God Loves the Poor (more than He loves you-- just kidding)

I'm reposting this from "This Too Is Meaningless" a blog by Mike. Check it out HERE

Don’t get me wrong God as we know loves all people red and yellow black and white we are precious in His sight, as well as the rich. However all through the Bible God seems to favor the poor and lowly people. Well I found ten reasons why God "favors" if you will. PS Please understand I am working with a public high school vocabulary so the word Favor was all that came to mind. Anyway here is the list;

1. The poor know they are in urgent need of redemption.

2. The poor know not only their dependence on God and on powerful people but also their interdependence with one another. (My church Family for instance)

3. The poor rest their security not on things but on people. (My church family for instance)

4. The poor have no exaggerated sense of their own importance, and no exaggerated need of privacy. (My church family for instance)

5. The poor expect little from competition and much from cooperation.

6. The poor can distinguish between necessities and luxuries. (Think I learned that this past year)

7. The poor can wait, because they have acquired a kind of dogged patience born of acknowledged dependence. (Still need work here)

8. The fears of the poor are more realistic and less exaggerated, because they already know that one can survive great suffering and want.

9. When the poor have the Gospel preached to them, it sounds like good news and not like a threat or scolding.

10. The poor can respond to the call of the Gospel with certain abandonment and uncomplicated totality because they have so little to lose and ready for anything.

In summary, through no choice of their own-they may urgently wish otherwise-poor people find themselves in a posture that befits the grace of God. In their state of neediness, dependence, and dissatisfaction with life, they may welcome God's free gift of love.

My note on numbers 2, 3 and 4 give perfect example of how the church body in my opinion is to operate. We depend on God as well as each other, our security rests in our relationships rather than our millions, and we discuss our struggles, doubts and needs freely. It is very humbling to really ask for help as I have found out recently. Without my church family I really don’t know where I would be. PS any of you reading this, I/we LOVE YOU GUYS! We wouldn’t have made without you!

For the record I am in no way poor unless you compare me to the top 3% in this country but when compared to the rest of the NORMAL world all of us here are extremely wealthy.

Street Spirituality: Some Observations

The street is complex and is full of some of the most independent thinkers in the U.S. And the homeless I have known have mostly been the chronic homeless based in the Northwest. Thus, I cannot write a comprehensive theology of the street in the U.S. However, since such a project hasn’t come into being, I offer a few observational notes to begin the thinking of some motivated student of sociology or theology.

The Basic Theological Split:
There is a split on the street about God and spirituality. Some feel that God has rejected them, even as they feel rejected by the middle class church. For these, God is a non-entity, a reality that is not practical. Because all issues on the street are practical, about survival, then the unbelievers just don’t see God as being a part of their reality. They don’t usually mind that God is significant in other’s reality, but they don’t focus on God or spirituality themselves at all.

However, a large percentage (impossible to determine) of those on the street are deeply concerned with God and spirituality. They see God as being a part of their everyday lives and significant. Most of these are deeply committed to Jesus. The rest of the observations describe the spirituality of these God-focused street people.

About God’s truth:
True theology isn’t systematized—The real principles of God can’t be written in a book, or understood by words. God is best understood in the heart, not the mind.

Theology is based on the Bible—The Bible is used simply, without scholarship, and occasionally some passages are discarded. But spiritual reality must be based on Scripture. All we know about God and Jesus and the spirit world is based on the Bible.

Theology is personal—Although based on the Bible, theology is something one understands because God has revealed it to one. God speaks His truth and His moral code to each person in their heart.

Theology is practical and moral—That which we know about God is real because we live it, not because we talk about it. God helps the poor, so we thank Him when He provides. God helps the poor, so that is what we do as well—provide for those in greater need than ourselves. If we did not do something about our beliefs, they would not be real beliefs at all.

Theology is radical— Any spiritual principle is taken to the greatest degree, without regard to social conventions, laws or personal well-being. One’s spirituality and ethic code takes precedence before all other concerns.

About God:
God is loving—God sees all the frailties and sins of the lowly and forgives them.

God provides—God is the one who provides food and shelter to the poor. When the hungry are desperate, He provides food. When the alcoholic needs money for a beer, God provides it.

