I went to listen to Shane Claiborne tonight at Bel Air Pres. I was impressed by his calling to live in community and to give our lives to the poor. He heads up a community called "The Simple Way" in Philadelphia. The only challenge is that he seemed to romanticize working with the poor. I work with the poor daily, and I have been cussed out, verbally abused, manipulated, and cursed by many, many people. Some days are rewarding, but other days are just like any other profession or lifestyle... mundane. And to top it off, I came home tonight to a wife distraught by one of her abusive clients. Being involved in the lives of the poor is clearly the calling of Christ in our lives, but I fear that people might gravitate towards it to get some kind of reward or some kind of good feeling. When Jesus encouraged us to have a banquet, he said that we should invite those who could never pay us back. Unfortunately, when we throw big banquets for the homeless, we expect a "thank you" and a good feeling, and maybe even a picture for the church website. All of the above might happen, but we must make sure that our calling to the poor is truly for the sake of others, and not an attempt to pat ourselves on the back for our seeming charity.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Shane Claiborne - the Simple Way
I went to listen to Shane Claiborne tonight at Bel Air Pres. I was impressed by his calling to live in community and to give our lives to the poor. He heads up a community called "The Simple Way" in Philadelphia. The only challenge is that he seemed to romanticize working with the poor. I work with the poor daily, and I have been cussed out, verbally abused, manipulated, and cursed by many, many people. Some days are rewarding, but other days are just like any other profession or lifestyle... mundane. And to top it off, I came home tonight to a wife distraught by one of her abusive clients. Being involved in the lives of the poor is clearly the calling of Christ in our lives, but I fear that people might gravitate towards it to get some kind of reward or some kind of good feeling. When Jesus encouraged us to have a banquet, he said that we should invite those who could never pay us back. Unfortunately, when we throw big banquets for the homeless, we expect a "thank you" and a good feeling, and maybe even a picture for the church website. All of the above might happen, but we must make sure that our calling to the poor is truly for the sake of others, and not an attempt to pat ourselves on the back for our seeming charity.
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2 comments:
I was at BAPC last night too, I thought Shane did a good job and had a challenging message. Reading your post, this is a very good perspective. Thanks for the thoughts.
Very astute commentary. Thanks for the reminder and kick in the pants. I've caught myself thinking about the poor and my reluctance to commit to vulnerability over 10 times in the past few weeks. Almost always it comes to mind when I pass by someone who is obviously poor but (usually) is just sitting on the sidewalk, not really begging or anything. And I think (yes, this is sadly true), "well, this is the way I walk home everyday; I can't start giving money to this guy now b/c what if he recognizes me and starts asking for money all the time?" And so I just pass by.
Do you have any advice to help us overcome these fears of manipulation, or of being used?
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