Helping

What do you plan to do this week to help someone? Here's my agenda, good or bad. Today, visits to hospitals for someone who broke a hip. Tuesday, Dinner on the grounds at one of the churches and a Bible Study thrown in beforehand. Wednesday, Bible Study. Thursday, mini-VBS for the kids at one church, Friday, meeting with core group to begin re-organization of church. Saturday? Nothing at the moment.

I am paid clergy, but that is not the correct way to look at this. For at each of those events, there are persons who are not paid but who will attend anyway. That's good. What's bad is that none of those varied events are outward reaching. They are inward.

We are not paid to, we do not volunteer to help ourselves. Our we shouldn't. When we begin to realize this, perhaps we can begin to see the light at the end of the church tunnel.

 Jesus talks about mercy to those in trouble in 24 verses of the Gospels, tells people not to judge in 34 verses, tells people to love and forgive even their enemies in 53 verses, tells people to love their neighbors as themselves and treat others as they would want to be treated in 19 verses, and specifically tells people to help the poor and/or spurn riches and the wealthy in 128 verses.

This is at the core of what the Kingdom of God was about, it seems to me. Helping. Noticing. Loving.

This week let every one of us, every reader, make a concerted effort to help someone in the good name of Jesus. Don't judge them. Don't wonder why they need help. Just give. Just once if need be.

That's Kingdom building at its finest, I believe.