Tag Archives: poverty

Finding a Fair Balance

Living in the Spirit

June 25, 2021

Scripture Reading:
2 Corinthians 8:7-15

Now as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in utmost eagerness, and in our love for you—so we want you to excel also in this generous undertaking.

 I do not say this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love against the earnestness of others. For you know the generous act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. And in this matter I am giving my advice: it is appropriate for you who began last year not only to do something but even to desire to do something— now finish doing it, so that your eagerness may be matched by completing it according to your means. For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has—not according to what one does not have. I do not mean that there should be relief for others and pressure on you, but it is a question of a fair balance between your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance. As it is written,
‘The one who had much did not have too much,
   and the one who had little did not have too little.’

Jesus did say the poor will always be with us* in a discussion about doing the right things in the right times. What Jesus did not say is true: the rich will always be with us, too. Variances of wealth have always existed. Thus, the terms “poor” and “rich” are relative to place, time, and economy. What we consider poor in the USA is wealth in countries where starvation is rampant. Paul argues that the issue is finding a fair balance between abundance and the needs of others,
As it is written,
‘The one who had much did not have too much,
   and the one who had little did not have too little.’

If this quote sounds familiar, it is from the story of God providing Manna for the Israelites after they fled Egypt. Found in Exodus 16:18 reads:

But when they measured it with an omer, those who gathered much had nothing over, and those who gathered little had no shortage; they gathered as much as each of them needed.

I call that everyone having at least enough of the necessities of life. Paul calls it a fair balance. The USA economy is out of balance and even more out of proportion with many parts of the world.  The Poor Peoples Campaign estimates that over 140 million people in the USA live in poverty or just one major setback like a health crisis or job loss from living in poverty**.  Now is the right time to end poverty.  

Prayer: Lord, help us find the right way to find a fair balance of incomes so that everyone can have enough. Amen.

*Mark 14:7
**For more information, see https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/resource/factsheets/

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Addressing Poverty

Eastertidei

April 22, 2021

Scripture Reading: 1 John 3:16-24
We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.

And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? What are our biases? Do we think when Jesus said the poor will always be with us* he felt that is the way it should be or was he stating a need to alter our priorities for a time? A reading of Matthew 25:34-36 indicates God calls us to alleviate the problems caused by poverty. It is most likely true that society will always have some with more wealth than others and that the poor describes those on the bottom rung of the wealth ladder. Our society seems to relate poverty, not having enough of the necessities of life and no hope of attaining them, to being poor. They are not the same thing. Some people choose to live frugally because worshipping wealth has its own evils to address. Proverbs 10:15 states, The wealth of the rich is their fortress; the poverty of the poor is their ruin. I hear in today’s world that many families are just one major illness or catasrophy away from financial ruin. That is not only true of the poor but also the middle class and the wealthy.

I think 1 John above tells us that everyone needs to have enough of the necessities of life and that we have some responsibility in making sure that happens. That indeed may take the role of literally feeding and clothing people. It may also include advocating for fair and just treatment of all people.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see a brother or sister in need and not refuse to care for them.  Amen.

*See Mark 14:7

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

The Mind of Christ

Living in the Spirit

September 25, 2020

Scripture Reading: Philippians 2:1-13

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
who, though he was in the form of God,
   did not regard equality with God
   as something to be exploited,
but emptied himself,
   taking the form of a slave,
   being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
   he humbled himself
   and became obedient to the point of death—
   even death on a cross. –Philippians 2:1-8

What a perfect scripture to read during this time of mourning and celebration of the life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I just watched her memorial service at the USA Supreme Court building. Yes, I recognize that she was Jewish, but so was the author of this scripture, Paul.

We are all called to adhere to the instruction, Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. COVID-19 is a threat to the health and wellbeing of all the peoples of the world right now. It is not the only one. The pandemic of greed in our land is also causing grave consequences from which we will be scarred for generations. It is estimated that more than 133,000 people die a year due to poverty in the USA. These data are from 2011 and do not include the disparity in COVID-19 deaths impacting the poor.

