What have we done to "the least" ? part 3

In my own meager attempts to serve "the least", I've been so quick to "fix" their problems, or what I thought was their problem, that I have unknowingly undervalued them.  I've communicated in my actions and attitude that my education, experience, money and even my country, made me an "expert" on solving their problem.  I am thankful for God's grace in these situations, for he knows I was acting out of ignorance.  Yet, now that I know, I repent of my foolish pride.

I pray that I will embrace this truth in my inner most parts--to depths of my being:  Everyone has some ability, and skill that we can learn from.  Everyone.  We often have to help "the least" to see their value and worth.  We have to help them to see that they have gifts, abilities and skills that the world needs--that our church body needs.  We value others when we recognize what they have to give to us and others, when we consider their ideas, and their analysis of a situation.  They have something unique and wonderful to bring to the discussion. We are able to see a fuller picture of what's really going on, and how to solve a problem.   It's not that we have nothing to give them.  It's just that we rarely give "the least" the opportunity to give to us.

We begin by listening, and asking lots of questions.  Questions enable us to understand the challenges that "the least" face.  It enables us to discover their skills and abilities.  It enables us to know them. Don't be afraid of questions.

We must use every opportunity to build up "the least".  We must give them positions of significance that allow them to use the skills they have.  Provide lots of encouragement and support.  Walk beside them every step of the way, reassuring them that they can do it!  They need to know we believe in them. They need patience and lots of grace.  If they fail, they need our reassurance that it's ok.  We all fail.  This is how Jesus recruited His followers.   He didn't choose the qualified.  He qualified those whom He chose.  They didn't choose Jesus.  He chose them.  He walked beside them every step of the way, preparing them for a great mission.  He trusted them to fulfill this mission by the power of the Holy Spirit. We too can trust "the least" with great responsibilities.  They too can fulfill these great things by the power of the Holy Spirit.


And we can't wait for "the least" to come to us.  Like Jesus, we must go to "the least".  We must tell them, "I see something wonderful in you."  "I believe in you."  "Now come and lead this ministry". "Come and teach class."  "Come and join me on this mission."  "You can do this." 

We must be intentional  about affirming their God-given worth, value and purpose. We must ask God to give us eyes to see them as He sees them.  Then we must help them to see the truth about who they really are.  Remember, "the least" are constantly being bombarded with messages that tell them all the reasons they can't do anything of significance. 

Allow "the least" to serve you.  It's puts you in a position of humility.  When I receive from someone, I am communicating that I have a need that must be met.  The person who gives is always in a position of power.  Receiving puts us in a  place of weakness.  In order to receive, I must admit that I am deficient in some way.    Remember, the God of the Universe, who lacks nothing, receives from us.  He delights in receiving from us, though He needs nothing.  Receiving is a way of blessing another.  It acknowledges that they have something of worth to give.

When we lift up others, we too are lifted to greater heights.

What have we done to "the least"? part 2

God made each of us unique.  Each unique difference gives us a glimpse of the infinitely diverse God of the Universe.  When God's people, who were meant to display His beauty to the world, decide to ignore certain people in our midst because they are different from us, we miss out on God's revelation of Himself.  Every person He places in our midst is valuable because God placed His image in each of us.   They aren't people to be changed to fit into our culture.  We shouldn't expect them to conform so that we are more comfortable.  They shouldn't be avoided because we're afraid of offending them.  We need to make an effort to acknowledge "the least" among us.  "The least" need to be noticed--not a polite, uncomfortable "hello", but a welcoming "We're so glad you're here!" 


Have you ever been "the least" in a culture?  I have.  Being a black woman, puts me among "the least" in most places in America.  I have friends that are in "the least" category in other ways.  Some are poor.  Some are disabled.  Some are single moms.  Some are from other countries.  One thing is sure.  People get really uncomfortable around "the least".  And "the least" try really hard to fit in with the majority.  They try to hide their disabilities.  They try change their appearances in order to fit "the norm" of the majority culture.  They try to disguise their poverty with nice clothes.  Poor people don't like looking poor when they're among the "non-poor".  Very few people enjoy being "the least".  So if you can't blend in, you try to find other people like you.   Birds of a feather flock together because everyone wants to feel "normal" and accepted. ( Or you try to elevate yourself--making someone else "the least".)


So how should the body of Christ respond to "the least"?   

Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians to elevate the needs and desires of others above ourselves.  

Phil 2:3-4  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. 
 
If we take that seriously, following Jesus' pattern,we will lay aside our on preferences, desires and even our rights in order to lift others up.  In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he tells us that God purposefully arranged the parts of His body just as he wanted them.  God brought every person to your local community.  Your church body is being designed by God.  Are you paying attention?  Are you cooperating with His work?

