Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Reflection on poverty and our response

REFLECTION

"For the poor will never cease out of the land; therefore I command you, to open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in the land."Deuteronomy 15:11
"Food! Glorious food!" in the musical adaption of Oliver Twist, Oliver and the other orphans sing this song as their supposed care givers feast and the children are given gruel. Charles Dickens wrote Oliver Twist in 1837-39. "At a time when Britain was the major economic and political power of the world, Dickens highlighted the life of the forgotten poor and disadvantaged within society. Through his journalism he campaigned on specific issues—such as sanitation and the workhouse—but his fiction probably demonstrated its greatest prowess in changing public opinion in regard to class inequalities." (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Dickens )
As servants of Jesus Christ, small and large congregations seek to ameliorate the suffering of the poor, such as Unity Presbyterian Church does with its food pantry. Even such a simple mission is not without challenges:
"Food pantries often find themselves with too much of one ingredient and not enough of others for people seeking a balanced diet. At the (Chicago) depository, 10 truckloads of canned green beans just arrived. Canned corn — and peanut butter — are especially scarce. To balance cost, nutrition and menu diversity, food banks buy groceries that fill in the gaps, including core staples that have moderated in price, such as rice. Filling the larder takes money. Keeping it filled takes more. "
Right now Unity is blessed with a wonderful supply of frozen chicken and a donation from a local hunter of deer meat. But we have to buy fruits and vetgetables now that our garden is not producing. We also try to provide cleaning supplies to maintain ones home and self.
Congregations are often the first source of assistance for a families in crisis, but the systemic problems persist. As believers, we need to encourage a wide range of support. Unethical loaning can add terrible burdens in an already finanically limited home. Many are without health care and others cannot afford deductables. Then there is a culture of blame that has riddled our country with
either an antagonistic view of the poor or apathy. Do poor people make bad choices? Yes, just about the same as middle class or weathly people do. Blame does not help anyone get better. Jesus could have played the blaming game, instead he spent his life teaching people to love one another and to care for those in need.
"If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me." Matthew 19:21