The investigators found that approximately 245,000 deaths in the United States in the year 2000 were attributable to low levels of education, 176,000 to racial segregation, 162,000 to low social support, 133,000 to individual-level poverty, 119,000 to income inequality, and 39,000 to area-level poverty.*

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus. Before we can follow this instruction, we must study to discern what was in the mind of Christ. I do not think we realize how our worldviews impact how we read scripture. It is almost impossible for us to remove ourselves from our culture, times, heredity, and personal experience. I just learned that there was a Bible created for the transmission of scripture to slaves**. Someone carefully removed significant parts of the text, particularly about the slaves escaping from Egypt. The book of Exodus apparently only included the description of slavery in Egypt and Moses receiving the Ten Commandments. I wonder how much we read our Bibles this way, leaving out the parts that do not fit our outlooks?

Prayer: Lord, we dedicate starting this day to seek to know your mind and to adjust our lives accordingly. Amen.

*https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/how-many-us-deaths-are-caused-poverty-lack-education-and-other-social-factors

**https://www.npr.org/2018/12/09/674995075/slave-bible-from-the-1800s-omitted-key-passages-that-could-incite-rebellion

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Hope

Kingdom Building

June 14, 2019

Scripture Reading: Romans 5:1-5

Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

I am intrigued by the fact that I seem to be oblivious to some long-term pain from arthritis much of the time but if I stub my toe or get a minor burn, I stop everything I am doing and pay attention only to the pain. Suffering does indeed produce endurance. Endurance does help define our character, but I think we chose whether our character is defined for better or worse. The decision we make regarding our character drives the type of hope in which we live. The key to whether we turn suffering into productive living is deeply entrenched in our relationship with God and is fulfilled in the gift of the Spirit. Bitterness is a character trait. Desiring that someone get what they deserve is a hope. Allowing the Spirit to drive our development produces character that withstands anything that gets in the way of God’s love and feeds hope for a world ruled by love.

Bitterness is a driver in our society today. For many people, too many people, their lives are not reflecting their hope, or they have lost all hope. I once heard someone say that the difference in being poor and being in poverty is those in poverty have lost all hope. In the USA 13.4% of the population live in poverty. In Oklahoma the percentage is 15.8% or 1 out of 6 people*.

Jesus knew what he was doing when he commanded us to feed and clothe the poor. He knew that living in survival mode eats up every moment of every day leaving no room for hope.

Prayer: Lord, help us be a source of hope for the impoverish as we work to change the systems that imprison them in hopelessness. Amen.

*https://okpolicy.org/new-census-data-shows-that-oklahoma-fell-further-behind-the-u-s-on-poverty-and-uninsured-rate-for-second-consecutive-year/

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Poverty or Poor

Lent
April 7, 2019

Scripture Reading: John 12:1-8

But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, ‘Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?’ (He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) Jesus said, ‘Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.’ –John 12:4-8

I am sure the four gospels do not contain quotes of all the wisdom Jesus shared. The last sentence of the scripture above is one that I, at times, wished had not made it into the record books. It, like many other scriptures, when taken out of context provides a foundation for some dubious theology, including bad attitudes toward the poor. Jesus is talking about priorities at any moment in time and at that time and in that moment the woman’s ministry to Jesus was the appropriate priority.

The phrase, You always have the poor with you, is an observation of society not an acceptable way of being.  I guess if there are differences in income levels the statement always applies. The concern is not that some earn more income than others; the concern is whether there are people who do not have incomes adequate to meet their most basic needs. In modern language we call that a living wage for those who work or its equivalent for those who are aged or disabled to the extent they cannot work*.

In the 1960’s the US federal government developed a measure of what is enough to meet basic needs and called it the poverty level. It was based on the discerned cost of food multiplied by three to cover the cost of clothing, food, shelter and so forth. At the time it was a positive move to address poverty. Time and cultural changes have long since rendered it to be an impractical means of measuring what is adequate. Finding a better means of defining what is enough over the last fifty years has become a political football and resulted in odd practices to offset its limitations. For example, food stamp eligibility is based on 33% of the poverty level. The current minimum wage is below the poverty level even for a single person.

In 2017 the poverty rate for Oklahoma was 15.8%** of the total population. While Jesus recognized the disparities in incomes in our scripture today, he commanded us to make sure that people had enough to eat, safe water to drink, clothing to wear, and health care. We have a lot of work to do.

