not a talk on the retreat, but check this out...
Alabama is doing great taking care of our less fortunate families. The amazing thing to me is that RUMC is full of people who are doing fine. Don't get me wrong, we have some folks who don't have jobs anymore and we minister to people who don't have money. But the body of Christ at RUMC doesn't reflect the wonderful diversity of the body of Christ. Eh...
Just thought I'd make you aware of it...
Alabama is doing great taking care of our less fortunate families. The amazing thing to me is that RUMC is full of people who are doing fine. Don't get me wrong, we have some folks who don't have jobs anymore and we minister to people who don't have money. But the body of Christ at RUMC doesn't reflect the wonderful diversity of the body of Christ. Eh...
Just thought I'd make you aware of it...
What's amazing is that there is a very strong argument that the more we help the poor and indigent, the more we hurt them. In other words, their condition should be a strong motivation to escape their situation. Unfortunately, factors such as despair, isolation, and hopelessness are even greater motivators than jealousy or greed. I'm sure that all of the poor people I know would be helped by knowing how much better off I am. It would really help them to see me in my new Jaguar. It might make them stop working those two part time jobs and get into college so that in 4-5 years, they can be a rocket scientist making 6 figures. That's was Jesus' message right?
ReplyDeleteI think it's really a great witness to keep driving our Mercedes or new Chevy trucks with the flatscreens to our worship services. Why not? Then all the poor saps that have to work on Sunday can drive by and be convicted by their lack of resources and education. They can be blessed cleaning our big houses, cutting our yards, and checking us out at Best Buy. Every new flat screen is another soul or two for Jesus... Just think, it will motivate the sales guy, the cashier making minimum wagge, and they poor overweight sap who brings it out from the back to load it into our over-size $90 a tank H3. (It would be a sin to have a H2 because of the environment you know.)
Of course, if these poor folk get a little uppity and start some kind of revolt or something, then we can label them law breakers and start rounding them up and thowing them in secure prisons. Not like the unsecure economic ones we have in places like Woodlawn and Collegeville. Maybe we could even shoot a few.
We're doing to the iiiileeegals coming from Mexico. Damn those lawbreakers. Damn them to hell!!! I mean...what an affront to our walk with Christ. I would hate to have to spend more of my hard earned, God-given money to take care of their lazy butts. I already pay them to cut the grass, cook my burgers, and harvest my food. What more do you want?
I think Jesus must have been mis-quoted when he said, blessed are the poor...because when you think about it, they're really only blessed because their lives really suck. Maybe Jesus meant to say blessed are the poor, once they realize how bad they have it and finally decide to get off their asses to do something about it. Yeah...that sounds about right.
Jesus told us, "The poor you will always have with you." People use these words to justify their lack of action. What do we expect them to do, make a liar out of Jesus?
ReplyDeleteI actually read recently where, in response to her state's budget cuts in social services, a woman responded “Jesus said the poor would always be with us. We can't spend or minimum-wage them out of poverty.” GRRRR...
Now, I think it's unwise to pull a quote from scripture and use it without checking out the context, which is quite often more important than the quote. Jesus finished the statement with "...but you will not always have me." Jesus was responding to the critics of a woman — a poor person at that — who used expensive nard to anoint him. What Jesus' response says to me is that the act of worship — the anointing — is just as important as giving to the poor. Why? Because the act of worship comes first. Extravagant love springs from it. God will provide. God provided the nard, after all. Like the woman, all we have to do is offer ourselves.
what amazes me is how defensive people can become when you point out poor folks in your midst. Its one thing to say folks in some distant country are poor...but our own state?
ReplyDeletenot *my* fault
What do we do?
ReplyDelete