outside looking in and gay people, homeless people, money
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts
and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7
We are created to exist in peace, it guards us. Out of His peace we live and move and have our being.
Yet…
I wonder if we can comprehend the mission set before us?
Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,
How far will we go to love others?
The poor don’t get a day off from being poor.
The hungry don’t get a vacation.
The thirsty spend little time at the pool.
We have days and money set aside to “do” ministry. We champion a cause and the subjects of our cause become objects and seem to stop being people. I agree that something is better then nothing. I would hate to have an all or nothing attitude. Relegating discipleship might just be limiting what God wants to do in your life.
At church we have been trying to be “welcoming” to folks who might not fit into the “mold“. We had a couple “gay” women who risked attending our church. To some, they became sort of a badge of honor rather then two more people looking for community and God. I don’t know the answer to this question, but I wonder if anyone made personal contact and invited them over for dinner or are they the two gay women who need fixing?
On the other side we are accused of tolerance of what is currently sinful, like the woman at the well or the folks at Matt’s party, love covers a multitude of sins.
Matt. 9:10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
Matt. 9:13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Much the same has happened with poor people. We promote ministry to the poor and as a result the poor have become numbers, to some, “we ministered to 114 people yesterday, 100 last month. Would we be as excited with one?
Is this loving? These ”people“ had parents, they learned to ride a tricycle, went to kindergarden, etc.
Are we known by that that needs to be fixed, or that we are His.
With the same mind set, since gluttony is a sin, How should we handle a ministry to fat people. A weigh in? ‘We lost 150 pounds today. praise God.
Or greed, do we have a bankers ministry? Get poor for God??
Since I am going there what about sloth…? Say a sloth gym…
Is what we are about really about managing peoples sin in the name of love. Or loving sinners in the name of God? Is it loving to point out that which we consider fault. We say folks are not what they do. Then let’s get to know their names.
We still ”minister to the homeless“ but we pray for them, in their need. We are generous with what we are given so other may have.
Loving others is a full time call. It involves our whole. Whole time, energy, wealth, strength and soul.
Our life out of peace given in love poured out.
