I always think it is interesting how you can read the same scripture at different times in your life and see it from a different perspective each time, depending on what else might be going on in your life at that time. One of the things I wrestled with a lot when we lived in the Sandbox is the issue of poverty. Of course in our culture here we are far more insulated from issues of poverty, and the poverty that does exist seems more hidden. But there it was a constant part of our daily landscape, part of our daily interactions with people. And while I used to think that I was pretty average, middle-class, I came to realize how incredibly rich and privileged I am compared with the vast majority of people on this earth. I was confronted by poverty every time I opened the gate of our house, every time I set out a bag of garbage that didn’t get picked up right away, because it would inevitably get torn open by someone looking for scraps of food or old containers or other treasures. I remember being at a market early on in our time there, and there were about three ragged little kids with such sweet faces, and paused to hand out a coin to each one… but about twenty minutes later, I walked around a corner and saw them there sniffing glue, just trying to numb their senses.
I always think it is interesting how you can read the same scripture at different times in your life and see it from a different perspective each time, depending on what else might be going on in your life at that time. One of the things I wrestled with a lot when we lived in the Sandbox is the issue of poverty. Of course in our culture here we are far more insulated from issues of poverty, and the poverty that does exist seems more hidden. But there it was a constant part of our daily landscape, part of our daily interactions with people. And while I used to think that I was pretty average, middle-class, I came to realize how incredibly rich and privileged I am compared with the vast majority of people on this earth. I was confronted by poverty every time I opened the gate of our house, every time I set out a bag of garbage that didn’t get picked up right away, because it would inevitably get torn open by someone looking for scraps of food or old containers or other treasures. I remember being at a market early on in our time there, and there were about three ragged little kids with such sweet faces, and paused to hand out a coin to each one… but about twenty minutes later, I walked around a corner and saw them there sniffing glue, just trying to numb their senses.
In the first chapter of Luke we come across a girl who is, in any honest, down-to-Earth kind of view, destitute. First of all, she is terribly poor, especially by today’s standards. Secondly, she comes from a race of people that are commonly marginalized and looked down upon by others. But thirdly, she’s an outcast among her own people: an unwed, pregnant teenager who just about threw away all hope for a decent marriage and a decent life, not to mention that she could have actually been killed because of being pregnant. What a combination of terrible, discouraging circumstances! But of course this is Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus, and listen to what she says about herself in what is now known as the Magnificat:
Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
For the Mighty One is holy,
and he has done great things for me. (Luke 1:46-49)
Her focus is on God, not on herself. She is not self-deprecating or embarrassed or ashamed in any way, although she is humble. But her focus is not on what she lacks, but on what God has done for her.
He shows mercy from generation to generation
to all who fear him.
His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
He has brought down princes from their thrones
and exalted the humble.He has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away with empty hands.
He has helped his servant Israel
and remembered to be merciful.
For he made this promise to our ancestors,
to Abraham and his children forever. (Luke 1:50-55)
Mary sees God as lifting the humble and filling the hungry with GOOD things. In Mary we have, in just a nutshell, a summary of God’s overarching mission throughout the Bible, throughout history, the ultimate purpose for Christ coming to Earth. Again and again, each of us is called to participate in this central mission that God has. Each of us has a different role to play in that mission, and probably a different role at different times in our lives. I think it’s interesting how Mary comes to an understanding of her own role in that mission… not that she would have understood everything at that point, but she understood that she had a specific role in God’s mission to the world, which was simply to give birth and raise a child. As much as she recognizes the enormous impact of that role, I have to say that in my own experience as a mother with young children I often felt like it was a miracle just to make it to the end of the day, let alone accomplish anything beyond that! There are times when our own role can seem incredibly insignificant. And yet, when it’s what God is asking us to do at a specific time in a specific place, it’s entirely significant to Him.
Mary also says that He scattered the proud, brought down princes, and sent away the rich… Who are the proud, the “princes”, the rich? People who don’t think they need God, who believe they are self-sufficient, who have power in the world’s terms… People who believe they own their own wealth, who use it only for their own purposes, instead of recognizing the part that their own wealth is intended to play in God’s kingdom. There are certainly a lot of rich, famous, powerful people in the world that fit this description. But it should also cause us pause as well. “The Bible’s teachings should cut to the heart of North American Christians. By any measure, we are the richest people ever to walk on planet Earth. Furthermore, at no time in history has there ever been greater economic disparity in the world than at present.”*
Participating in God’s mission to the poor in this world is not given to us as an available option: it is an absolute necessity. It is an expression of worship, and it is part of the very purpose of our existence.