1 corinthians 12:22 says "...those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable..."  People who seem to have nothing of value to contribute are the most necessary for a healthy thriving community.  1 corinthians 12:23 "... and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor..."  Some among us have been treated with such disrespect and dishonor.  Some have been treated as though they are invisible.  Some have been ignored.  Some have been oppressed by the culture.  We must elevate them.  We must show them special honor. When we do this, we recognize their worth. 

Let us be people who look for opportunities to elevate "the least". 

God gave His best to "the least".  (In God's economy, we're all "the least".)

Do we give our best to "the least"?

As I consider Jesus' example, he often elevated "the least".  He gave them special privileges, respect and opportunities. He taught them by example that they were valuable in the eyes of their Maker.  Here are a few examples:   He took time to talk to women, giving them special attention and privileges.  This was a culture where women had little value, so it was pretty revolutionary.  He touched the outcasts:  prostitutes, foreigners, lepers, the blind, the cripple,the "half-breeds", tax collectors, "the crazies"--the unclean.  He took time to listen to them, to heal them, to free them from their bondage,  and ultimately gave them a face-to-face encounter with God Himself.   He lifted them out of the depths of degradation, humiliation, and dehumanization.  The God of Heaven humbled Himself to lift them up.   And so He says to us, "Go and do the same."

John 13:13-17  "You call me `Teacher' and `Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. [14] Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. [15] I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. [16] I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. [17] Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

God delights in using "the least".

1CO 1:26 Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. [27] But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. [28] He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, [29] so that no one may boast before him.

Are we following His example?  

What Have we done to "the least"? Part 1

James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

 

The true test of the church is how we serve "the least" among us.  "The Least" is defined as the poor, minorities, disabled, children without fathers(or mothers), the widow (including the divorced), mentally-ill, refugees, homeless--anyone that doesn't fit the majority profile.  Anyone who finds him or herself among the disadvantaged in a culture.  These people struggle to survive in communities.  They are often invisible to the majority.   They are invisible in part because "the least" try to blend in with the majority.  They are invisible in part because the majority can choose not to interact with them.  Honestly, "the least" in a society make us uncomfortable.  It's much easier to encourage or even force those who are different from us to conform.  "Become one of us, then we can love you."  It's  hard to love people who are "different".

How can we as the church serve "the least" in our communities, in our cities and the world, when we don't serve" the least" in our on church body--those sitting beside us on the pews?  How can we convince the world that God loves them and that we genuinely care for them, when we can't love and accept those whom we call brother or sister?  I'm thinking that this isn't a new issue in the body of Christ for James talks about this issue in his letter.

JAS 2:1 My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. [2] Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. [3] If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," [4] have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

james 2:8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right. [9] But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers.

I know what you're thinking.  "I would NEVER do that!"  Well--we do it in our churches ALL of the time.  We're just unaware of what we're doing.  When we choose the style of music that we worship to based on the majority of our member's preferences, we choose to show favoritism toward the majority culture. The preferences of  "the least" in our church are ignored.  "The least" is forced to conform, or leave. No wonder churches are so segregated.  (When I say majority culture, I refer here to the majority culture of the particular local church and its surrounding community.)  When we focus all of our efforts on reaching the majority, "the least" among us are devalued.  Take note that even James recognizes that the poor man is welcomed into the meeting, but he is pointing out how the poor man is treated when he gets there.  

How do we treat "the least" in our worship services?

Aiming the bulk of our resources towards the majority works great in a business, but not in God's economy.  God is a God who leaves the 99 (the majority) to rescue one (the least).  God Himself rejoices over one who receives the gift of salvation.  This is because every person is valuable to God.

MT 25:40 "The King will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

 Interesting that Jesus calls "the least" His brothers.  It's also interesting that he didn't say, whatever you did for "some" of the least, or "most" of the least,  but "one" of the least.  Jesus seems to be emphasizing that every single person matters to God.  Overlooking one person grieves the heart of God.

 MT 25:45 "He will reply, `I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

 How are we treating Jesus in our churches?

Asking Questions

Lately, I've been asking myself questions.  Why do I do what I do?  I've been asking God questions.  I've been wrestling with things that I've accepted about life without ever really analyzing them.  So much of christianity is cultural.  I'm realizing that more than ever.  The way we express our love and devotion to God, the way we live out our faith.  Much of it is expressed in a cultural context.  

There is so much that we do and say as christians.  We do these things because someone says we must--usually a pastor.  We do these things because that's what we've always done.  We do these things because they've been passed down from our family.  And many of the things we do, we're passionate about them. They're part of our "deep down" belief system.  We've taken many of our own personal preferences and convictions and called them "biblical" or "right".  God is so much bigger than one group's own personal preferences or convictions.  Are you willing to consider that there are other ways to live out the christian faith that look very different from the way you live out your faith?
 
Asking questions can be unsettling.  It can shake up your world.  It can lead to more unanswered questions. 

