caring for the voiceless & forgotten - a historical example.

   I’ve started rereading a book by J.P. Moreland titled “Kingdom Triangle” and in there he has an amazing historical example of the power of The Good News when the Christian Community responds to injustice through biblical compassion.   He mentions the way the Early Church responded to paganism which was being cruel towards children, especially girls, including infanticide and the abandonment/exposure of infants.   He quotes Herbert Henson,

   “Many of the exposed children were trained for purposes of prostitution, and many perished, immersing those who exposed them in the guilt of homicide.   The compassion of Christians went forth to these abandoned little ones, doomed by the parents to vice and death.  The widows and virgins of the Church included among their regular works of piety the care of these outcast babes.  Among the first recorded charitable institutions we find mention of children’s homes or orphanages.”  (Henson, “Christian Morality”, Oxford:Clarendon, 1936).

   This shows me that James’ words to look after the orphan and the widow in their distress were being acted out in the Early Church and that compassionate actions toward the voiceless, helpless and forgotten were being taken in Jesus’ name.   These were deeds that went beyond basic charity, but rather were acts that would have meant selfless sacrifice in the caring for those who had nothing to offer in return and were actually viewed as disposable in the eyes of society at large.   The compassion of Jesus moved these early followers to stand for justice and mercy for those who could not stand for themselves, while at the same time finding themselves in the minority.   

   While I have been outside of the recent rhetoric of Glen Beck and Pat Robertson that gained a lot of publicity over comments about social justice and adoption  (and I must admit that my Ethiopian internet access is not good enough to really give them a fair listen), I do think that it is important for us as Jesus followers to remember that responding to the call to the voiceless, the innocent, the suffering, the forgotten and the abandoned comes from the very heart of God.   God revealed His heart for justice and mercy over and over again throughout the Old Testament.  Jesus revealed His heart in His words, His associations, His teachings and in His healings (physical, social, emotional, spiritual) over and over.   God speaks to us through Acts and The Letters about the place of caring for the poor and downtrodden.  The Early Church provides us with examples of how they lived this out while living in a pagan society that persecuted them.   The long line of saints over the centuries have become advocates for mercy and justice in the likes of William Wilberforce, Dorothy Day, Gladys Alyward, Terese of Liseux, Martin Luther King, Jr., George Mueller, Mother Teresa, Oscar Romero, William Booth and scores of others.  And, of course there are hundreds and thousands of unrecognized people today who labor on behalf of the voiceless, the forgotten, the downtrodden, the poor, the orphan, and the widow without any kind of hope for recognition or desire to become known.   They are people on the fringes themselves, having sacrificed greatly while trying with all that they are and all that they have to obediently follow the call that Jesus has put in them.  He put a hook in their hearts along the way and they haven’t been able to shake it.   He has given them His heart to serve those who are forgotten and overlooked in practical ways that demonstrate His hope and life...and they are going into the great unknown obediently attempting to do so.

I believe that God calls each of us to remember the forgotten, powerless and voiceless.  It would have been easy for the Early Church to turn a blind eye towards the cruelty of children and infanticide, after all they had their own problems that they were working through (including brutal persecution).   And, it is easy today for us to not see the poor and oppressed  because we’ve got our own problems, too.  However, Jesus has not forgotten them, and neither should we as His followers.    I believe that He calls us with courage and self-sacrifice to give voice to the voiceless and remember the forgotten who can give us nothing in return.  It brings to mind Jesus’ words to us in Matthew 25 “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” 

When we take His words to heart and we participate in His works of justice and mercy we see incredible things happen in us and through us as His Kingdom moves forward.  It was true in the Old Testament.  It was true as Jesus walked the earth.  It was true in the experience of the early church.  It has been true for thousands of Jesus’ followers in thousands of settings over a couple thousand years.  And, I’m convinced that its true for us today as well.  What a privilege that we get to partner with God in what He is doing as He makes His heart known!