Thursday; November 7
Fall finally made an
appearance in our area last weekend. I
am not going to say that it turned cold in southern Maryland, but I do know
that it doesn’t take me nearly as long to walk out to my car in my shorts and T-shirt
as it did a few weeks ago. While
different places have different degrees of coldness, one thing that is certain
is that the falling temperatures have an adverse impact on the homeless
populations in our community. As the old
TV show used to say, “there are thousands of stories in the big city”, there
are that many reasons that people are homeless.
Some of their stories are sad, others are infuriating – but, the fact
remains that we have neighbors who don’t have a place to call their own in the
wintertime.
When I think about
homelessness, I can’t help but hear Jesus’ comments, “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed
of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world. 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; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I
was in prison, and you came to Me.’” (Matthew 25:34-36). Jesus would go on to explain that He wasn’t
talking about Himself, He was describing His disciples’ response to their
neighbors.
What are
we doing to take care of those who can’t (or aren’t) taking care of
themselves? Whether it is volunteering
to intervene for them or helping support those who do, let’s let the world know
that people of faith are willing to help our neighbors.
Think About It!