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Paul Kennel
President
World Concern
www.worldconcern.org
 info@worldconcern.org |
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“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
--Jesus of Nazareth
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| Jesus urged his disciples to follow this central teaching of his ministry 2,000 years ago, and it remains just as relevant to the Christian faith today. Even more so, perhaps, since there is such a vast divide between those who have, and those who have not. |
| The contrast is startling, if not shameful. Here in the United States, we have so much cheap, plentiful food and drink that we have a national obesity crisis on our hands. A trip to the grocery store presents us not only with infinite varieties of goodies, but with dozens of magazines advising us on how to control our gluttony. |
| And yet, 24,000 people die every day of hunger-related causes. Children all over the world go to bed each night with empty bellies. Their parents, lacking strength and resources, are desperate. Imagine being unable to feed your child for days and weeks on end. I can't. Can you? |
| With all of the resources at our disposal, all the wealth and the waste, how can we let this happen? What would Jesus have us do? |
| In 1st Century Palestine, Jesus preached that poverty was a crime against all people, who are God's children. As followers of Christ, we are called to aid the poor, the desperate, the sick and the marginalized, just as Jesus himself did. But it's not enough to distribute bags of rice and be on our way. Hungry people often are grappling with an array of problems, including HIV/AIDS, illiteracy, water contamination, barren land and hopelessness. |
| Those who have expertise in these areas can help, and thank God, many do heed the call to serve the poor in the field by building schools, water systems, and clinics, and helping farmers with crops and animals. |
| Christians, who are unable to make the trek to Sudan, or Ethiopia, or Haiti, can be Jesus' hands and feet in the world in other ways. We can give to charities and churches doing the work; we can urge our lawmakers to make the elimination of poverty a priority; and we can pray for the suffering and those called to serve them. |
| Our neighbors around the world are hungry. Some are starving. Let’s do our best to share the bounty from our table, in Jesus’ name. |
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