Focusing on the Poor

Focusing on the Poor

Like every human organization the Church is constantly in danger of corruption. As soon as power and wealth come to the Church, manipulation, exploitation, misuse of influence, and outright corruption are not far away.

How do we prevent corruption in the Church? The answer is clear: by focusing on the poor. The poor make the Church faithful to its vocation. When the Church is no longer a church for the poor, it loses its spiritual identity. It gets caught up in disagreements, jealousy, power games, and pettiness. Paul says, "God has composed the body so that greater dignity is given to the parts which were without it, and so that there may not be disagreements inside the body but each part may be equally concerned for all the others" (1 Corinthians 12:24-25). This is the true vision. The poor are given to the Church so that the Church as the body of Christ can be and remain a place of mutual concern, love, and peace.

Henri Nouwen

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I would be lying if I said that I rub shoulders with the poor, the marginalized or the homeless on a regular basis. I try to make it a habit of volunteering beyond the walls of my church and giving my time and money to organizations that are making a tangible difference in the lives of the poor.

But that is always the catch isn't it.

Our churches have outsourced our ministry to the poor to someone else. We serve at organizations and give to the little downtown churches that are engaged in mission with those less fortunate because for the most of us, our churches aren't filled with those living in poverty.

As society moved to the suburbs, so went our churches.

Because, well, the church has to follow the money...er I mean...the people.

So here we sit, most of us like myself, giving my money to someone else to do the work of serving the poor for me.

And with it I lose the beauty and the honor of serving the poor.

I still view those on the streets as in need of me, instead of seeing them as people that I am in need of.

I don't hear their stories.

I don't smell the stench of poverty.

I don't see the hope beyond the broken smile.

I leave with my wallet lighter, but my heart not any fuller.

I often care more about creative meaningful worship services than I do about worshiping Christ through my service of those who are in need.

I so often totally miss the point and spend large amounts of time justifying it so eloquently in my head.

If anyone has any ideas of breaking out of this box, please feel free to comment and converse.

And for the rest of us, like myself, with little idea of where to start, I pray and hope that a change comes...