasting a great deal of time and energy asking the government to open new homes, we simply open our homes to the homeless.
And so on and so forth. Rather than waiting for the government to eradicate poverty (something that it will never do), we can become the sort of community that is described in Acts wherein a form of sharing exists that leads to the observation that "there were no needy persons among them" (Acts 4). It's all rather simple (which isn't to say that it is easy). All we need is a little imagination and a little courage; a little hope, a little faith, a little love.
Why waste all that time and energy elsewhere? I'm certain this seems quite simplistic, but I currently have two empty bedrooms in my house every night, plus a cozy basement I'm blogging in right now, which would comfortably sleep several folks looking for a place to stay.
Sorry, guess I'm feeling idealistic tonight. Oh to take Jesus literally...Lord, that's what I want my life to look like. Yours. Literally.
September 26, 2007 at 6:18 PM
I've pondered on this post for hours and days. Sometimes I'm encouraged by what I see the Church, the Body, doing in the world. Yet often I would get frustrated and discouraged by the lack of what I can or cannot do. But (and this may sound weird), I'm so grateful that God has given me (and YOU!) a tender heart that breaks for others. With a soft heart and open eyes, with a willing "Yes" to whatever God calls us to do, we can be at peace and grow in our trust in Him.
There is a quote from Henri Nouwen regarding our call from God. His words blessed and encouraged me. I hope they bless you as well.
Our Unique Call
by Henri Nouwen
"So many terrible things happen every day that we start wondering whether the few things we do ourselves make any sense. When people are starving only a few thousand miles away, when wars are raging close to our borders, when countless people in our own cities have no homes to live in, our own activities look futile. Such considerations, however, can paralyse us and depress us.
Here the word call becomes important. We are not called to save the world, solve all problems, and help all people. But we each have our own unique call, in our families, in our work, in our world. We have to keep asking God to help us see clearly what our call is and to give us the strength to live out that call with trust. Then we will discover that our faithfulness to a small task is the most healing response to the illnesses of our time."
Thanks for this post, Andrew. top
December 6, 2007 at 1:20 PM
We are called to go where God sends us--to the World Bank meeting, to hand out a few coins to a beggar on the street, to vote a certain way, sometimes to take in a foster child or make a kiva loan. (How I found you.) You are right that we need to do what we can right away because the needs are immediate. But...
I've spent almost 2 years getting my church to agree to use an empty house that we own as transitional housing for a person/family with a job loss, medical problem or other financial burden that makes paying for housing.(Try saving up a deposit after you've been evicted.) We're not even talking about the hardcore homeless or unemployed, just a congregation member down on his/her luck (Or perhaps put in our midst to let us have the opportunity of serving the Lord in this way), but the resistance has been strong, though subtle. Our date is finally set, Feb. 1, and we'll be able to help 2-5 people at a time.
What a contrast to the new government rate adjustment plan that stands to keep millions in their homes and took much less time to arrange. Let's not despise what government can do while we're acting as individuals. top