When I look at this passage in Luke, I am struck by how its message contrasts with what I think of as the classic, “warm, fuzzy” Christmas that is usually idealized in this culture… Instead, the Magnificat seems to shout at me about God’s passionate, raging, consuming mission on Earth.
Not long ago I came across this painting by Joan C. Thomson called The Lavish Heart of God. (View her blog here.) Now this is a Christmas painting!
God is lavish in his love for us – and lavish in the way he meets our needs… he created us to be part of that lavishness, of all of us lavishly sharing what we have with one another.
So how do we 1) view ourselves accurately through God’s eyes, and 2) engage in God’s vision of ministry to the poor?
I recently finished reading a book with what I thought was a rather startling title, called: When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Ourselves by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. The book asks three questions: What is poverty? Who are the poor? and How can we help? Brian Fikkert did a short video that addresses these three questions… it’s well worth spending three and a half minutes watching it. But in summary, 1) Poverty is about broken relationships. It is not just a lack of material things, but a lack of right relationships with God, ourselves, others, rest of creation. 2) All of us are “the poor” because all of us experience poverty in our relationships. All of us need God to fix us. So all of us are, in some sense, the poor. And 3) Alleviating poverty is a process of working together, hand in hand. A process, not just a project; it must be holistic, and it’s often messy.
When does helping hurt? If we’re helping in the wrong way, or with the wrong attitude, our help can do far more harm than good. One significant way helping can hurt is when it is viewed in terms of over-simplistic, material-only solutions, rather than a holistic process. Yes, there are times when a material solution is best – especially in times of crisis, such as natural disasters, etc. – but usually a more holistic approach is absolutely essential to be truly effective.
Is money important? Yes! Take, for example, the fact that every year Americans spent $450 billion on Christmas, the holiday to celebrate Christ. The cost of providing water for every person in the world who needs it? $10 billion. Hmm. But poverty is also a lot more complex than just money. Poverty alleviation needs to be holistic: it involves the restoration of relationships, in all aspects of life, and the restoration of dignity… and this cannot be done without Christ. Our calling is not simply to be involved in charity work, of transferring funds from the rich to the poor. Our efforts need to be centered on Christ – the Christ that transforms relationships, that lifts up the humble, that fills the hungry.
Another crucial way that helping can hurt has to do with the “god-complex”. The materially non-poor (which is the vast majority of North American Christians, for example) have a tendency to have a “god-complex”. They… we… want to “fix” the poor, to “save” them from their poverty… we have, they don’t have… we think, “if we are truly the kind, loving, amazing Christians that God intended us to be, we will save them from their poverty!” This “god-complex” is rarely something we are conscious of, and it’s based on good intentions, at least it certainly seems like it. But it’s something we need to start recognizing and repenting of.
We can’t save anyone… only God can do that. We too need saving just as much as the materially non-poor. All of us have brokenness in our relationships – even our relationship with the material world is broken, because we live in a culture that essentially worships material things, and of course we too are affected by that. Unfortunately, many many churches and missionaries have had this exact attitude, and it’s resulted in a lot of harm.
What is our calling, then? Our calling is to participate in the lavish love of God. Our calling is to walk along-side the poor, to say, “You need God, and I need God, so let’s seek God together.” Our role in that process may seem really big or really small, just as having a baby might have seemed small to Mary, but either way, that’s the big picture that God asks us to be a part of. And in fact, it has been thrilling to see the many, many ways we have seen people in the churches we’ve been connected with and elsewhere fighting that battle to make Christ first and carry out His mission.
One last comment: I know that when a lot of people think about living in a developing country overseas, they think, “that must be hard”. But I think there are certain things about living in this culture that are much harder. One of them is being surrounded by a culture of consumerism and materialism. Trying to take a stand against that (and if we have kids, trying to help our kids take a stand against that) and focus on our true purpose for living is incredibly difficult in my opinion. So if you are living in a western culture, give yourself the grace to recognize what you’re up against in this battle!
* Corbett, Steve and Fikkert, Brian. When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor… and Yourself.