LUKE 16:19-31

The rich man in Jesus’ story lives in a “gated community” while homeless Lazarus begs at the corner. Do you think the rich man is even aware of Lazarus? Please note that the rich man was not condemned for being rich, but for living rich every day in the face of extreme poverty.

Questions for Reflection:

1. From what you have learned from “Moses and the prophets” what would God want us to do in relationship to Lazarus?
2. While we often see homeless people in our community, it is more difficult to see those who are housing insecure. How can you become more aware of those who are struggling to maintain stable housing?  
3. Why is homelessness tolerated in your community?

Here is another book that looks at the history of housing injustice and the exploitation of the poor.  Beryl Satter’s Family Properties looks at the work of her father, Mark Satter, an early civil rights attorney that fought against Chicago’s racist housing policies and real estate practices.  Mr. Satter, who was called “The Clarence Darrow of the Bankrupt” by one Chicago newspaper, died of heart failure at age 49 in 1965–the year before Martin Luther King, Jr. brought the Civil Rights movement north to Chicago.    The New York Times review from 2009 can be read HERE.

MICAH 4:1-4

God, through Micah, envisions a time when conflict and war will be over and everyone will be at peace. Many people are displaced because of international war or internal civil conflicts. Syrians fleeing the violence of civil war have dominated the news, but displacement is happening everywhere. The UN Refugee agency estimates that over 60 million people are currently displaced around the world. Millions of people live in temporary camps that are often over-crowded and dangerous while waiting to return to their homes or be resettled into a safer place.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What words does the image of sitting under a vine or a fig tree bring to your mind?
2. To fulfill God’s vision, what is one thing that you as a person of faith do to make it a blessed reality?

FOR FURTHER REFLECTION

In January, 2016, while the US committed to receive additional Syrian refugees, agents from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) rounded up hundreds of undocumented immigrants from Central America and prepared them for deportation. Most of these people—including families with young children—had left their homes to flee violence. Why are some accepted and other’s deported? The US does not give “refugee status” to people fleeing from Central America. Many people say the US has a “hemispheric bias” that is inherently unjust. Read more about how churches are responding to the inconsistency of US policy HERE.

There is no devotional for Sunday, March 6, 2016.

Matthew Desmond’s new book, Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, looks at the exploitation of the poor in the urban housing market–exploitation that is supported by private interests AND public policy and procedures.   He suggests that there is a simple way to ensure all low-income families receive adequate, affordable housing: expand housing vouchers.  Before you say, “We could never afford that!”, remember that we can “afford” housing assistance for the wealthy (think tax deductions for mortgage interest on multiple homes).  Read more about the book and Desmond’s research HERE.

LUKE 2:1-7, MATTHEW 2:13-15

Jesus was born into a family that was forced to move in order to register with the government. Once in Bethlehem, they were unable to find shelter until they found a stable. Shortly after Jesus’ birth, his family was on the move again—this time to Egypt to escape political violence. As political refugees, Jesus’ family would have been vulnerable to abuse, discrimination and suspicion. When stability returned to their homeland, Jesus’ family returned to their home in Nazareth.

Questions for Reflection:

1. How do you think Joseph felt every time he was turned away…”no room”?
2. Where are the “stables” in your community?
3. What do you think God wants us to learn from Jesus’ experience as a displaced person and a refugee?

“Street Sweeping” happens all the time. Homeless people find a shelter. Neighbors complain. City announces “health hazard”. Homeless people are moved. Somehow, we think the problem will go away just because we move it. The problem isn’t the people; it’s low wages, unaffordable rents, chronic unemployment, budget cuts to social services. And unless we address those problems, homelessness is only going to get worse.

STORY & PHOTO

1 SAMUEL 21:10-15; 1 SAMUEL 27:1-6

In each Scripture, we read of David fleeing from his home as a result of his threat to Saul’s government. David was a political refugee. In the first situation, David was afraid for his life and only survived by acting insane. In the second situation, David—along with 600 other political refugees–was welcomed and given a place to live. The only difference—the second time he wasn’t alone. The group included women and children.