God is angry at the church—Should Jesus come to earth today, he would be cleansing the church. The church is full of hypocrisy. Especially the church will be judged for rejecting the poor and outcast.

God judges— God places a moral code within the hearts of each person, and if anyone acts against the moral code, God will judge them. This judgment could be a calamity that happens to a person immediately after an immoral act, or it might wait until after death.

Ethical Concerns:
Sins of the street—Homosexuality, not helping someone in need, adultery (cheating on one’s spouse or boy/girlfriend), abuse of the lowly (especially women and children), stealing from the poor, attacking without provocation, abuse of the dead, disrespect of a church, abortion,

Middle class sins that are winked at—Alcohol/drug use, defending oneself violently, disrespect to authority (especially police), defecating in public places, crude language, not keeping appointments, having a place to live, killing oneself through lifestyle.

Deep Regrets: Self abuse (such as drug abuse, cutting, suicide attempts), uncontrolled harm of a woman or child, not being able to financially support one’s children,

Religious Practice:
Religious practice is not centered in a church—Religious practice is mostly personal and is not connected primarily with a church. Thus, attending church services or participating in religious community is rarely a part of the street person’s religious practice.

Moral acts that can be spiritual—Recycling, dumpster diving, defending the helpless, serving a church through cleaning up, picking up litter off the street, providing food to the hungry, offering a cigarette or a beer to those who have none, participating in religious ritual (Lord’s supper, saying the Lord’s prayer, kissing a cross, etc.).

Prayer is a powerful act—Requesting a boon of God must be done with respect and is taken very seriously. Thus, it is done rarely, only in times of dire need. It is also deeply personal, something done when stirred by deep emotion and usually done alone.

A Very Brief Primer On Anawimic Theology, Being the Basis of All True Understaning and the True Good News To the Poor

Yeah, well, the title is longer than the post:

Jesus especially calls and ministers to the outcast of the world.
Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have come to call not the righteous but sinners. Mark 4:17

God greatly rejoices when a single one who is outcast from his kingdom returns to him.
There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7

The outcast of the world who are righteous before God will receive God’s greatest blessings.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

The righteous should assist the outcast in any way they can, even sacrificially.
Sell your possessions and give to those in need; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven. Luke 12:33

The outcast of the world who are disciples are to be held in equal esteem in the church as any other disciple.
If you show partiality against the poor, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. James 2:9

The outcast are to rejoice in their lowly position, for they will be raised up.
Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up. James 1:9

Portland Mercury Article

One of the edgiest of the "Village Voice" newspapers in Portland, The Portland Mercury has written an article on Steve and the Anawim meeting in Gresham on Saturday. Here it is, in all it's glory. If you want to see the original, with the pic the author took of Steve, check it out here:

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/in-the-shadows/Content?oid=964647

In the Shadows
Socks, Showers, and God
by Matt Davis


Steve Kimes is not your typical minister. When we first met last Saturday, November 29, with his fulsome beard and his casual felt hat, I almost mistook him for one of his congregation—90 percent of whom are homeless or mentally ill. No offense intended.

Kimes, along with his wife Diane, started the Anawim Christian Community in 1995, listening to the stories of the poor and disenfranchised in Portland and Gresham. They now run regular services at Anawim and at the Peace Mennonite Church on NE 196th and Glisan. And on Saturday mornings in Gresham, they run "shower ministry." I was in attendance on recent Saturday where roughly 30 people had shown up at 11 am for hot Spam, chicken soup, and pasta, a chance to exchange their dirty clothes for clean ones, and a free shower. Later, they would also pray—but we'll come to that.

One of the odder effects of a free clothing exchange is that people tend to wear things that fit them—not clothes that necessarily reflect their personalities or passions. The results can be disconcerting.

"I'm not a gun man at all," says Danno, a gentle old fellow wearing a Smith & Wesson T-shirt featuring a cobra coiled around a shotgun.

I see a man walk past in a Broncos hooded top, and someone else emerges from the shower wearing an Epcot Center jersey. I decide against football and Disney World as introductory topics of conversation.

"You're not a cop, are you?" asks Jimmy, who approaches with wary menace, wearing a baseball cap with the Confederate flag on it, and the word "Rebel" embroidered on the brim. Rather than ask Jimmy whether it's true or not, I decide to take his cap at its word and tread carefully.

