a work in progress.

This week I attended the Justice Revival in Columbus, OH. It was a conference/revival to promote social justice and to get the church moving on those issues around Columbus. First of all, I should preface this with the fact that I’ve had a hard time connecting with God at big gatherings such as this. I don’t know why. I guess, unfortunately, it may be fueled by cynicism (though it’s not right–I’m glad I’m working through it). Anyways, I thought the Justice Revival would be an interesting thing to go to since these are the very things we’re wrestling through in our ministries at church.

To make a long story short, God has begun to work on me. He’s working on me through the word “responsibility”. The first night, the main scripture was Luke 4:18-19 and Matthew 25:35-40 which says,

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”

The second night, Jim Wallis talked about this church who had somebody shot and killed on their doorstep. This church asked the question, “Should we take responsibility for this?” They decided they should! Upon this decision they also decided to adopt the twelve blocks around their church as part of their parish. They put members of the congregation out on the streets to take place of the drug dealers and gang members. After about two years of this teenage homicide rates went down 70%. They took responsibility!

So here IT is. I’ll ask this series of questions in rhetorical and personal form so it doesn’t come across so aggressive to you .

“AM I WILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR…”

• the school levies that aren’t passing and the transportation, arts, sports and extra-curricular activities that are being unfairly revoked from our students?
• the 831 abortions in Stark County last year?
• the teen pregnancy rates in our inner-city schools?
• the fatherless children that are born in our hospitals because their fathers are in jail?
• the drug, alcohol and pornography addictions that are oppressing the captives?

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many questions to ask..so many, it’s very overwhelming! I challenge you and your church to ask these same questions about your community. Try this take a pen and paper and on the top write, “Am I willing to take responsibility for…” and begin to list things. How will you take RESPONSIBILITY for the “least of these”? What will you do the next time “Jesus” knocks on your door begging for food, drink and a place to stay? A phrase that we have taken to heart as staff in the student ministry at church is, “Are captives being set free?” How can we together, “set the captives free”?