In 1994, South African photojournalist Kevin Carter won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography. The photograph that brought him fame depicted an emaciated Sudanese child crawling toward a feeding center—under the hard stare of a nearby vulture. Here is that picture. The image, which so powerfully captured the horror of famine-stricken Sudan in the early 1990s, drew international attention to both Sudan's suffering and to Kevin Carter's career. But with Carter's acclaim came the questions. People wanted to know—what had happened to the child? After snapping his camera, what had Carter done to help the dying child? Painfully, Carter admitted that after spending about 20 minutes framing the shot, he had simply walked away. Within two months of receiving journalism's most coveted award, the 33-year-old photojournalist took his own life. Faced with seeing too much of the world's suffering, he could no longer cope. Carter said in a note left beside him. "The pain of life overrides the joy to the point that joy does not exist...." What a tragedy. I cannot judge Kevin Carter. I have no idea what the pain he felt was like but I suspect that in the end he decided that he was powerless to change anything in the suffering world around him. That is a pretty hopeless place to find yourself. It’s possible that when you look at the world around you and reflect on the state of the poor, like the little girl in that photo, you find yourself struggling as well. Ours is a world where 1/6, of the world’s population, that’s one billion people do not have access to safe water. 800 million people in the world suffer chronic malnutrition- that’s 24 times the population of Canada. The number of people living with HIV/Aids today is 39.4 million and in sub-Saharan Africa 8000 people die of aids each day. Economically, 1 billion people make less than a 1$ a day and 3 Billion people; half of the World’s population make 2$ a day. Locally, people struggle daily to meet their needs. Poverty does not discriminate. Earlier we tried to define what it meant to be poor. But I think that we are just scratching the surface. The little girl in the picture up on the screen is one of the many faces of poverty. Poverty is an increasingly more common experience. It’s reality for much of the world’s population. What is our response to this bleak situation? Hopelessness? Or is there another approach for the Christian? I believe there is but it begins with understanding more clearly. The first thing that I would like to do is attempt to broaden our definition of poverty. Poverty in the context we are talking about is not just about a lack of basic needs. That’s a large part of what defines poverty but "poor" describes anyone who’s in deep need, spiritually, physically, and emotionally. The Hebrew word for "poor" is a very general term. It’s not just the homeless or the destitute or those in developing countries that this word includes. Poverty encompasses and affects people who are suffering. Poverty has to do with experiencing deep need. By broadening the definition of poverty we don’t minimize its impact. In fact, when you view it from this perspective you find that your eyes must open to the possibilities of finding and responding to poverty in a much more inclusive way. The poor are all around us, locally, nationally, and internationally. And a Christian has to struggle through the implications of being a person of faith, with resources at their disposal, in a world that experiences the spectrum of poverty. The real question is, “how we will respond to poverty” in whatever form we encounter it?. What will we do? My desire this morning to is sort out an answer to this question: What is an appropriate response to the poverty that exists in our world. Well for me it begins with this:
Proverbs 18:23 It reads, “The poor plead for mercy; the rich answer with insults.” In some ways these words seem to reinforce a stereotype. The rich are cast as insulting the poor, indifferently answering their request for help. The poor, on the other hand are portrayed as pleading for mercy. These stereotypes may often be true but let’s delve beneath the surface of them as we spend some time focusing in on this verse and some other, equally challenging passages from Proverbs. In this verse we come to understand the essential relationship between those with resources and those without resources. If poverty is to be addressed on some level then there must be a sharing on the part of those who have them with those who do not. How can that happen? The only way is through an awareness of need becoming clear. And how do we become aware of need? Someone tells us of it. In the case of this verse the “poor” are the ones communicating the need. The person without resources “pleads for mercy” because he has no choice. In order to have his needs met he has to do something. He has to ask. All around us we see this lived out. People in developing countries “plead” for mercy through those who carry their message. Through organizations like World Hope (Wesleyans), World Vision, and many others the poor are given a voice. Distant cries for help are heard here because of people who care enough to carry the message. People in need in our own community have needs that are communicated by various organizations and individuals that are attempting to meet that need. Food banks, shelters, soup buses, these all represent a plea for mercy in our city. The cry for help is clear but Proverbs 18:23 as well as making the plea for help clear reveals a response that is sometimes occurs. It says those with resources respond with insults. This is difficult to get our heads around but here is what I believe this is communicating. I believe that we can equate “insults” with disinterest in the needs of the poor. As a person with resources it is possible for me to ignore the needs of those around me and to actively push those needs away from my thinking and my actions. To ignore those in need reveals an attitude towards others that could be called “insulting.” Our response to the poor reveals our view of the world and our view of wealth. To assume that I can push away the needs of the poor and suffering is an “insulting” assumption to make. And I am coming