Times are tough. The economy has seemingly tanked. Invest? Save? Down-payment? HA!! All income is for survival. Whether it came from desperation or narcissism, we now have the ubiquitous “GoFundMe.com”. Or #gofundme. Or whatever the infernal thing is. On-line begging? Forgive me – I do feel the crassness and cynicism oozing from my fingertips onto this keyboard. I confess that I have taken a caustic, dim view. At first, I thought GoFundMe pages were poignant, even tragic calls for help. Now I think it has become overwrought, cliché, punchline, even.

We are beset with compassion burnout.

Everybody is in dire need.

Is this not the God-given wake-up call for the church?

It is. Yet I admit to “failure to launch”, to get started and mobilize God’s army to fight injustice, serve the poor, rally to every cause and issue. The solutions and cures are all in God’s hands. Yet, that is not a free pass to ignore, forget, and fail to act. If not the church, then who? We are His agents, servants. From a stewardship standpoint, we are to “fund God.” Do the things, give to the things that proclaim God’s saving grace. Otherwise, it’s just posturing and catch-phrases. The suffering world cries out for tangible evidence of God’s people (the church) doing what the world cannot: caring. Caring not just for the physical, as in hurricane relief. Care for the wounded, sin-sick soul. Investing with time and presence as well as dollars and cents.

The on-line appeals will continue because the human needs are so great and many. But the deeper needs of compassion and invitation to the body of Christ lie within the church’s domain and influence. This blog of mine – coming across more as venting and sermonizing – will hopefully spark in at least one of you who might have latched on to what I’m trying to say. Our God, with His unconditional love, desires wholeness, even in times of struggle and pain. Be JOY!ful for the care and redemption He lavishes upon us!!

Pastor Art