Mind Your Own Business

 

Good morning, and welcome.

 The church where I work is rather old-fashioned in some ways.  Actually, I think most all churches could make that statement if one would carefully look at that church’s tenants and practices.  I suspect one could find several items that were traditional or from a former era.

 One of those practices considered to be old fashioned is Wednesday evening services.  Most churches don’t do that anymore, but we still do, at least most months of the year.  We take a break over the summer months.  We don’t have a large attendance, but the time is productive and gives us the impetus to finish out the week.

 I’ve been teaching a short adult class on the New Testament book of II Thessalonians.  I chose that book because first of all, I myself didn’t know a lot about the book and wanted to learn more.  Second, it’s a short book that fit into my four-week time slot.  And third, there’s a wealth of teaching in that book that is as pertinent now as it was those many centuries ago.

 Paul the apostle is the author of the short letter to the church at Thessalonica.  He had written at least one prior letter to the church…the book of I Thessalonians.  In that prior letter, he urged the people of the church to lead quiet lives and if at all possible, earn your own living, not being dependent on others.  He also urged them to not be idle or disruptive, but instead encourage others and be patient with all.

 That first letter evidently had little effect on those who were the subjects of that paragraph, because in the second letter that has been preserved for us, Paul is much more adamant in his teaching on idleness and minding one’s own business, going so far as to tell the church members to keep away from those who are idle, disruptive, and busybodies.  He minces no words, and is direct and clear in what he is saying.

 Wouldn’t life go more smoothly if everyone just minded his own business and became involved in the business of others only if asked to do so?  And even if asked, that help should be encouraging and  tempered with patience and love.  Additionally, the one who has been asked for help should gracefully bow out when asked or when it becomes apparent that no further help is needed or wanted.

 We can’t even keep our own lives on an even keel much of the time.  How would we expect to be able to guide the lives of others?

 Additionally, being a busybody, as Paul says, inserting ourselves into other people’s business tends to bring out three things in us that are not good.  First, we tend to develop a feeling of superiority over another person.  Second, we inflate our own egos in this process, thinking more of ourselves than we ought…thinking that we have the answers.  And third, we gain a certain amount of power over the person we think we are helping.  All of those things run counter to the attitudes and behaviors of Christians.  And it would be helpful if everyone realized that these things are not good for us or for society.

 Things haven’t changed much in the centuries between when this was written and today.  Idleness and a lack of work or productive service tends to bring on the temptation to insert oneself into someone else’s business, even when not asked, needed, or wanted.  This kind of activity tends to disrupt things, cause hard feelings, and create divides and schisms between and among people.  It is not the kind of activity that a Christian should be involved in, and it would be helpful if everyone, Christian or not, heeded this good advice from the Good Book.

 Thanks for listening to this sermonette today.  I normally don’t make the Thursday Thought a Bible Class, but sometimes, one has to do what one has to do.  May the rest of your week be blessed, and may we all remember the true reason for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday as we gather with family and friends.

 Blessings.

The Next TIme

 Good afternoon, and welcome.

 I know I’ve visited with you before regarding the topic for today.  But I think it deserves another look.  As you know, I work at a downtown urban church set on the banks of the Arkansas river.  This location gives us plenty of opportunity to see what goes on in the downtown area as well as to sometimes participate in it.

 As the warmer weather has come on us, we see more of the unhoused walking the streets in front of and beside our building.  They are usually easy to spot and set apart from the business people and residents of the area who are walking the streets as well.  They usually have large backpacks or are pushing or pulling some kind of cart or wagon.  If they happen to have a bicycle, they often will have it loaded down with bags, or will be pulling some kind of cart behind it.  Their clothing is often ill-fitting and out of season.  They have a generally disheveled appearance.  They often look as if they’ve just come in from the wilderness and are in need of hygiene services.