to see that the one who is insulted is God himself. I have been struggling as I read these passages this week and as I wrote this sermon. What will it mean for me to not “insult” those in need when I hear the plea for mercy clearly? What action is God calling me to take? I am struggling to work this through and perhaps you are too. But when I think about this I can point to many examples of people who have worked through this issue and come to clear conclusions. Their thoughts and responses are helping me to formulate my own response. Bono, one of the world's most celebrated pop stars, has become an international advocate for AIDS programs, forgiving Third World debt, and increasing trade. He has urged evangelicals to take the lead in fighting AIDS and poverty, which have ravaged the African continent. "A third of the Earth's population is incarcerated by poverty," Bono said in an interview with Christianity Today. Relieving the suffering of those in need is, “the drive of the Scriptures. Why isn't it the drive of the churches?" It’s a challenging question. And it’s one that is answered by different people in different ways. One such person is Manute Bol. He is a 7-feet 7-inches tall NBA star who rose from anonymity in his homeland of Sudan to international celebrity in the NBA. In June 2004 Bol was in poor condition, both physically and financially. He had been thrown from a car in a traffic accident. He suffered a broken neck, broken left wrist, shattered kneecap, a massive head wound, and several internal injuries. Four months later, he was still hospitalized with no means to pay for his treatment. Why was a man who earned millions of dollars in his career having trouble paying his hospital bill? One might assume Bol was simply another professional athlete who squandered his savings. But Bol was penniless for a much different reason. In a Sports Illustrated article, Steve Rushin writes, "He's given his life savings—his salary averaged $1.5 million during his 10-year NBA career—to his countrymen." Even when Bol participated in a celebrity boxing match, defeating William "The Refrigerator" Perry, Bol sent every dime of the $35,000 proceeds to a fund for Sudanese orphans. When hospitalized from the car accident, lying in traction, Bol told Sports Illustrated, "God guided me to America and gave me a good job. But he also gave me a heart so I would look back." I am not sure what our response to poverty should be. I know that I am trying to work that out personally but like Bol, I am praying that God would “give me a heart so I” will look and not ignore or insult those who need support. Proverbs 19:7 says “The relatives of the poor despise them; how much more will their friends avoid them! Though the poor plead with them, their friends are gone.” It’s my desire to see each of us facing this issue, not avoiding it. The poor plead with us for attention. And we are called to acknowledge and deal with the issue of poverty. But acknowledgment of the problem alone will not make a real difference. What else does Proverbs teach us? We need to take an honest look at the effect of poverty and then take the time to:
Proverbs 19:4, says that “Wealth makes many ‘friends’; poverty drives them all away.” I think it is clear what our society tends to be drawn to those with wealth over those who are poor. TV is full of stories about what celebrities are up to. Notoriety in itself is not wrong. I am not condemning wealth or becoming well known because of talent or ability. But what I would like to emphasize is what this verse draws out. Poverty can be an isolating experience. Wealth can add friends, influence, and power. Proverbs 19:6 says “Many seek favors from a ruler; everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts”. Wealth does give power. That is an unavoidable truth. While poverty can bring desertion, loneliness, pain, and suffering. People often seek to be around those with resources because they hope to gain something. Many of us will avoid those in need because we fear having something asked of us. We need to deal honestly with the reality that we do not like encountering uncomfortable truths. We can flip from the channel that shows the emaciated child in Africa. We sometimes skip the articles in the paper that are hard and difficult to read because of the suffering they reveal. Those in need are isolated, very often, because we find it so hard to reconcile how we live and how they live. My desire is to stop flipping the channel. My desire is to read more and ultimately respond better to those in need. I do not want to let poverty drive me away. The church has the power to be a friend to the poor. But we have to look at the situation honestly. We have to do something. One morning, near the turn of the 20th century, Bramwell Booth visited his elderly father, William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army. Bramwell recounts what happened this way. The elder Booth didn't even say "good morning" to his son. "Bramwell!" he cried, when he caught sight of me, "did you know that men slept out all night on the bridges?" He had arrived in London very late the night before from some town in the south of England and had to cross the city to reach his home. What he had seen on that midnight return accounted for this morning tornado. Did I know that men slept out all night on the bridges? "Well, yes," I replied, "a lot of poor fellows, I suppose, do that." "Then you ought to be ashamed of yourself to have known it and to have done nothing for them," he went on, vehemently. I began to speak of the difficulties, burdened, as we were already, of taking up all sorts of Poor Law work, and so forth. My father stopped me…."Go and do something!" he said. "We must do something." "What can we do?" "Get them shelter." "That will cost money." "Well, that is your affair. Something must be done.” Booth told his son that he must do something and for me those words are at the heart of my struggle. We must do something in response to the need of those who are experience poverty at it’s most devastating level. We are called to remember and acknowledge the issue of poverty, to accept that poverty isolates and then respond. One more insight became clear for me as I read proverbs this week.
