Works of Mercy – Serving the Least of These
Wesley had a heart for people, and in particular he had a heart for the poor. You can hear this, in Wesley's own words in a letter to a friend in the 1770s: "I want you to converse more, abundantly more, with the poorest of people, who, if they have not taste, have souls, which you may forward in their way to heaven... Creep in among them, in spite of dirt and a hundred disgusting circumstances; do not confine yourself to genteel and elegant people. My friend, let us walk as he walked."
Well, this one got me thinking about my own life. Do I "confine myself" to comfortable spaces and elegant people? Do I care more about status and reputation, than the poor people in need around me?
Almsgiving as a Lenten Practice
Lent is traditionally a time of almsgiving. I have focused strongly on the traditional prayer and fasting aspect of Lent, but perhaps I have dropped the ball slightly in only bringing the practice of almsgiving in so late in our journey. After all, listen to the words of James: "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?" (James 2:14-16)
Faith with no deeds, faith without compassion and care, faith with grand words but no action – why, this is no faith at all, says James. And Wesley would agree.
Service as a Means of Grace
In fact for Wesley, serving the poor was a means of grace. He believed that when the people of God serve the poor, Jesus becomes especially present among them. If you wanted to experience something of God's grace, one way would be to commit to caring for the poor. And so Wesley did much to alleviate poverty – not just throwing some money in the direction of a beggar, but investing in ways to help get people out of poverty, and seeking to change the systems that led to poverty however he could.
In fact my friend Jared Henry, a Nazarene pastor in America, wrote an article which really got me thinking. It was entitled Why I Stopped Giving to the Poor, and it talks about how we should invest more in helping alleviate poverty, giving to those organisations that tackle this problem on a grander scale, and how we should have a conversation and treat poor people with dignity rather than just throwing them some money. Here's a link, give it a read.
Perhaps one of the great sins that we need delivering from is that of indifference to the plight of suffering people. Wesley, like Jesus, walked among the poor, and his heart broke for them. I pray that we who are doing Lent With the Wesleys go out of our way to reach the poor and needy, as we seek to be holy like Jesus.