 Now, I say none of those things in order to denigrate or make fun of anyone.  Rather, I say those things because you too have seen such people, and most likely don’t have the best thoughts about them when you see or encounter them.  The thoughts of most of us who encounter these folks range from, “Why don’t they get a job?” to “Why don’t they just go away?”  Sometimes the thoughts and even spoken comments are more mean-spirited than those I just mentioned, reducing these people to something less than human and worthy of nothing from the rest of us.  We treat animals better than some of us treat these people.

 The sight of an unhoused person or couple walking the street with all of their worldly possessions on their backs is familiar to me.  I’ve seen it hundreds and  hundreds of times.  They’ve come to our church door hundreds and hundreds of times looking for food, water, a restroom, clothing, gloves, or something else that will help them get through the day.  Some of their requests we can help with…others, not so much.

 Just a few minutes ago, John came to the door.  He shows up about once a year and always wants to go through the Lions Club donated eyeglasses box we have in our foyer to see if there may be glasses in there that he might be able to use.  He also usually uses the restroom facilities.  A decent and friendly man, John never needs much, and is always polite and well-spoken.

 Rocky comes by more often.  He never needs much either…some Gatorade or maybe a pair of socks, a tube of Fixodent denture adhesive or perhaps something else small.  Sometimes he needs the restroom…sometimes not.  The last time he came in, he used the restroom.  I went in afterwards and found the Jeans he had been wearing in the trash, along with a lot of paper hand towels.  He had evidently soiled himself and used the restroom to clean up and change his pants.

 Many others walk by and never stop, except maybe to check out the Paxton’s Blessing Box we have outside our door.  Most of them I don’t know.  Many of them will be in this area for awhile, then go somewhere else either in the Wichita area or another city.  A very few will put together what it takes to get permanent housing, and will get off the street.  Jim and Arlene are two examples of that.  I’m grateful they were able to navigate the sometimes byzantine requirements for a government identification card and then succeed in running the maze of government agencies and qualifying for housing and other resources.

 Even though I’ve seen hundreds of scenes of the unhoused on the street, each time I see it I get a twinge in my soul and am at once both saddened that we as a society can’t seem to get a handle on the issue, and yet grateful that I’ve been given what I have in life and can go home to a real house with turned-on utilities, comfortable furniture, and a great neighborhood.

 I don’t have the answers.  I’m not certain at this point that anyone does.  But I know that those who I see on the street are people…human beings…worthy of the dignity and respect that comes with that designation.  Unhoused, disheveled, mentally ill, jobless…it doesn’t matter.  When we begin to disrespect or at minimum ignore any class of human beings, we cheapen the meaning of human life and make it more expendable.  As humans ourselves, we need to continually, ferociously guard against that tendency.

 The next time you see an apparently homeless individual on the street, think about what it is that you think or say when you see one.  Maybe, just maybe, you need to develop a little more kindness and empathy, and see them for who they are…humans made in the image of God.

 Blessings,

A Call and A Visit

 Late last week, I received a call at the office from a woman needing assistance with rent.  Now, we normally don’t do rent, but when she told me she was keeping seven kids in three motel rooms, I at least listened to her story.

I won’t go into the story, but she did say that she was working with another church in town.  I asked if I could contact that church regarding her and she agreed.  By the way, we didn’t help with rent, but we did pay her motel bill for another day to give her more time to get things put together.

I called the woman at the other church and visited with her regarding the woman in need.  I also visited with her regarding benevolence in general.  The church I called was on the west side of Wichita in a nicer neighborhood.  It was also a much larger congregation than ours.  We ended the call with my asking if we could meet in person and discuss benevolence in general more fully than we can on the phone.  She agreed, and we met this week…yesterday, in fact.

Abby and her supervisor were gracious and forthcoming in the meeting.  I was somewhat surprised by the number of benevolent requests they receive on the average.  They said it wasn’t unusual for them to receive 8 or more requests a day for some kind of help.  They said the numbers have substantially increased, and there were days they felt “inundated”…that was the word Abby used to describe how she felt.

