Our Homelessness Sunday service on 28 January was thought-provoking in the way that makes you want to see this world differently.When we got to church we found a pile of rubbish in the doorway. But a closer look revealed that it was made as a place for a person to sleep. Confronting this surprise came as the first of a series of moments that helped us understand our assumptions about homelessness.
Neil had worked with some of the young people from church and their visit to the YMCA before Christmas had led them to meet real people who were without secure homes. I found the stories of these seven people, ages 16 to 25, really moving. They reminded us that homelessness is not an impersonal 'issue' but a fact of life for men and women like you and me. Neil linked these real stories with Jesus' teaching that as we care for the least among us, we care for him and that even more seriously, as we ignore them, we ignore him too.
At the end of the service, the young people read a resolution: Choosing Justice
Choosing justice
We choose to try to live our lives
in ways which will not harm or disadvantage others.
We choose to try to keep our hearts and minds open
to hear the voice of those who need our help.
We choose to aim to live simply,
not squandering the riches around us
and not keeping for ourselves what others desperately need
We choose to consider the effects on others
of what we say and do, of what we buy and use.
We choose to try to live justly, always seeking to make a difference
in the smallest things as well as the biggest
knowing that together the small steps we take
will grow into changes that will help to transform our world.
We choose to aim to work together
to spread the word
and to serve
in the name of Christ
the servant King.
The just one who chose us all.
Amen
We choose to try to live our lives
in ways which will not harm or disadvantage others.
We choose to try to keep our hearts and minds open
to hear the voice of those who need our help.
We choose to aim to live simply,
not squandering the riches around us
and not keeping for ourselves what others desperately need
We choose to consider the effects on others
of what we say and do, of what we buy and use.
We choose to try to live justly, always seeking to make a difference
in the smallest things as well as the biggest
knowing that together the small steps we take
will grow into changes that will help to transform our world.
We choose to aim to work together
to spread the word
and to serve
in the name of Christ
the servant King.
The just one who chose us all.
Amen
