While I meditated, the fire burned; then I spoke with my tongue.
As a displaced person, what dilemma did Abraham face when Sarah died? What do you think might have happened if Abraham had been poor?
What happens when a homeless person dies in your community? Where are they buried? Who buries them? Who mourns them? Who marks their grave?
What role could the church take in this situation?
Jesus told this parable in the context of a family quarrel over how the inheritance would be divided. What was the rich man’s ultimate goal for himself?
How has wanting to “live comfortably” motivated your decisions? How have you been tempted to “upgrade” when you have more than enough? What do you think God would want you to do with your “extra”?
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION
Thanks to deflated land prices throughout the country, some homebuilders are putting up larger houses, not smaller ones, according to Build magazine. Builders can build bigger and still sell the property at a lower cost than before the housing downturn. In addition, builders can offer “upgrades” as standard. So now, buyers can get “more home for their money.” When has the “more bang for the buck” logic tempted you to purchase things you didn’t really need?
The rich man in the story lived in a “gated community” while homeless Lazarus begged at the corner. Do you think the rich man was even aware of Lazarus? How aware are you of the homeless in your community?
The rich man was not condemned for being rich, but for living rich every day in the face of extreme poverty. From what you have learned from “Moses and the prophets” what would God want us to do in relationship to Lazarus? If you’re not sure, read Deuteronomy 15:7-11.
Why do you think homelessness is tolerated or accepted in your community?
Ecclesiastes 2:4-11; 1 Kings 6:38 – 7:12
List the building projects of the writer. We learn that Solomon spent 7 years building the Temple in Jerusalem and 13 years building his palace. And it was all built with slave labor. What does that say about Solomon’s priorities? What logic do you think Solomon used to justify such a large and opulent house? What logic do people use today?
Why do we aspire to “big is better” and “luxury amenities”? What did Solomon come to realize about his home improvement projects? How can you live out his “lesson learned” in relationship to your home improvement and home décor?
For Further Reflection
Steven Huff is currently building the largest single-family home in the US—a 72,000 square foot mansion in southwestern Missouri. The Master Bedroom alone is 1,200 square feet. In upscale home building, the trend is to build homes inside homes (ie master bedroom suites and guest suites). According to the US Census Bureau, the average home size in 1950 was 1100 square feet. In 2010, homes averaged 2392 square feet. Yet the size of American households has decreased from 3.37 in 1950 to less than 2.5 today. Why do you think the size of our houses has increased so much?
What affect might all the extra space have on relationships? The environment? What is “enough” space for you/your family?
Beds inlaid with Ivory, luxurious couches. These seem to be the trend in upscale homes of Amos’ day. Yet, the people are condemned for their complacency and for not grieving “over the ruin of Joseph.” (Joseph is not a person but a composite name for the community.) Those with economic means do not seem to be aware of or concerned about the economic state of the rest of the community. Our communities are often divided by economic class so that those with economic means are isolated geographically from those who are “ruined”. How can we, as people of faith, bridge the divide? What does “grieving for the ruin of the community” look like? What action could you take to identify more closely with those who do not enjoy the “luxury” of a bed?
Suggested Action: Participate in our upcoming Tent City on Saturday, March 31. For details of the Chicago event, download a flyer at www.kimballavenuechurch.org/main. For the Lancaster, PA, event contact Faith Church at 717.393.5345 for details.
For Further Reflection
The most expensive home for sale in the US is “The Manor”, Aaron Spelling’s 56,000 square foot estate in southern California. Asking price $150,000,000! In 2010, one man, Igor Chernomzav, purchased two condos at the 60-story Elysian Tower, paying over $15,000,000 for the two—the most ever paid for condos in Chicago. He was unavailable for comment as to why he needed two. While the housing market for most Americans has gone bust, those Americans with wealth are still purchasing homes at pre-recession rates and at pre-recession prices. In December 2011, an 11,000 square foot home on six acres of land on Lititz Pike in Lancaster, PA, sold for $1.8 million. There are currently 33 single family homes listed in Lancaster County for more than 1 million dollars—the most expensive is $3.1 million for a 10-acre estate with 6 bedrooms and 6 baths. (source: www.zillow.com) What is your reaction to these home prices in the midst of “the ruin of Joseph”? What do you think Amos (and God) might have to say?
How does James (and God) feel about income inequity and the gap between the rich and the poor? How do you feel about it? What does James suggest is the root of the problem? Without employment and living wages, people are at risk of homelessness and housing instability. Does James suggest an answer to this problem? Does the gospel have an answer to this problem?
