As we read about the life of the early church, we hear about persecutions, hardships due to poverty, and an average life span was in the 40’s to 50’s.  Today’s news is full of dread as well.  Financial crises in business, homes, and even in churches are an accepted part of the current news.  Retirement plans are drying up, children returning home, parents moving in with children and jobs becoming a premium add to the stress we all feel.  Now we face concerns about our world and environment.

How do we respond to all of this as Christians?  We respond as the early church did.  They responded as compassionate brothers and sisters seeking to offer care and support to the best of their abilities.  We, as did the early Christians, recognize that we are all in the same situation, and that real peace and security is something only accomplished by everyone working together.

This is true for financial as well as environmental concerns.  It doesn’t really matter who is to blame, it is only important to learn the lessons from past mistakes and not repeat them in the future.  It doesn’t matter whether global warming is real or exaggerated, we are stewards for God’s creation and are thus responsible for the care and protection of that which God has made.  We know that we cannot continue to operate as we have for decades because we have more and more demands upon the resources we have taken for granted.  We need to think communally, what would best serve everyone, especially the ones with the least voice in the decision-making.  Recovery should be for everyone, not just those who have always been on top of the heap.

“When you did it for one of the least of these, you did it for me.”  These words of Jesus should sing in our hearts and every effort made to heal not only our financial situation, but our global environmental situation as well.  There will come a time when God asks us what have we done with the resources he loaned to us.  How will we answer?

Shalom,  Darrell