They receive mainly requests for rent assistance.  They also receive other kinds of requests, including food, clothing, transportation, and other services.  As you may know from my other Thursday Thoughts, RiverWalk doesn’t normally do rent or transportation, but will, depending on the circumstance, help with a utility bill or perhaps gasoline for a vehicle.  We also help any of our members much more fully than we would a non-member if there is a need there.  We are limited, however, just as all non-profits and churches are, in how much we can help.  There is only so much to go around and when it’s gone, we have to say, “No.”

I tell you these things to say that we often have conflicting emotions and feelings as we work with those in need.  These women confirmed that as I visited with them.  We often feel discouraged at the sheer numbers of those in need.  We almost grieve as we hear of children and women who have no place to go and are living on the street or in a vehicle.  We become angry at times because of how some are treated by landlords and others.  Hearing the stories of those who are being sucked into the pit of homelessness and poverty becomes wearing on our emotional well-being and even makes us physically and mentally exhausted at times.  We become cynical at the world and the society around us, seemingly an uncaring and cruel place.

We look at government for assistance and many times receive commissions and committees who are “studying” the issues, with no real answers forthcoming.  We look to our state legislatures and the Congress and see partisan bickering, stonewalling, and seemingly catering to the haves more than the have-nots.

Abbi and Sherry at the church I visited, as well as we at RiverWalk and dozens of other non-profits and churches, work hard to provide resources as we can and are able to those in need.  We sometimes cannot provide what the requester believes he or she needs, but sometimes we can help out in some way.  Additionally, we work to help those needing help to see beyond the next hour, day, or week.  To work toward self-sufficiency, and leave generational poverty and need behind.  When appropriate, we broach the subject of spiritual need and the fact that Jesus Christ can fill that need, and our willingness to partner with them in exploring the faith.

Abbi, Sherry and I ended our conversation with the old truth that we can’t help everyone, but we can help someone…one person at a time.  We closed with a prayer that each of us participated in.  I left there uplifted by the knowledge that others feel as I often do, and by the truth of helping one person at a time, being given the opportunity to point people toward the love of Jesus Christ as well as receiving the strength and wisdom to carry on.

I am grateful for the opportunity to visit with them, and grateful for the opportunity God has given me at this time to do this work on behalf of the RiverWalk Church of Christ.

 

Blessings,

Believe In a Cause

 Recently, Pat and I went on a trip to the Southeastern part of the USA.  We have never been in that part of the nation, and wanted to see the sights.  Additionally, we like things historical in nature, so planned our visit around various museums, a Civil War battlefield or two, and other historic places in that part of the country.

One of the places I wanted to see was the Edmond Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama.  I well remember as a young person watching the news accounts of the attempted “March to Montgomery” on a Sunday when the marchers were attacked by the police and forced to turn back.  I recall, as a youth who had been living a relatively sheltered life in a small rural town in Kansas wondering just what it was I was seeing, and why.  Why did these people think they needed to march to Montgomery?  Why were they being beaten for wanting to do so?  What is it that makes people do these things to other people, regardless of the reason?

When we arrived in Selma, one of the first things we did was walk across the bridge ourselves to a museum.  We toured the museum and walked back across the bridge.  Our walk that day was a far cry from what happened there almost 50 years ago.  And had I not seen the news reports back then, I would have a hard time believing what happened there.

I could concentrate this article on several points, but the point I wish to make is that the marchers knew before they began that they would be turned back.  They knew they may well be attacked.  They new some might be gravely injured and some might lose their lives.  Yet they went on, believing in the cause…believing even to the point of dying for the cause.

Do you believe in any cause for which you are willing to suffer the consequences, including losing your life, should it come to that?  If you are a Christian and don’t quickly mention the cause of Jesus Christ, perhaps you need to re-think your priorities.  The New Testament is filled with stories of people who loved the cause of Jesus Christ to the point that they were willing, not only to suffer, but to lose their lives for that cause.

Seeing Little Rock Central High School, the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Battle of Vicksburg Civil War battlefield, and the hotel where Martin Luther King was shot has given me pause to wonder if I have what it takes to suffer and possibly die for a cause that I have for much of my life said I believed in…just as countless people in times past have done for causes they believed.

What about you?