Proverbs 19: 17 reads this way “If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD--and he will repay you!” Many times we say to ourselves, I cannot figure out what God wants from me. What does it mean to follow and love him? At least part of the answer is wrapped up in this verse. Helping those who struggle is a way of giving our love to God. If we help the poor we are lending to God. Let’s consider this image for a moment. What is the goal of lending money? Sometimes it is to help out someone who is struggling. Other times it can be seen as an investment. In both cases we have a goal. Helping in one situation and receiving payback in the other situation. What this verse reveals is this. In order to receive from God we need to give completely to him. Generosity is a pathway to experiencing God at work in our lives. Giving to those who struggle is rewarding. It feels good. It makes a difference. But more than that. It is a spiritual activity. It is a way of saying to God “I trust you with my resources. I am willing to lend you of what I have in order to help others.” The result is that God will repay us. He is the one investor that we can truly trust with our investment. A market slump does not affect God’s management of the resources we entrust to him. Now this is not a formula. God does not offer Guaranteed Interest Certificates or savings bonds. But God does offer his provision to us as we trust him, respond to the needs of others, and find practical ways to care for those in need. This is really about loving and trusting God and as a result loving others. It is about making a difference for God in the lives of hurting people. Mother Teresa was sometimes challenged about the long-term effects of her humanitarian ministry. People wondered if her time and resources were well spent. For example, she was asked, "Why give people fish to eat instead of teaching them how to fish?" She had a quick response: "But my people can't even stand. They're sick, crippled, demented. When I have given them fish to eat and they can stand, I'll turn them over and you give them the rod to catch the fish." She was quick to emphasize, however, that she gave people more than "fish." Equally important was that which came from the heart—love and joy. The poor, she insisted, deserve more than just service and dedication: "If our actions are just useful actions that give no joy to the people, our poor people would never be able to rise up to the call which we want them to hear, the call to come closer to God. We want to make them feel that they are loved." Like Mother Theresa we should want struggling people to have their needs met. We should want them to be cared for. But in loving and trusting God and responding to need I also want people to know that they can “come closer to God. That they are loved.”
Poverty is a much bigger issue than we could hope to deal with in this brief time together. But I have hoped that today will be a new starting point for me personally and for many of you here. We have been given a chance to really deal with this issue in our world. But it starts on a much smaller scale than the world. It starts with us taking time to sort out the issues for us personally. The issues of poverty are complex and require a reasoned response. In order to respond appropriately we are called to:
Earlier I posed the question that we often ask ourselves? What does it mean to follow God? I suggested that at least partially it meant to deal with this issue of a world in need. It meant to develop an appropriate and personal response to the suffering and poor of the world. God has showed us what a good response to poverty is. His self-sacrificing nature makes it clear that giving is his immediate response to need-physical, emotional, and spiritual. We can follow that example. In a moment we will read together from Philippians 2:1-11. Let’s consider it our declaration of intent and faith in God. Note that at the heart of this passage is the reminder of the giving nature of God. He made himself nothing and gave it all away for a world caught in sin, suffering, poverty, and need. The challenge we hear is to follow his pattern.
Let’s read together: Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and sympathetic? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one heart and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't live to make a good impression on others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourself. Don't think only about your own affairs, but be interested in others, too, and what they are doing. Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further by dying a criminal's death on a cross. Because of this, God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name that is above every other name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.