WHOSE SIDE IS GOD ON?

(Preached on September 7, 2003)

Do not rob the poor because they are poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate; for the Lord pleads their cause and despoils of life those who despoil them.

-Proverbs 22:22-23

 

Snoopy is sitting in the falling snow, shivering. 

Linus and Charlie Brown come walking by all wrapped up in their winter coats.  Charlie Brown observes, “Snoopy looks kind of cold, doesn’t he?” 

Linus responds, “I’ll say he does ... maybe we’d better go over and comfort him.” 

They stand by Snoopy, one on each side.

Linus says, “Be of good cheer, Snoopy.”

Charlie Brown adds, “Yes, be of good cheer.”

Then, they both walk off into the snowflakes, bundled warmly in their winter gear.  Snoopy is left, shivering, with a huge “question mark” looming over his head, as if to ask, “You mean, that’s it?”

“Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.”

 

For James, faith is not itself a work; it is not a mental exercise such as has been characterized as the ability to “believe 10 impossible things before breakfast.”

Faith is the willingness to have complete trust in the goodness of God.

That trust leads us to accept God’s gift of wisdom that changes our desires, and ultimately our conduct, which leads to a life of Godly blessings and finally eternal life with God.  As such it is a “living faith” because it makes our souls and spirits eternally alive with God — that is, we truly experience life as better when we live it God’s way.  But James also understands it as a “living faith” because it leads us more fully into life, engaging the fullness of life in a way that brings fullness and benefits to other people, as God’s love and goodness for them shines through the actions of our lives.

The example of that goodness for others which James points to is providing food, clothing, and shelter to the needy.

By demonstrating God’s love in these ways, we not only provide for the physical needs of others, but also plant within their lives the seeds of God’s goodness that may ultimately grow and blossom into faith.

 

Of all the ways our beliefs can fail to match our actions, James chose the problems of poverty to illustrate his point.  Perhaps no other issue better reveals our tendency to fall into pious platitudes about God’s goodness rather than joining in God’s work (as Linus and Charlie Brown did).  In many issues it is often difficult to tell just whose side is God on, but not this one. 

In the Bible, again and again, God clearly takes the side of the poor.

It is like the friend of mine who puts it this way:  “I have two sons, one older, larger, and stronger than the other.  If I look out the window and see this older boy beating up on his little brother, I dash outside immediately and ... I take sides!  It’s not because I love the little one more.  It’s not even because I think the younger boy is “right” and the older one “wrong.”  Who knows?  Maybe little brother was cheating or name calling or otherwise behaving badly.  I don’t take time to find out before I intervene.  I take sides immediately, because in our house, big kids aren’t allowed to beat up on little ones.  Ever, for any reason.  I side with the little kid because he’s little. Period.”

 

God must view our world in some such fashion. 

Sure, God loves rich and poor alike.  

As Proverbs 22:2 states “the Lord is the maker of them all.” 

And God knows the poor are just as likely to misbehave. 

God doesn’t take the side of the poor because they’re better than the rich.

Be they saints or sinners, God sides with the poor. 

If need be, God will even side with poor sinners against rich saints. 

Why?  Because they’re poor.  Period. 

The reason God favors the poor is because they are not favored in society. 

God is their advocate, pleading their cause. 

 

But the world doesn’t seem to be listening.

A story in Wednesday’s Miami Herald: “U.S. poverty rate rises and Miami retains No. 1 ranking.” 

“Nearly 1.4 million more people in the United States fell into poverty last year — almost half of them children...according to a Census Bureau survey.  The city of Miami retained the No. 1 poverty ranking among large cities, with 31.2 percent of its population in poverty.” 

The story states that 12.4 percent of the U.S. population, or nearly 34.8 million people, lived in poverty in 2002.

Truth be told, these figures are vastly understated, since the federal guidelines for the poverty level are set at $18,100 for a family of four.

Try living on $19,000, and see if you do not taste poverty.