Prayer: Lord, bring us together as the Body of Christ working in the world until those who are designated as poor have incomes that are high enough to meet their basic needs. Amen.

*For more information on the concept of a living wage see http://livingwage.mit.edu/

**https://okpolicy.org/new-census-data-shows-that-oklahoma-fell-further-behind-the-u-s-on-poverty-and-uninsured-rate-for-second-consecutive-year/

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Wellsprings of Hope

Epiphany
February 9, 2017

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people, but rather as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still of the flesh. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not of the flesh, and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, ‘I belong to Paul’, and another, ‘I belong to Apollos’, are you not merely human? –1 Corinthians 3:1-4

Because Abraham Lincoln quoted the phrase “a house divided against itself cannot stand”, many think it originated with him. Jesus initiated the saying as reported in both Matthew 12:22-28 and Mark 3:24. I am glad that President Lincoln used it as philosophical glue to hold our country together during the Civil War. I fear politicians today thrive on division. Paul realized the harm in taking sides, one follower of Christ against another, and strongly urged the new communities of faith to avoid such behavior. I firmly believed that God created diversity because no individual or single group has all the answers to life’s challenges. We all must work together to make the Kingdom of God reality.

Ruby Payne* in her work addressing poverty, particularly as it impacts education, points out that people at various income levels have markedly differing life views. I was surprised when I took the tests included in her work to realize I knew little if anything about surviving in poverty (even though I had worked with poverty programs for years at the time) and knew even less about being wealthy. I scored well on being middle class.

Robert Kennedy, raised in wealth, advocated eloquently for the poor. How did he gain the insights needed to champion the cause of the poor? He dwelt among them. He traveled through the worst impoverished areas in the USA, played with the children, talked with the parents, and got a gut full of the horrors of malnutrition and hopelessness.

It takes effort, persistence, and patience to work with diverse opinions, but unity, oneness is the only thing that does work.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the beauty in all your children, make us wellsprings of hope as we work to be one in your love. Amen.

*See A Framework for Understanding Poverty: A Cognitive Approach by Ruby Payne and Bridges Out of Poverty by Ruby Payne and others with information at http://www.ahaprocess.com/solutions/community/

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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Poor in Spirit

statueoflibertyLiving in the Spirit
September 11, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-10

‘Or what woman having ten silver coins, if she loses one of them, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? When she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, “Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.” Just so, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’ –Luke 15:8-10

The poor have always been with me as Jesus predicted. (Mark 4:7) My mother always held the poor close to her heart. She helped them in any way she could. Her empathy played a part in my becoming a social worker and an advocate for justice. So, I understand the message Jesus brings in his story of the woman with ten silver coins. The loss of one coin could mean disaster for her family. Jesus also said to provide food and clothing for those in need. (Matthew 25:35-40) and Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. (Luke 6:20) Matthew quotes a similar speech saying poor in spirit, which probably has a broader scope, but I guess the woman who lost the coin felt both poor and poor in spirit from the loss.

We do not pay much attention to the poor of any kind. Our society cares more about wealth. The difference in being poor in spirit because you do not know where your evening meal will come from and have no food for your children, and being poor in spirit because your stocks lost ground are not the same. The promised kingdom of God assures enough for everyone, and calls us to partner in its realization.

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!“*

Prayer: Lord, make your priorities our priorities as we week to make your vision a reality. Amen.

*Lines from the poem The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus engraved on the Statue of Liberty. See at http://www.libertystatepark.com/emma.htm

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.

How to Succeed at Being Poor

poor-kidsLiving in the Spirit
September 7, 2016

Scripture Reading: Psalm 14

There they shall be in great terror,
   for God is with the company of the righteous.
You would confound the plans of the poor,
   but the Lord is their refuge.  

O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion!
   When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people,
   Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad. –Psalm 14:5-7

Apparently, someone needs to write a self-help book, How to Succeed at Being Poor in the Wealthiest Nation in the World. At least the subject of such a book seems to be the intent of our nation. Producing such a book might be a waste of time, however, for we are no longer even willing to teach our children how to read unless it can happen very cheaply or it provides profit for a private enterprise. Wealth is finite. The earth and all that is in it has limited space and limited resources. For some to have more, some must have less. For some to have a lot more, many more must have less.

