Posted by Rachel on: 12.10.2007 /
On Benjamin’s The Dark Side of Christmas thread, Helen posted this comment:
I’ve read two books lately (The Real Mary by Scot McKnight and Everything Must Change by Brian McLaren) in which the authors point out what a strong justice theme is in ‘the Magnificat’ i.e. Mary’s song of rejoicing she sang about being the mother of Jesus…I love that right in the middle of the Christmas passages there’s a poem about addressing global injustice.
I love that too, Helen. I imagine that if Mary were speaking today, she would be accused of being a Marxist and promoting “class warfare”!
“He has taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. He has satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands” (Luke 1:52-53).
And it seems she passed this revolutionary spirit on to her son.
“God blesses those who are poor, for the Kingdom of God is given to you. God blesses you who are hungry now, for you will be satisfied…What sorrows await you who are rich, for you have only your happiness now. What sorrows await you who are satisfied and prosperous now, for a time of awful hunger is before you” (Luke 6:20-21, 24-25)
Those passages cause me to feel pretty uncomfortable, considering my placement on the Global Rich List. I believe in a God of mercy and grace, a God who loves everyone equally, including the rich and powerful. And yet I can’t simply ignore this troubling message.
What do these passages mean for those of us who are privileged and prosperous? How should we respond to this prophetic message?
Leave a Reply
Comment by: David H
1 12/10/07 7:46 AM | Comment Link |Yesterday in our Sunday School class we had a presentation for a doctor who runs a clinic for families in Honduras (his home country). Among the things he talked about was how little his people need in order to feel better. Almost half of those in Honduras survive on about $1 per day. So if he teaches them how to grow a vegetable garden or gives them a few chickens (with training to raise them) then they are greatly lifted up. Medicines like Tylenol are very rare for the poor, but many have chronic pain from lifetimes of hard labor. Because they don’t get much Tylenol to hand out, they usually only give people about 20 tablets. But that will last them for months. They will take one when their back pain is so intense they can’t sleep and not take another for two weeks.
The poor need so little to lift them up. A chicken or 20 Tylenol must seem a great blessing. How much more awful will it be for those who can eat too much chicken every day and take Tylenol for the slightest twinge when that is taken away?
BTW, the presentation was from the MAMA Project. You can see what they do and what they need at their site.
Comment by: Jeff
2 12/10/07 10:04 AM | Comment Link |That is a great question. I spoke at a church conference this past fall about my story, and how churches need be socially just organizations. I expected 1 of 2 responses. 1. They would say “That is a job for the democrats” or something about my liberal slant. 2. I thought they would all see the light and say “YES, we need to fight injustices in our city.” I was not expecting the response I got. The 3rd response- the response of indifference. People who agreed with me, but gave no thought to the action. All that to say…I think we are fighting against indifference and apathy. That was not the fight I was expecting, and I am not sure how to prepare for it.
Comment by: Randy
3 12/10/07 5:12 PM | Comment Link |Great questions. I had a similar conversation this morning with some guys. One guy was talking about how the left/liberal presidential and other candidates seem to represent more closely the priorities and agenda of the Kingdom of God (caring for the poor, the oppressed, the marginalized, etc.), and yet the evangelicals seem to mostly be on the right with the conservatives (business first, small government, etc.).
My thought was that neither side has the answer, in that the answer is not political. The left may indeed talk about priorities and agenda that are more aligned with Jesus than the right, but politically the solutions tend to be to let the government do these things (more programs, more beauracracy, more money, etc.)
The solution (which if any organization on the planet could pull off it would be the church) is to mobilize, equip and enable individuals and small groups of individuals (like neighborhoods) to address the issues. To say “We should feed the poor” and then expect the government to do it is no better than to say the same thing and expect your church to do it. YOU and I should do it. The government, and the church, should be in the business of focusing resources and energy toward getting you and I off our collective whiney butts and into some personal act of service toward others who are less fortunate. And we need to quit complaining about them both and get busy doing what’s doable.
How’s that sound?
Comment by: Rachel
4 12/10/07 8:31 PM | Comment Link |Thanks for the link, David. It looks like a wonderful organization, doing the kind of work that makes a genuine difference in peoples’ lives.
I agree, Jeff. I think part of the problem is that most middle class people are insulated from poverty. They hear statistics but they don’t see faces. They don’t have relationships with people in need.
Well said, Randy! It was two years ago when I first heard Jim say, “Do what’s doable” and I found it incredibly liberating. So often we get overwhelmed by everything we think we should be doing and then we get paralyzed and end up doing nothing. What I am trying to do is make small, gradual changes in the way I live my life to bring it more into line with Kingdom priorities. Following Jesus is a path - it’s not a sprint, but we do have to keep moving.
Comment by: Helen
5 12/11/07 7:44 AM | Comment Link |Rachel wrote:
Probably :)