'The poor don't deserve our help!'

If you've been hooked in by my title, then it's done its job. It was a phrase used by Gary Welsh as we began our preaching series on the poor (pronounced poo-er here) at Hope Church this Sunday. Now it's important to understand the context. A phrase like that is usually used by people who want to justify why they should not have to have any responsibility for the poor. However here it was an expression of the fact that help that we give is not a reflection of merit (they've not earned favour) or of duty, but of what God is like. It's not my fault I'm wealthier than many people here (I didn't cheat anyone to get it) and the Bible simply accepts the fact that there will always be some who are wealthy and some who are not, and that not necessarily a reflection of the merits of either (e.g. I happened to be born in wealthy UK, and many poor are not simply lazy or suffering consequences of something morally askew in their lives).

But saying that the poor do not deserve help does not mean the same thing as saying the poor are not worthy of help. Isaiah 58 spells out that those in need around us are also our "flesh and bone", made in the image of God as we are, and so are worth what we are worth regardless of what's in their bank account (if they even have one). Helping the needy is a very worthy thing, and we can agree much with humanitarians that stress the value of human life. However our roots must sink deeper, both because of what we know and because only in God do we find the necessary resources, compassion, motivation, and faith for otherwise self-centred people like me to "spend ourselves for the hungry" as Isaiah 58 puts it.

God justifies much of his Law in the Old Testament with the phrase, "I am the LORD." That is the bottom line - this is about Him. The same is true when God talks of helping the one who becomes poor - help them.... I am the LORD! Why this is important is because it is very much in line with the character of God to be generous/gracious, and so we follow with grace to the poor - giving what is not deserved.

It's certainly a refreshing perspective - one markedly different from the guilt employed by most human logic that only tends to produce marginal giving to satisfy conscience, if that. Generosity leaves us free to draw a line where we will stop, but more than that leaves us free to enjoy giving lavishly to bring help to those in need.

But it is all about God. That's what's been hard to explain to people who have come over from England with my friend Nim for a wedding last weekend. "So what are you doing here? Like missionary work?" The instant assumption is that humanitarian relief and development is the priority, which is something that's difficult to give a simple reply to. What I end up saying is that I have come to build the Church here in Durban, which is a community of worship to God which expresses its devotion to Jesus in many ways, including working with the poor around us as we do the whole neighbourhood.

[Funnily enough while big agencies and international governments can do some great work - particularly in disaster relief - often solutions are only temporary. Every organisation must have an entry strategy, an objecive, and an exit strategy. The Church has no exit strategy - we're a self propogating community within a community, fully conversant with the local people, local needs, local solutions, and so on. So both smart, and ongoing solutions can be found, as well as ongoing social change in an area through the Church. Effects may not be as immediate, but they can certainly be very comprehensive.]

But the primary focus is that people see, know, and love God for all his works of kindness - ultimately his gift of eternal life to rich and poor sinners alike. I tell them (when I don't get caught so off guard!), "I'm building a community of people that make the glory of God known. If anyone is deserving it is God - deserving of praise, majesty, honour, glory, dominion, and worship from all peoples for all time! A reflection of His worth is His great love, which overflows to the poor whom he cares for, delivers, and avenges.

So Hope Church Durban are looking to care for the poor already amongst our church family, and also further afield. Why? Because that's what God is like and likes to do!

Note: On Sunday 21st October Hope Church are taking up an offering to kickstart our work with the poor. Anyone wanting to donate (as an act of willing generosity and conviction that this is a good way to express that generosity) can email me for my UK bank account details (if you trust me!) and I will pass the money on myself. This money will only be used for work with the poor, not for staff salaries, etc.

Poverty is still very much the norm here, though a big enough city as built up that you could almost ignore the problem and think it small by comparison to the "norms" of the city. Working with the poor (i.e. as people who are conincidentally poor, not as a faceless needy category) is our aim, and I'm glad that the boys I mentioned the other week seem to be getting to know me more and even flocking to me on a Sunday. I hope to be able to visit them where they live sometime and I'll let you know how that develops. Please pray for me that I can be humbly used of God in this common, but easy to avoid, situation around me.