Merry Christmas! Despite the current challenges around the world, I pray you may you be filled with the hope and joy of our Lord Jesus Christ this festive season.
HOMELESSNESS
Our focus this month was looking at our role in addressing homelessness both personally and professionally. If you have ever felt like you have not known how to react to someone begging for money on the pavement, then you are not alone, as I have struggled with this over the years. Usually, it is a dilemma of wanting to meet the need there and then of someone so clearly desperate, while not knowing how they will use the money you give or how it will solve the root cause of their situation.
However, in Timothy Keller’s book Generous Justice he explains that the story of the good Samaritan shows us how to respond to seeing someone broken, poor and desperate for help. The Samaritan did not hesitate to risk his own safety or his money to meet the need in front of him. Nor did he see the cultural or religious difference between them. Therefore we should not miss any opportunity to serve the vulnerable, imitating the Great Samaritan of Jesus Christ in acknowledgement of His sacrifice to meet our own poverty, a spiritual debt and brokenness.
I have been challenged to use advent as a time of giving, relinquishing control of my finances and stepping out of my comfort zone to see what Jesus can do through me. So, if this year you see someone on the street, I would recommend asking God what opportunity He might be giving you to love your neighbour.
Film Club
This month we donned Christmas jumpers, and each watched different versions of the festive classic Christmas Carol - be it Disney, Muppets or Patrick Stewart. Charles Dickens’ Victorian novella rings true with us today as we look at how to react when we see poverty, especially in the season of feasting and plenty. We discussed how Dicken’s doesn’t say that those things are necessarily bad in and of themselves, but it is when become indifferent to those with so little that we overlook the true meaning of Christmas, and the true calling on our lives to care for the poor and vulnerable.
If you have any ideas for films that reflect a theme of justice, please leave a suggestion in the comments below. We are looking forward to sharing more films together in the New Year.