Christianity in Crisis

From within the confines of early Christianity the course of history was forever changed through the devoted lives of a handful of people of which the young movement consisted.  Blind eyes were once again employed by the symphony of vibrant colors that life constructed and deployed, some for the first time.  Crippled beggars received their walking papers as they received their charge to arise and collect their mats.  Death was commissioned to relinquish those it imprisoned who were pierced from outside its eternal fortress with the single charge “come forth!”

Today this “movement” has grown to incorporate roughly 33% of the world’s population, or somewhere around 2.3 billion people.  As one who considers himself a member of this astonishingly large congregation I am challenged by the words recorded by Matthew in red “I was hungry . . . I was thirsty . . . I was naked."  The challenge was not the mere reading of those words, but rather how they invaded my spirit, my space and my conscience.  I have spent the better part of my life (better? that is debatable) attending local church congregations across this country and have heard countless sermons on how to live and what to give.  Somehow I think I may have missed the mark for I have yet to experience anything similar to what is recorded by the early Church.  How could I when I refuse to even make eye contact while engaged at the stoplight of that busy intersection?  The only difference here that is notable in comparison to the words in Matthew is the tense of what is happening.  The tense is not “I was” but rather “I am.”  While fidgeting with the radio I wait for the light to turn so as to escape the piercing eyes from behind the make-shift billboard looking for acknowledgement or even the words “rise up.”  Granted, many are not crippled physically, but all are nonetheless crippled by something.  It could be unemployment, drug addiction, homelessness or just loneliness.  The thing I find convicting is Jesus, the one I proclaim to follow, never justified His lack of action.  He always responded when engaged.  The question I must ask myself is “why don’t I?”  I know of hundreds of justifiable answers.  A few would include: "He/she is running a scam!  He needs to clean up and get a job.  I would only be supporting and enabling him in his addiction.  I'm sure someone else will help her."    These are a few I have caught myself using to justify my inactivity. Besides, I just don't have the time.  It is much easier to excuse myself rather than taking the risk to love someone other than those I deem to be loveable.  What does the golden rule teach but to love others (all others) as we would like to be loved?  When I appraise my involvement within what I have classified as ministry I must hang my head and cry "Father, have mercy on me for I have sinned and fallen way short of the standard you provided."  As we run the course of our annual Christmas festivities celebrating the Lord's birth and ultimately place our ornaments back into storage for another year may we spend the coming months asking what ornaments would bring God the most glory for the festivals yet to come.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy decorating and the ornamental displays of Christmas as much as you do.  However, what if our menu for selecting those ornaments could only come from Isaiah 58?  Somehow I think our decorations might look a little different next year.  What do you think?