"I'm a journalist," I say. "Here's my card."

After taking it to a far-off table and considering the card for a minute, Jimmy returns to shake my hand and apologize.

"I just feel wary about anybody sitting in the corner, taking notes," he says.

It's not surprising. From talking to others in the congregation, the general consensus seems to be that the cops in Gresham are less tolerant of the homeless than those in Portland. Jimmy estimates he's been "moved along" more than 100 times over the years, and says he's been told to go "anywhere on the other side of 162nd"— meaning, toward Portland—by a cop.

Apart from different attitudes toward law enforcement, there also seemed to be more of a sense of family, community, and self-sufficiency among the homeless I met in this unlikely church, east of the I-205, compared to the atmosphere at many of the homeless service providers I've been to in Portland. Kimes has undoubtedly worked hard on fostering this feeling.

"Jesus," I say, when Kimes tells me how many homeless people in recovery he's currently got living in his house. (Answer: More than a few, but Kimes would rather the total not wind up in print.) Then I realize I've blasphemed in his presence and apologize profusely, because the guy is dead serious about his God.

As I leave, Kimes is booming out a hymn called "Holy Is the Lord" with a heady baritone and no musical accompaniment, apart from the enthusiastic voices of his assorted congregation. Having admitted to me earlier that the work can involve battles with depression—Kimes has officiated a funeral for each of his 13 years, but only one wedding—I can't help but be impressed by his ability to continue with it, no matter what the motivation. And I'm not normally one for religious fervor, either—but in Kimes' case, it appears to be working.

Perhaps there's a Christian T-shirt in his exchange box, somewhere, for me.

Praying for the Poor

One of the main pushes of the Micah Project is to pray for those in
poverty throughout the world. This stirred my thinking-- I pray a lot
for those in my community in need, but rarely for those around the
world unless a specific group catches my attention.

This month, my family and I have been praying for different groups in
poverty-- one each night. Some of the groups we prayed for were:


The needy in Bangaldesh, who are at the forefront of being wiped out
if the sea levels rise.
The suffering in Columbia, who stand up against oppressors and drug
merchants.
The needy in Afghanistan and Iraq.
The Palestinians.
The homeless and mentally ill in North America.
Those suffering from AIDS in Africa.
Today, we will be praying for those who have suffered through the
earthquake in Pakistan.


Something to think about!

Justice III

Lord, it seems that I, too, am an oppressor.
Can it be? Am I not your child?
Yet in the ways I oppress, I am not like you.
For you, O God are gracious.
For you, O God are compassionate.
For you, O God are slow to anger.
For you, O God are abounding in love.

But I, I still
manipulate and control and act aggressively toward those under me
from my children to my employees.
I abuse the vast resources you have given me
and thus steal from my poor brokers.
I support oppressors of the poor and underprivileged
by buying their products.
I close off my home, my money and my time
from the poor you have told me to give to.

Dear Lord, forgive me.
Cleanse me of my sin.
I open myself up to you.
Reveal to me my evil ways.
Show me, Lord, how to change them.
Through your Spirit, enliven your righteousness within me.
Teach me living justice;
Teach me holy walking;
Train me in the ways of your kingdom:
the ways of peace
the ways of mercy
the ways of justice
the ways of forgiveness
Lest I, too, O Lord, am judged by you.

Take away the disgrace I dread.
Take away the acts of tyranny.
And replace my old ways with the ways of your Son.


Your Kingdom come, O God
Your glorious light shine
Come quickly now

How To End Poverty 2

 

I suppose I could have come up with ideas that would be a little less cruel to those in power, but I am tired of the rich elite ruling the world without any idea of what it means to be poor, or what their laws imply to those who have no resources. I am tired of this world where those in North America are so far removed from the poor that they dehumanize their own poor and distantly allow the poor of the world be killed, enslaved, have what little they have taken from them, all for the sake of that distant elite. I am sick of politicians rallying behind finance corporations to save the jobs of financiers, while allowing the needy be starved out due to forced debt and petty charges targeted against them.

I know God is angry at this too. He is saying now to the politicians and bankers and the wealthy elite of the world:
"How long will you judge unjustly
And show favor to the wicked?
Vindicate the needy and fatherless;
Give justice to the lowly and poor.
Rescue the weak and needy
Deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness.
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.”

