Seriously. If you're reading this, you're probably in the bracket of "middle class."
Times are hard for people like us. In fact, our new president elect and his team are currently working on ways to focus on the middle class and to infuse our economy with some c*a*s*h because things are just that hard.
But if you are in the middle class, you probably have some wiggle room too.
You probably didn't go to bed hungry tonight.
You probably have a place to sleep.
You probably have clean water to drink.
You probably are an American - someone who is a resident and citizen of the richest country in the world.
This is a late plea, but this Christmas, please think of (and pray for) those who Jesus essentially said embodies Him (remember...whatever you do to the least of these?). Overwhelmed by your charitable choices? Check out Charity Navigator to ensure your cash is going to a responsible place.
There are a lot of reasons to think about this and to mention it here, but I'll mention only one. For most of us, the poor are invisible. In fact, the tone of conversation during the election went from talking about the poor (sometimes people were also referred to as, "The Working Class,") to discussing the middle class.
And we loved it.
And we welcomed it.
And we voted our hearts into it.
Remember, however, that Jesus came to we who were and are poor to make us rich. There is this restorative sense of Christ making things right that we tend to neglect in the midst of our own sorrow and desperation.
And so we neglect them.
And so we tend to "our own."
And so we despise them.
This Christmas, please remember the least of these. Please remember that in their humanity, they too are image bearers of the Creator of all things. Please remember that anything you can do to help might mean a meal for someone tomorrow.
It might mean a warm place for someone to sleep.
It might mean a move towards self sustainability.
It might mean the world to someone who will never have as much physical wealth as you may right at this very moment.
As one who tends to have a somewhat orthodox view of Christ, Christmas means a lot to me. At the very least, it means that there is a God who decided to enter into a broken world at a fixed point in history to really show us that He means to do us good. It means that there is a God who is actively involved with the brokenness of creation and that he cares enough to hurt with us. It means that there is a God who has decided to enter into our story...not because he needs us, but because we need him.
In your own [spirtual] poverty this Christmas, please do well unto your fellow man and give what you are able.
2 comments:
Hi Gene,
My mom and I were remarking during the election that it was amazing how the poor were totally dropped from the promises and catch-phrases of the media and politicians. Yes, times are tight, but clipping coupons and cutting back my spending still keep me afloat. Why has the focus been moved to enabling my class to continue to live beyond our means? I think we know why.
Well, Bush's call after 9/11 was for Americans to do their patriotic duty by going out and spending money. The hope for the economic stimulus checks last year was that recipients would spend rather than pay down debt. We are giving billions of dollars to companies that should be closing their doors (I've heard them referred to as "Zombie Banks,") while folks can't afford to take their babies to the hospital for a checkup.
The unfortunate thing is that living indebted to one another seems to be something that is absolutely ingrained in most of America, and while I hope a different leadership might lead us in a different direction, I also realize that few have called us to live within our means.
Thanks for commenting J-bean, it's been a while.
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