Dignify those who are down on their luck; you'll feel good—that's what God does. God looks after us all, makes us robust with life— Lucky to be in the land, we're free from enemy worries. Whenever we're sick and in bed, God becomes our nurse, nurses us back to health. - Psalm 41:1-3, The Message
My all-time favorite musician, Tori Amos, recently put out a holiday album. The daughter of a Methodist minister, she is well-known for challenging the church (and yet, I find she sings about Jesus more than many Christian artists). But shouldn't we all be challenging the church, in other words, ourselves, to follow the path Jesus has laid out for us? It is, indeed, a narrow path.
On Amos' album, she includes the song "Good King Wenceslas." Her version caused me to actually pause and listen to what the song is about, though I've heard it many times throughout the Christmases of my past. The story of a king who notices a poor man and decides to not only deliver him a feast, but actually spend time dining with him. It is brutally cold and the king's page fears the weather, but Wenceslas assures him that if he follows in the king's footsteps, the winter's rage will not be harmful:
"In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore [Christians] be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now shall bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing."
Heat was in the very sod, how lovely. The warmth of God's spirit and grace. That if we set out on the task of blessing others, God will care for our needs. But we have to remember what Psalm 41 says, God makes us "robust in life." It's not to say that if we pour money onto others, God necessarily pours money back into our bank accounts. You "shall yourselves find blessings"..... and that just might mean finding newfound joy right within your very heart. A new fervour for this walk, a new light along this narrow path.
Mark Horvath, a member of the DOOR Hollywood Board and founder of Invisible People, has recently returned from a nationwide journey to bring stories of homeless folks to the light of day. Click the photo for the full CNN report:
Mark recently challenged me to make December about reaching out to the homeless, and so I, in turn, challenge all of you who are reading this. To learn about this rally for homelessness and what you can do in LA and your own towns and cities, click here: http://hardlynormal.com/blog/2009/12/13/tis-the-season-to-get-dirty-and-help-fight-homelessness-12for12k/
We pray, constantly, that seeing the face of God in Hollywood is, indeed, all about spreading God's blessing to all people through reaching out, building relationships, volunteering, and sharing our stories. If you would like to come to Hollywood and serve for a week, please explore our Discover program. If you'd like to come serve in Hollywood for a year as part of an intentional community, check out our Dwell program.
Either way, please explore the ways you have been blessed this year and always look for ways to share that light with others.
In Christ's Joy and Peace,
Matthew
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