With Easter’s arrival, Lent is officially concluded.  However, Easter represents the beginning of the New Creation.  The next 40 Days are not a time to “go back to normal”.  Easter hope gives us the motivation and power to live new lives–lives of justice and righteousness.

How have the 40 Days For Shelter changed your view of property, home, comfort, and housing for others? What specific action have you taken to address homelessness or housing instability in your community?  How will you live differently beyond Lent 2012 as a result of your participation in this year’s Lenten Compact?

Take a moment to share how the 2012 Compact “40 Days For Shelter” has impacted your life.

Luke 14:12-14

Who will be sitting around your table for Easter Dinner?  Who can you think of that might not have a place?  

Who is welcomed easily in your home or your church?  Who is most likely not to be received openly?  Who needs a place at your congregation’s table?  

How will your Easter celebration go beyond the typical “friends and family” to reflect the new banquet invitation list?  

Ephesians 2:11-20

As Gentiles, we were not included in the division of land.  We were outsiders.  How has the work of Christ changed Gentiles from “aliens and strangers” into people with a home?  What, if anything, does God’s act of inclusion teach us about giving others a place?

For Further Reflection

We often construct fences to differentiate our property from our neighbors and enhance security.  However, fences often become barriers that shout, “Keep Out!”  What metaphorical fences have your erected around yourself, your home or your church that would communicate “keep out” or “not welcome”?  Are those fences necessary?  What will you do to tear down the barriers?

1 Samuel 21:10-15; 1 Samuel 27:1-6

These two passages describe two different situations where David was a political refugee: In the first, David was afraid for his life and survived by acting insane.  In the second, David was welcomed and given a place to live.  Why do you think he was welcomed in the second situation?  Do you think having his wife and children with him made a difference?  

Do you respond differently to a single homeless man than to a homeless family?  Why?  What generalizations do people tend to make about homeless men?  Immigrant men?  Is it ‘just’ to treat single homeless men and homeless families differently? Why or why not?

Luke 8:26-39

Jesus encountered a man who lived in a cemetery.  He was not in his right mind.  He was possessed by at least one demon that had isolated him from the rest of the community.  How had the community responded to this man’s condition?  What was Jesus’ response to him?  

What is your typical reaction to people live in places that are not intended for overnight accommodations—like viaducts, parks, doorways?  Do you think people are homeless because they are mentally ill or are they mentally ill because they are homeless?  Rather than imprisonment or institutionalization, would action do you think Jesus would want our community to take to make sure a person is not driven to isolation?    

2 Kings 8:1-6 

In this story, a Shunamite widow left her home to avoid a famine.  Upon her return 7 years later, she found herself at risk of homelessness (the circumstances around her home and land are not explained) and she must go to the King for a decision. 

How does her relationship with Elisha impact the King’s decision?  What might have happened to her housing if she didn’t have that relationship?  

Elisha is a bridge between the person at risk and the people with power.  What relationship have you developed with those members of your community who are at risk?  What relationship have you developed with “the kings” in your community?  How can you or your church make connections to “the King” in your community to impact those who are at risk of homelessness? 

Luke 2:1-7 

Jesus was born into a displaced family–the result of a government policy–that was unable to find a place to stay—homeless in Bethlehem.  How do you think Joseph felt every time he was turned away…”no room”?  Joseph and Mary found a place in a stable.  What would be an equivalent location today in your community?  What shelter options do people who are homeless have in your community?

Why do you think God wanted His Son to start out life in this manner?  If you were a homeless or displaced family reading this story, what affect could it potentially have on you?

Ruth 1:1-5

Why did Naomi and her family emigrate from Israel to Moab?  What other factors motivate people to leave their home countries and to emigrate? Living in a place where you do not have relatives or familiar support systems can be very frightening.  While in Moab, Naomi lost her husband and her two sons.  She was far from home and she was alone.  If it hadn’t been for the presence and kindness of Ruth and Orpah, her Moabite daughters-in-law, Naomi probably wouldn’t have survived.  Would Naomi and her family be welcomed in your community?  What difficulties might immigrants face today in your community?  Do you know of any immigrants that need help, protection, support?  How can you advocate for their safety and security.

For Further Reflection

Rural communities throughout Mexico are suffering what the government is calling “the most severe Mexico has ever faced. “ (NY Times 1/30/12) More than 2 million people have no access to water and nearly 50% of farmland has been affected.  While the Mexican government has committed $2.63 billion for relief efforts, many people are so desperate for food and water that they are migrating into cities in Mexico or to the U.S.  How do you think the US should respond to this crisis?  The church?  How does this information challenge your view of current US Immigration policy?

Matthew 2:13-15 

Jesus’ first childhood memories would be of living in Egypt—as a political refugee/immigrant.  While his family may have had a place to live, it was not “home” and it was not secure.  Immigrants and refugees have few rights and limited access to safe, stable, sanitary housing.  They are often victims of unscrupulous landlords and cannot defend themselves easily because of language, culture barriers and fear of exposure if they are undocumented.   What do you think God wants us to learn from Jesus’ experience as a displaced person?

Leviticus 13:45-46; Luke 17:11-14

People with a variety of skin rashes could not live in the community.  They were forced to live outside the camp.   In Jesus day, people with conditions known as leprosy often wandered around in groups—homeless.  Who, in our day, is excluded from the security and safety of the community?  What conditions or circumstances force people into wandering?  How can we make sure that people not only have basic shelter but are also included in the community?

For Further Reflection

In the 1980’s the state of Illinois shifted its provision of mental health services from an institutional model to a community-based model.  While well-intentioned (place people in community), the result was often devastating to individuals and communities because there were not enough resources to meet their needs.  As a result, thousands of people who were “deinstitutionalized” ended up homeless.  Veterans, suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome and inability to reintegrate into their communities also make up a significant portion of the homeless population.  What services are in place in your community to help these groups of wanderers?  How do those services need to be strengthened?  How are the churches in your community involved?