For Further Reflection
According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, a household would need more than one full time minimum wage worker to afford a two-bedroom rental apartment at fair market rent anywhere in the country. In fact, in the median state a minimum-wage worker would have to work 87 hours each week to afford a two-bedroom apartment at 30% of his or her income, which is the federal definition of affordable housing. The current Illinois minimum wage is $8.25 per hour. In Pennsylvania, the current minimum wage is $7.25 per hour (also the federal minimum wage). Contrary to popular belief, the majority of minimum-wage workers are not teenagers: approximately 79% of minimum age workers are 20 or older (The Economic Policy Institute, 2008).
Why do you think so many people are opposed to increasing the minimum wage? If we do not raise the minimum wage, what other ways could we make sure that housing becomes more affordable for families?
Here’s a disturbing statistic: According to a report released by the University of Michigan’s National Poverty Center, 1.46 million households currently live on less than $2 per person per day. How would you live on $2 a day? Read the full report HERE.
God, through Jeremiah, condemns those who “build palaces by unrighteousness and upper rooms by injustice” and identifies the source of this opulence as the unpaid wages of the workers. Do you see this dynamic happening today? If so, where?
What is the obvious answer to Jeremiah’s question: “Does it make a person a king if he has more and more cedar?” Why then, do we aspire to accumulation of luxury goods and high-end amenities for our homes?
What actions ensure that it will “go well” with us? What does it look like to “defend the cause of the poor and the needy” in this context?
Wars are frequently waged to gain control of land and the resources that are on/in the land. Nations often want to “extend their borders” (both literally and figuratively) and accomplish it through horrific acts of violence. Historically, how have wars that our nation waged extended our borders? How do you think God views our “expansion plans”?
What, if anything, could people of faith do about the past? Would corporate confession and repentance and some form of restitution help? If so, how? What could people of faith do about border expansion that might be proposed in the future?
In Ezekiel’s vision of the future layout of Jerusalem, what limits are placed around the Prince in relationship to property? Can you think of a current example of a leader (or group of leaders) who takes property from others for his/her own gain?
What protections are in place in your community to make sure people are not dispossessed or displaced by those in power?
All of us live on land that did not belong to us or to our ancestors but was taken by force or fraud from its original inhabitants because we had the power to do it. We are not the only nation to seize land by force or government policy. Can you think of other examples of “forced relocation”?
What motivates “land grabs” and “speculative real estate deals” and even “urban pioneering”? What “power” you have? (If you don’t think you have any power, think harder.) How can people of faith “plot good on their beds” rather than evil in relationship to real estate and housing?
FOR FURTHER REFLECTION
A trend over the last 30 years is for young (predominantly white) artists, students and professionals to move into poorer urban communities of color in what has become known as “gentrification.” Property values increase, new capitol comes into the community, and crime rates often fall. Cities often encourage this shift by improving infrastructure and adding amenities to the community because it represents development and increased revenue. However, as good as all this sounds, “gentrification” has a dark side.
According to Teresa Cordova in her article “Community Intervention Efforts to Oppose Gentrification” (In Philip W. Nyden, Wim Wiewel, eds., Challenging Uneven Development: An Urban Agenda for the 1990s, (1991) New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 25-48.), “gentrification is a creation of real estate agents, property developers, and banks who control the “who” and “where” of urban property shifts.” In other words, those with power shift the way urban property is reused, and “profit” is the typical motivation. As property values increase, property taxes and rents rise, often making the community unaffordable for existing homeowners and tenants. Families are forced to find a more affordable community. It also promotes speculative land purchases as people look for the next “hot” neighborhood. Buy a cheap property, hold on to it and then flip it for a large profit.
How do you see this phenomena happening where you live? Where are displaced people moving? Who are the real estate and development “power-brokers” in your community. What power do you have to ensure that the poor will maintain a place in their communities?
Over the past 6 years, the city of Chicago’s Planning Department has been preparing to transform the elevated train tracks running along Bloomingdale Ave into a 2.5 mile linear park known as the Bloomingdale Trail. While this would bring much needed green space to the Logan Square community, there are fears that it will simply increase the speed of gentrification in the neighborhood. If you live in Chicago, consider contacting Logan Square Neighborhood Association to see what they are doing to ensure continued economic diversity around the Bloomingdale Trail.
Tongue on Fire 