These numbers have been growing steadily for at least the last 3 years and yes, many people, especially politicians, point to the recent recession.  That ignores the fact that prior to 2001, America had enjoyed nearly 20 years of booming economic growth, yet the percentage of poor people is not any lower than it was in the 1970s!  The gap between rich and poor grows, yet very few people are discussing the matter.  In fact, a July 2001 Gallup poll confirms this neglect: The gap between rich and poor only ranked twenty-second in a list of candidates for the most important problem in America.

And President Bush’s recent tax cuts (mostly for the wealthy and those invested in the stock market) give testimony to the apathy toward the poor.

 

The tax code in this country and in many states is clearly part of the problem. 

Many of the tax laws are regressive, actually taking a greater percentage of income from the poor than from the rich.

As people of faith, we can advocate for changes. 

The people of Alabama are being asked this Tuesday to do just that: to vote on the largest tax hike ever proposed in Alabama which is achieved primarily by redressing both the state income tax and property tax, reforming the code to increase the burden on those most able to pay and reduce the burden on low-income workers. 

Amazingly this package was developed by a Republican governor with a ferociously conservative anti-tax voting record.  How did this happen?

According to Governor Riley’s press secretary: “Governor Riley and I have spent a lot of time reading the New Testament.  Our reading teaches us three things: Love God, love your neighbor, and take care of the poorest among us.”

There are people in leadership in government who are people of faith; who take the faith seriously and who need the support of other people of faith to encourage them to put politics behind their faith and justice.

So it really does matter and really is important that we communicate our belief in such stands to our government leaders when issues such as tax reform or other matters of justice for the poor are being considered by them. 

And we also must vote our faith and our stands for justice when we have the opportunity at the ballot box.

 

There are other actions we can take that make a difference as well — both in making us stronger advocates for justice and in helping build a more just society. 

Some of these are little actions, but, as Marian Wright Edelman has said, “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make, which, over time, add up to big differences we cannot foresee.”

For example, to practice justice, we need to be informed.

One small practice can be to devote one meal together, or an hour after dinner, for a “Week in Review” session. 

Talk about what is happening in the world, especially politically and economically.  Share news items that you think the others might not have seen. 

Consider the facts and also share your feelings. 

Decide together on one action you can take in response to the state of the world — prayers, letters to newspapers, lettered to your elected representatives, petitions, contributions, etc. 

And then covenant together to take that action by a specified date.

 

Had you been doing that recently, you might have seen the important, in depth series of articles in the Miami Herald last weekend on the plight of farm workers in our state.

The story ran last Sunday, Monday and Tuesday and I am going to post it on the bulletin boards this week so you can read it.

It lifted up the plight of the people who pick the food we eat: 61 percent have income below the poverty level, with a median annual income of $7,500. 

Fifty-two percent are unauthorized workers in this country and many of those are basically being held in slave labor conditions.

Some of those workers spotlighted in the stories are the tomato pickers who have formed the Coalition of Immokalee Workers.

To try to force their employers to negotiate improved working conditions and wages they have called on supportive consumers to join them in boycotting Taco Bell products.  Taco Bell is the primary purchaser of the tomatoes they harvest.  If Taco Bell would pay just one penny more per pound for their tomatoes, and that would be passed on to the workers, it would nearly double their wages. 

A small price to pay for Taco Bell which would make a big difference in the lives of those farm workers. 

Not eating Taco Bell might be a sacrifice for you, it might not.  But in truth, it is a small sacrifice to make for the sake of improving the lives of the poor.

 

For us to live for justice, as Jesus did and as he calls us to do, it will require sacrifices on our part. 

Left to ourselves, we might look away from human need and toward our own desires.

But by making such sacrifices we will discover that we are joining the side that God is on, the side of the poor.

In the old Revised Standard Version translation of the Bible, verse 9 of Proverbs 22 is put this way: “He who has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.”

“A bountiful eye” is a delightful phrase for a person who sees the needs of the poor and shares generously with them.

Let us pray to God for “bountiful eyes” so that we might look at human need, respond generously, and receive the blessing of God.