Living in the Spirit
November 10, 2016

Scripture Reading: 2Thessalonians 3:6-13

Now we command you, beloved, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from believers who are living in idleness and not according to the tradition that they received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, and we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying for it; but with toil and labor we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you. This was not because we do not have that right, but in order to give you an example to imitate. –2 Thessalonians 3:6-9

If I were assigned the job of writing those little descriptive phrases that appear in some Bibles describing the theme of the verses to follow, I would write Words for Welfare Queens. In my long career working with public welfare, I cannot tell you how many times I have had this scripture quoted to me in a sentence with the words Welfare Queens. I quit arguing logic with them within three years or so. Most had strong opinions against abortions; none particularly seemed to care about the kids, just said the Welfare Queens should not have them. Closer to the end of my public welfare career, I went on the offensive. Once when speaking to a group of Christian women about welfare reform, I had three women in a road make the Welfare Queen salvo, with each getting more hostile toward those they called Welfare Queens than the previous. I probably should not have done it but I finally said to them, “If you do not like the government extending help to this family with children, put us out of business. You are called to do justice, you are called to show mercy, you are called to feed the hungry, and you are called to clothe the naked.” The implication was that if they were doing their job, we would not be doing ours.

I cannot say what problem the writer of 2 Thessalonians was addressing. Commentators vary on what it might mean. Some think people were not working in anticipation of Jesus immediate return. Others think the language described a general lack of cooperation with the group. Any family trying to put Thanksgiving dinner on the table knows there are always a few who just don’t seem to see anything that might need to be done and disappear if someone suggests a task. I can say that there are too many people living in poverty in our country, many working two full-time jobs. That is a justice issue. Ten percent of the children attending the elementary school my church has adopted take home a bag of food the last school day of the week to eat over the weekend because the school lunch program is their only source of nutrition. We get requests to purchase shoes for children who come to school on the first cold winter day in worn out sandals. Until justice is a reality for all, charity is a necessity. The government can and does help lift people out of poverty when properly funded.

My challenge to all is to walk a mile in the shoes of the poor. Learn their history. Understand them and the love them do not condemn them.

Prayer: Lord make us doers of Justice and in the meantime, help us be charitable to those in need. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized 
Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council 
of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.