Making a Difference

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

 

Some of my friends are bemoaning the fact that they were not among the winners of yesterday’s enormous lottery jackpot; others are horrified at the passing of a number of prominent celebrities within the space of days. For most of them, not coming into huge amounts of money is probably a very good thing in the long run, and the departure of even prominent entertainers only touches them tangentially. What about the big picture?

In January 2015, 564,708 people were homeless on a given night in the United States. Of that number, 206,286 were people in families, and 358,422 were individuals. About 15 percent of the homeless population – 83,170 – are considered “chronically homeless” individuals. About 2 percent – 13,105 – are considered “chronically homeless” people in families. About 8 percent of homeless people- 47,725 – are veterans. Estimates are that some 700 homeless people die each year to hypothermia each winter. How does this stack up against the “might-have-beens” of a lottery win or the death of someone prominent?

No one person alone – no matter how rich – can solve the problem of homelessness by themselves; it is too complex and issue for simplistic fixes. But we do not need to try to solve it by ourselves; there are innumerable organizations that are trying to solve the problem of homelessness one case at a time, or to help ease the distress of hunger and homelessness until a solution to the underlying problem is found for an individual. And it does not take much to help these organizations tackle the problems before them.

Support your local food bank – even at retail prices canned goods and other imperishable are relatively in expensive, and through networking your local food bank can leverage cash donations for even greater returns.

Support a local charity – particularly in winter, warm clothing – such simple things as hats, gloves, and warm socks – can literally save a life. A kitchen that feeds the homeless not only needs your donations, it needs your help. If you can, volunteer some time to help.

Don’t ignore the issue – too often it seems we deny that there is a problem, or put that problem out of our minds because we think it is far distant – not in our own neighborhoods. Look a bit harder and you will find those in need, even in your backyards.

President Theodore Roosevelt said it far better than I can, “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” You do not need to do everything, you do not need to do a lot; but if each of us does something, we will be much further along in solving the problems of hunger and homelessness than we are now.

As you are able, make a difference.

Christmas Trees

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

For me, one of the enduring mysteries of the season is how the evergreen Christmas Tree has come to be the quintessential symbol of Christmas. Its origin lies in the Germanic pagan tradition of Yule, and entered into our consciousness only in Victorian times, courtesy of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband. Yet the vision of the huge tree, scraping the ceiling of the room in which it sits, bedecked in lights, ornaments, and tinsel, with mounds of presents beneath its boughs and the toy train set running around the perimeter has taken center stage in our thinking. There was even a minor tempest in social media when a grammar school teacher was ordered to remove a Christmas tree from her classroom, with accusations of the continuing “War on Christmas”.

I find that rather ironic. This vision of the over-done Christmas tree and its bevy of presents for one and all is, for me at least, not a symbol of the Advent season but a celebration of the secular holiday in which we are encouraged to out-do anyone else in display and gift-giving, to the greater glory and bottom line of retailers. The Christmas tree is the last thing to be a symbol of “Keep Christ in Christmas”. I cannot recall the number of times I saw that bumper sticker on the back of a car groaning under the weight of the evergreen tree tied to the roof. Now I do not oppose Christmas trees out of hand; they are a part of our traditions now, they can be a place in our homes or our communities where people of good will can gather on common ground to celebrate the season.

I do find it problematic when the level of conspicuous display consumes a disproportionate amount of resources. There are so many in our society for whom the coming of Christmas merely ushers in the season of dark and cold – the homeless, the hungry, and the marginalized. One of the benefits of Christmas is that for at least a few weeks many become more conscious of the needs of those about them, and charities have come to rely on that end-of-year spurt of giving. And while this is a good thing in the abstract, it would be far better if we could keep those needs in the forefront of our thoughts year-round, rather than the last six weeks of the year.

This is the essence of stewardship – all we have been blessed with comes from God, with the expectation that we will use it wisely towards the accomplishment of His plans. That is a 24-hour, 365-day job. As the New Year begins, take a moment to think how you can better use that with which you have been entrusted to make a positive change in the world.