April 02, 2013
Disenfranchised
Every month our
congregation focuses on a different outreach ministry and last month our
support went toward the local soup kitchen. The information insert in the
church bulletin described the dedicated kitchen volunteers as coming from all
walks of life, “who are the hands and
feet of Jesus for the poor, hungry and the disenfranchised”. On the surface
all three of these categories might seem benevolent. Certainly people of faith
are to feed the hungry, even if they are an enemy (Ro 12:20). Jesus suggested
that the rich young man give to the poor (Matt 19:21) even though the poor will
always be with us (Matt 26:11). However, citing the disenfranchised gives me pause.
By its nature, being disenfranchised means being deprived of something that you
have a legal right to, such as the
right to vote. I have to tell you that I’m struggling with the idea of feeding
someone because they are disenfranchised. The question becomes, do any of us
have the right to be fed? Paul said, “For even when we were with you, we gave you
this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” (2 Thes 3:10 NIV)
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1 comment:
Gail;
-----How foolish we truly are. None of us even have a right to life. The government tries to give us a right to life, well, at least to those of us who survived the abortionists. Once we’ve cleared that hurdle, we’re born into a world full of death on all sides by more than every means imaginable. We do not even exist without the very material we’re made of being upheld by the word of God’s power. And we especially have no right to eternal life. We do not enjoy a moment beyond our death but by the grace of His love. In return for these gifts we invent disenfranchisement, as if there is something more to receiving them than turning personal responsibility toward their Giver, or worse yet, as if their giving comes by something other than that Giver. Our interactions would be much kinder if our understandings were much humbler.
Love you all,
Steve Corey
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