Question for Reflection:

1. Do you respond differently to a single homeless man than to a homeless woman or family? If so, why?
2. What generalizations do people tend to make about homeless men? Immigrant men?
3. What a step you could take to reduce gender bias in your response refugees or homeless men?

RUTH 1:1-5

Naomi and her family emigrated from Israel to Moab because of famine. While in Moab, Naomi lost her primary support network—her husband and her two sons. She was far from home and she was alone. If it hadn’t been for the presence of Ruth and Orpah, her Moabite daughters-in-law, Naomi probably wouldn’t have survived.

Questions for Reflection:

1. Besides famine/drought, what other reasons might people leave their homes?
2. Do you think Naomi and her family be welcomed in your community? Why or why not?
3. What challenges might immigrants face today in your community?
4. How could you be a support network for an immigrant family?

 

MATTHEW 25:34-36

Theologian Walter Brueggemann describes the stranger as “people without a place.” Asbury professor Christine D. Pohl in her book, Making Room, adds, “to be without a place means to be detached from basic, life-supporting institutions—family, work, polity, religious community, and to be without networks of relations that sustain and support human beings. This is the condition in which homeless people, displaced poor people, refugees and undocumented persons find themselves.”

Questions for Refletion:

1. From what networks and institutions do you receive “support”?
2. What networks and institutions are you a part of for the support of others?
3. What can you do to strengthen these “life-supporting institutions” for those who are refugees, immigrants, homeless, or threatened with displacement.

The following was adapted from a sermon by Rev. Bruce Ray, Pastor of Kimball Avenue Church, Chicago.

These days, you don’t have to look far to find tents. Tent cities have popped up across the country—the homes of the displaced and the homeless. I pass an encampment beneath the expressway overpass three blocks from my home almost every day. Dozens of men and women have constructed tents from blankets and tarps to keep out the cold and wind of Chicago winters. No one should have to live in makeshift tents under the constant roar of traffic. These people need the privacy, security and protection that only a permanent house can provide. While some of us may exchange our house for a tent temporarily and enjoy “roughing it” on occasion, in the end we long for the “comforts of home.” These men and women deserve nothing less.

Recently, I ran across a Biblical story found in 2 Samuel 7:1-7 that ends with a surprise. David, King of Israel, had settled down in his cedar (ie: luxurious) palace in Jerusalem. He brought in a trusted advisor, Nathan, and revealed that he was bothered that God was still living in a tent and proposed building God a house. Ever since the days of wilderness wandering, God had “lived” in a tent (also known as the Tabernacle). Even after the people settled down in the Promised Land, God remained in the tent. Initially, Nathan encouraged David to proceed with his building campaign, but during the night (here’s the surprise ending) God revealed that God didn’t want to settle down in a house. God preferred living in a tent.

So why would God choose a tent when God could have a house? I believe God is reminding us that God cannot be domesticated, contained, or “placed.” A movable tent is a theological statement about how God ‘lives and moves’ among us. And (another surprise!) when God dwells among us (remember John 1:14), God encamps among those who have been shoved to the curb. God dwells with the “dis-placed” and the oppressed and the afflicted. In the Gospel accounts, God regularly locates far from the seats of power and wealth (Jerusalem and the temple elite) in order to live with and empower the poor and the outcasts—those abused by those at the center. God occupies at the margins.

When I pass the tents of those who are displaced, I am reminded that God has chosen to dwell among them. And I believe it is where God’s people are to pitch their own tents. We are to be on the move with God, occupying the places where there is pain and suffering—where there is injustice and oppression. It is among these tents that we will meet God face to face. It is among these tents that we will hear God’s voice, reminding us to seek the justice that leads to peaceful habitations. It is among these tents that we will learn to seek the “kingdom of heaven” where everyone is welcomed and everyone’s place is restored.