Who Is My Neighbor (And What Can I Do)?

I’ve been engaged for a while now in a lengthy Facebook dialogue and a follow-up Instant Message discussion about the merits and demerits of Bernie Sander’s Universal Health Care Proposal. For those of you not in the United States, Bernie is currently campaigning to be our President and a cornerstone of his platform is this universal health care concept. Now, I’m not about to rehash the dialogue here, mainly because it is irrelevant to the observation I would like to make. What I am going to do is share how both of these conversations have helped focus me back on the central issue of Christ’s command for us to care each other, to take care of the widow and the orphan, and to provide for those in need (James 1:27). Policy talk is all well and good, but the policy that matters in Heaven’s eyes is the one that I, and you, personally enact each day.

I was challenged via Instant Messenger by a respected friend who had been following the discussion on Facebook. She shared that she thought one of my points, in particular, sounded, well, cold and heartless. She knows me pretty well, which contributed to her decision to share her thoughts with me and see how I would respond (Side note: bringing your concerns TO the person you are concerned about is a marvelous way of instigating meaningful dialogue, understanding, and, occasionally, even change.). As we discussed my comment and her reaction to it, I was struck by how civil our discussion was and how much we shared the same underlying concern for people in need. We may not agree on solutions (then again, we may—we didn’t travel far down that road), but we both recognize and and feel deeply for the problems our country is facing caring for the “least of these” amongst us. Having grown up as one of those least, this is an issue I feel strongly about.

One thing we did agree on, which prompted this essay, was the fact that regardless of what the government may or may not do for the poor and needy, the church is not relieved of its calling to relieve suffering and help the afflicted (2 Corinthians 1:4). I know Jesus said we would always have the poor with us (Matthew 26:11), but I read that statement not so much as permission to have poor people around without being overly concerned as I do as a recognition and reminder that we, the body of Christ, will always have a ministry right at hand. The poor will always be around us, but why should we assume he meant the same people will always stay poor? What can we do to lift people from poverty into self-sufficiency? Surely, other people with other needs will replace those we’ve helped, but that’s just more opportunity to love. I mean, right?

So. I ask myself. I ask you. What are we doing for these hungry, underdressed, marginalized, broken, and hurting amongst us? I don’t mean what are we as a group, or we as an institution, doing. I mean, what am I doing? What are you doing? Whatever it is, can you do one more thing. Find one more need? If you’re not doing anything, can you reach out to one person in one place and help address one need? Then do it all over with another person. Find a cause and engage. Is there a homeless ministry you can join? A soup kitchen you can serve in? A house that needs cleaning? A class on budgeting and finances that needs teaching? Anything? Anything at all?

I promise you God couldn’t care less what I’m saying about the need on Facebook if I’m not acting on the need in person.

Peace.