I believe that we can no longer ignore questions.  People all around us want to know the relevancy of christianity and the church.  Former "church-goers" want to know why they can't worship God at home.  The early church met in homes. There are many people that are disheartened and dissappointed with church leaders.  Is being a part of an organized church our only option?  Can coming together for the purpose of worshiping God, encouraging one another, praying for another, and loving each look many different ways? What should a community of Christ-followers look like?  Is church tradition wrong?  Should we rediscover the old?  Should true followers of Christ leave the church in mass exodus in order to start all over from the ground up, or should we seek to do what Martin Luther tried to do to the Catholic church--reform it? Should we meet in homes?  Should we meet in large church buildings?  Does it matter where we meet?  Does it matter what day we meet?


When Jesus gave His followers the mission to go (leave that which is comfortable and familiar), and make more followers of Him, I wonder if the current American church is what He had in mind.  We've made christianity, comfortable.  It's a great way to live.  It's a great way to raise your kids.  It's just a great community to be a part of.  The people are nice.  It keeps us from coming in contact with those-- sinners.  Sinners are bad.  They're going to hell.  They're messing up our nation.  They're left winged liberals. They're destroying marriages.  Sinners should be avoided and shunned.  Shouldn't sinners be accepted as sinners?  Shouldn't sinners be loved --while they are sinners?  (I'll admit.  I like them to get their acts together first before I love them.)  But doesn't God love us while we are sinners?  He gave his life while we were His enemies.

When God looks at the American church as a whole, is He pleased? There is so much division in the church.  So much division in His body. Isn't there only one body with Christ as the head?

Is He pleased with me?

Questions, questions, questions...

I hope I stirred up a few questions in your mind today.

Lessons from My Plants

Spring is my favorite season of the year.  I love being outside enjoying the plants.   I love breathing the fresh, cool air in the morning and evenings.  I love feeling the cool breeze blow against my skin.  I feel the breath of God in the wind, whispering His love to me.  I call those breezes His kisses.  So I often spend time out of doors, meditating, praying, listening, and studying His word.  And I've found that God teaches me so much through His creation.  I want to share a few lessons I've learned.

In the area where I live Crepe Myrtles are everywhere.  Their flowers are in full bloom  during the spring, creating a beautiful painting of little blossoms in various colors--mostly pink and white in my area.  We have 4 crepe myrtles in our yard.  So as I sat in my yard last spring, I realized that all the crepe myrtles in my neighborhood, and pretty much everywhere I went, were blooming.  But mine weren't. That was so disappointing to me.  You know if you've read my posts before that I LOVE flowers.  So I wondered why my trees weren't blooming.  Well, a couple of weeks later my trees started to bloom profusely like everyone else's.  As I was pondering why our trees bloomed so late, I heard this whisper from God, "I bring forth blooms at my time."  We are never to compare ourselves with others.  Though my trees looked like they wouldn't have flowers, they bloomed right on schedule--God's schedule.  God's timing for you to bloom is probably very different from others.  But it's right on schedule.

I was also reminded by my plants that God often has to restore life in us before we can begin to grow.  Last memorial day, I bought several plants that were dying from a home improvement store.  I spent many weeks watering them, nursing them back to health.  (For those of you who know me, you know that's a miracle.  I love plants and want to grow them, I'm just not very good at it.)  Those plants did survive and in fact flourished.  God must often do this in our lives.  When we are willing to die to our own desires, God can breathe new life in us.

Last summer I tried to grow a vegetable garden.  I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, basil and water melon.  It was a pitiful little garden with barely any harvest.  I worked and worked, and had very little to show for it.  It was quite disappointing.  And yet, I had one little basil plant that grew like crazy.  That plant just flourished while everything else struggled.  I still have basil from that plant from a year ago.  That's just how much that one plant grew.  The lesson my garden taught me is that often we pour our energies into work, with very little results to show for it.  But God may bring forth an abundant harvest in an unexpected place.  Keep your eyes open to see where He is bringing forth an abundant harvest, and praise Him for it.

I'm growing a small vegetable garden again.  This year I spent a bit more time preparing the soil for the plants.  If the soil isn't ready to receive the plants, the plants won't grow.  If the soil doesn't have the right nutrients, there won't be much of a harvest.  I experienced that last year. So I added fertilizer to the soil, and added extra soil to the garden.  I'm already seeing a huge difference!  I'll let you know how well the garden produces in a couple of months.  In spiritual matters, the same principles apply.  Our hearts must be prepared to receive all that God wants us to have.  If it isn't ready, there will be no harvest.  I must be reminded of this as I seek to encourage and bless others.  I often think that if I speak words of life and truth to someone that they should receive it, and immediately begin to grow.  If frustrates me when I see a person going through the same struggles and yet refusing to make the needed changes.  But the truth is, if a  person isn't ready to receive God words, they won't change.  God knows how to add fertilizer to our lives, in order to get us ready.  By the way, it usually comes in the form of pain and suffering.

So I encourage you to go outside and enjoy your plants!  While you're enjoying them, see what lessons God teaches you through the works of His hands.