The USA unemployment rate is very low. Most able-bodied adults work or are looking for work. We need those undocumented immigrants just to get required work done. Many people work at two or more jobs and still do not make ends meet. Some businesses only schedule staff to work less than a 40-hour week, so the business does not have to provide benefits. Tax-payers subsidize businesses that pay low wages by providing SNAP (food stamps), Medicaid, and Child Care Subsidy. There virtually no longer exists a cash payment welfare program for families with their own children. Yet, we continue to hear about and belittle the welfare mooches and the lazy good-for-nothings receiving food stamps etc.

God makes it clear that when we seek God we probably should start looking among the folks, we disparage the most.

Prayer: God, help us to see that you created enough for everyone and that we have the task of sharing your bounty. 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.

Effect and Cause

JesusBentWomanPainting%20better%20color%20(1000x750)Living in the Spirit
August 20, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 13:10-17

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, ‘Woman, you are set free from your ailment.’ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. –Luke 13:10-13

Cause and effect impact our lives far more than we might image and sometimes our assumptions are wrong. In the first century, illness was associated with spirit or demon possession. Today illnesses are named related to scientific discoveries of cause and effect removing the idea of external forces overtaking us. We still may not know what causes gene mutations or whether our patterns of behavior program our minds to dysfunction. Our treatments remain focused primarily on fixing effects.

Jesus practiced preventive intervention. Yes, he did remove barriers to wholeness, but he taught how to live once freed from such constraints. He saw the effects, but he focused on the causes. He understood the connection between justice and wholeness.

Is poverty the result of being fundamentally unable to support oneself or is the cause of poverty more related to failures in our education and economic systems? Is poverty the result of a vicious circle of both making cause and effect, effect and cause?

The USA practices cyclical poverty. Our over indulgences of the 1920’s combined with natural disasters to bring about the Great Depression. The economic recovery following World War II left too many people behind, and we found ourselves picking up the pieces from riots in the mid-1960’s. We find ourselves once again in a lopsided society of a few haves, and many have-nots. I am constantly struck by how this pattern emulates so well the history of the people of Israel in their relationship with God. They too had prophets sounding warnings about the causes to no avail as Jesus did in the first century.

Jesus’ way still works today, and we can still impact effects of lost wholeness by practicing God’s justice.

Prayer: Lord, make us whole and make us just. Make us just and make us whole. 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.

Reading the Signs of the Time

StormLiving in the Spirit
August 14, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 12:49-56

He also said to the crowds, ‘When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, “It is going to rain”; and so it happens. And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, “There will be scorching heat”; and it happens. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time? –Luke 12:54-56

Growing up in Oklahoma, one becomes accustomed to weather’s sometimes randomness. We apparently live in a spot on the earth where various weather phenomena converge creating the unpredictable. Our forecasts come in percentages of likelihood. The first year I lived in Denver, I did not know how to react to weather forecasts. The reporters, often not meteorologists but attractive young women who read a national weather report, would state an absolute that most often happened. I particularly remember one such report that said it would rain at 8:00 pm and it did. Our scripture today is centered in a place more like the weather forecasts outcomes in Denver than Oklahoma City.

Of course here Luke talks more about the storms of life than the weather. Much like we treat climate change today, the people of Galilee and Judea chose not to see what was right in front of them. Living in oppression ala the peace of Rome they survived rather than thrived. Jesus called them to claim an abundant life not vested in money or power but love.

Poverty in the world today is related to oppression ala the peace of Rome, and it does not need to be. Those of us not living in poverty must realize that our worth does not result from class distinctions. Much of the working class and middle class through one major medical event could find themselves in poverty. Ben Franklin, one of the USA’s founders, in talking about forming our government said, we must all hang together, or we’ll surely hang separately. He meant that literally, but I think it is food for thought regarding our economy today. When we divide by classism or racism or any other ism, we lose the power of our common need to have an economy for all not just a few.

Prayer: Lord, give us the courage to be one in mutual love as you called us to be, as we work toward the full realization of your kingdom. 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.