Then He turns to them, in their smugness, and screams in their face:
“You had thought yourselves to be gods
And all of you to be sons of the Most High
But you will all die like mortals
And fall like any prince."

If we are honest about the world and the calamities that fall upon the poor and destitute, then we can but answer,
Arise, O God, bring justice to the earth!
Bring justice to the homeless who have been kicked out of their camps.
Bring justice to the AIDS sufferers who have been degraded by their own people
Bring justice to war victims, whose lives have been destroyed because of ideologies of distant rulers
Bring justice to the mentally ill, who are imprisoned in hospitals because they do not act “normal”
Bring justice to the elderly, who are commanded by their children to do that which they do not want to do
Bring justice to the falsely accused, who languish apart from their family and friends.
Bring justice to those beaten and lit on fire, just because they are too helpless to fight back.
Bring justice to the poor of the nations in such debt because of the greed of their politicians.

Yet, O God, have mercy on us who have failed the poor. Fill us with the compassion we lack.

Relationships With The Poor

This article is adapted by Amigos MCUSA from a book review by IsaacV
on the Young Anabaptist Radicals blog, available at:
http://young.anabaptistradicals.org/2008/07/08/book-review-simple-spirituality-by-christopher-heuertz/#comments

Relationships that open us to God

Christopher L. Heuertz doesn't claim to offer any secrets to spiritual
success. Instead, he shares what God is teaching him through his
friends, who happen to be the poorest of the poor.

In Spirituality: Learning to See God in a Broken World (InterVarsity
Press, 2008), Heuertz's spirituality isn't a call to close your eyes
and think about God; instead, friendships with the poor make
friendship with God possible.

Our parents were right: we are who we hang out with. Our friends shape
who we are. That's not something to run from. Humans are relational
animals. There's no such thing as autonomy; it's a delusion. The
fibers of our being, Heuertz notes, "are made for relationships" (54).
But we can choose with whom we form these friendships. Our hope is
that the church may be a place where those friendships can happen. But
what does it mean when our churches don't welcome the poor?

Are we on the side of the poor?

Or, to put it more strongly, what does it mean when we aren't begging
the beggars to worship with us? Heuertz doesn't mince words: "If our
community makes no room for those who are poor, our community loses
all credibility" (58). While Jim Wallis is trying to fight for justice
on the national scale, Heuertz offers a much more intimate vision, one
that transforms our daily lives: "We work not for justice for everyone
but instead to ensure that we're on the 'right' side of the poverty
line" (58). Are we on the side of the poor?

That's his question. This isn't a political platform for a lobby
group. Rather, it's about what side of town we live on. Who are our
neighbors, who are our friends, who sits next to us when we worship,
who eats at our table? These questions mess with our lives. They haunt
our everyday decisions. But these questions also send us to the poor,
who offer us intimacy with God. And typically God shakes up our lives
so God can offer us an unimaginably better one.

Overflowing abundance gets messy

Jesus: "I have come that you may have life, and have it abundantly."
But overflowing abundance gets really messy. "We want to let God in,"
writes Heuertz, "but usually on our terms. We want to make room for
Christ to reign on the thrones of our hearts, but only a clean Christ
who doesn't make a mess of our lives" (63).

Heuertz writes, "Jesus' ministry was not to the upper class, the
educated, the elite or the most influential social figures. Jesus came
and ministered among those who were poor, with the poor and as a poor
man. His ministry was to the children, those who were begging, victims
of leprosy, the woman at the well, the woman caught in the act of
adultery, the tax collectors, the fishermen communities and those on
the margins.

Following Jesus alongside common people

"Jesus came to the common people and lived alongside them. As a
church, we must learn new ways to celebrate our faith inclusively so
that those on the margins of society will feel welcome – and so that
our love and acceptance of the other will aid in our paths to
holiness. Jesus' ministry was marked with a distinctive compassion for
the oppressed poor" (69).

I am grateful to Heuertz and his friends for showing me that such an
abundant life is possible. I can't begin to do justice to Heuertz's
storytelling; that's what makes the book a must read. Read it for the
stories of real life, of real friendship, of people we can never meet
because they are dead now. And also read it for the joy of abundant
life, the joy of Christ's resurrected life, a life broken open for
us..