Dave’s Monday Blast – May 1, 2023
Whether by daily circumstance or design, my day-to-day routine places the least of these in my field of view; the indigent community in Auburn is substantial. I was reflecting upon this community as my bride and I drove by the recently abandoned encampment just above Home Depot. These folks have been relocated several times over the last several years. The current location is on county property, albeit in slightly improved conditions. Even though this unhoused community is for the most part siloed from the general population at large, I don’t have to look hard to be reminded that we all live amidst individuals that Christ specifically commands His followers to serve.
Thoughts from intouch.org: “Often the Bible can feel nebulous and beyond our grasp, where delicate consideration must be given to the original language, its intended audience, culture at the time, and even the genre of its books. But in the gospels and the words of Jesus, He was unequivocal about how we’re to make His love manifest on earth. The commands were simple and without condition.”
At the end of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is about as direct as possible, setting the scene for how we are to live our lives as His Followers until His return: Read Matthew 25:34 – 40 several times before you read on….when we stand before the Father at the end of our days, we’re not going to be asked about a particular theology or doctrine we held, but simply whom did we feed? Whom did we clothe? Whom did we welcome? Whom did we care for? And though Jesus is speaking to His followers, this kind of compassion isn’t reserved for believers alone. Parables like the Good Samaritan reveal that no one is excluded from the scope of our concern, not even those we would consider our enemies…or our responsibility.
More from intouch.org: “The refrain of caring for those in need flows through the entire text of the Bible. Even in passages from the Old Testament, such as Zechariah 7:8 – 10, it is clear that God wants us to run toward the marginalized, not away: The word of the Lord came to Zechariah, saying, “This is what the Lord of armies has said: ‘Dispense true justice and practice kindness and compassion each to his brother; and do not oppress the widow or the orphan, the stranger or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.'”” The prophet Micah echos these truths (Micah 6:6 – 8).
It begs the question: How can we fulfill this calling when our lifestyle is at odds, or cross purposes with this mandate? How can we bear each other’s burdens if we are not near or in a relationship? The love Christ expects from us requires a deliberate awareness of those around us, and a willingness to perhaps make an INTENTIONAL turn around a corner into a different neighborhood; to love our neighbors is to be close enough to understand their distress.
