Lovewell: A Theology - Day 25

Mark 12:40
40 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.”

Well, this has taken a darker turn! I included this text in the week because I want to make sure we understand the importance of never allowing ourselves to forget what our job as a faith community and as a people of faith really is.

This text begins with Jesus making clear that he is not the “son of David,” rather, he is the son of God, as David used that nomenclature when he spoke of the Messiah. (Mark 12:35-37). Then he turns his attention to the teachers of religious law who teach great things and say they believe, yet they continue to ignore those who are most in need. Great words are empty without great action to back them up.

We have to make sure that we are not a community that sounds like we know how to lovewell, but fall short of the mark by not actually loving well. I know this sounds obvious, but it is the reality. We must always, all of our campuses, strive for ways to make sure that the love we espouse is really happening in our communities, and particularly for those who are not only less fortunate, but those who are underserved.

Jesus also said; “the poor will always be with us. . .” and at times that has been taken to mean that we shouldn’t have an urgency in helping those that need our help. I challenge that idea. We have to always reach out, to serve, and to show love in ways that are tangible if we are to say that we are involved in the mission of God as a church.

It is not enough to teach love, you have to express love and you have to show love, and these will always be tangible. Food, clothing, service, health and healing, all of these things are ways that we can show that love has skin on it, and that skin gets dirty sometimes.

I remember when the showers rolled up for the first time behind our church. I was a little skeptical that anyone would take us up on these showers. I was also super surprised at how nice they were.

What caught my attention was how many people were waiting in line to take showers. I felt silly for not having sorted it out earlier. While we had been giving dinner and medical care for a long time, their needs were even more basic than those. They were in simple need of a way to stay clean.

We cannot underestimate the power of the simple things that we can offer. And as you can see from the text, it is an imperative that God gives us.

1. What have you done today to tangibly make someone's life better? 
2. Have you ever been involved in a ministry of compassion and mercy? 
3. What was it and how did it make you feel? 
4. How did it make those you served feel?