Who Has He Chosen?

Who Has He Chosen?

A Little Christmas Season Story.

I grew up in the St Mary’s County that is wedged between the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. I knew about oysters, crabs, little boats, and bikes like the few other boys that were in the same rural neighborhood. I lived in a double story cinderblock house with small rooms for us and balcony bedroom for Mom and Dad. We had a big high family room where we would always have the Christmas tree, which we got from the woods. Mom’s decorations were carefully added each year, but not without our help, too.

My Mom and Dad would take me to attend a youth meetings in our little church. One Christmas season we were going with the church minister to give food to a few families. That was something different to me, because I didn’t know anyone who needed food, or at least they did not say so at school or in church. I think we had a van. We only went a few miles up the road – the same road our school bus went. This time we turned before a little junction to a dirt road that was much worse than the one at my home. I remember my quiet surprise, because the house was small, dark, and not in good shape. The minister knocked. Someone invited us in. I could not remember what was said. I just saw the broken floor, the dirt beneath the floor, the unpainted walls, and what seemed to be a mess. I also saw the children across the small room on a dirty bed mattress with wires sticking out. They were using it as a couch for this visit while the parents each had a wooden chair. I remember the little children with wide open eyes, and some smiles when the food was delivered. It was all new to me. I did not really understand, but the images never left.

Years later I became a Christian and began to find a concern rising up within me for those in need of one sort or another. Out of that deepening concern was the birth of CHRISTWORKS MINISTRIES, which was (and remains) a small group of volunteers with the same sort of concerns. In the early years of doing things after work or on weekends, I shared one night at a nice brick church in Virginia. Some friends had invited me to talk about giving food to others. Afterwards, a man about my age came to me and said, “Roland, I want to do something, but I thought about it. I do not even know any poor people!” I understood, partially, because my experience on that little youth group trip in the van when I was a youngster. I never knew poor people. Of course, I saw things on a little TV and read things, but it’s not the same as being there, seeing it for yourself. And, of course, something of Christ within is the only thing that gets us to think differently from the heart, where someone else’s needs, including their souls, become important than ours.

James 2:5 says, “Listen my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he as promised to those who love Him?”  The next section of the chapter links faith and works so they are inseparable for one who has a living faith in Christ that gets demonstrated.

While the food ministry of CHRISTWORKS stopped long ago, we began helping the educational needs of the poor. That led to overseas mission work. Now we prepare educational materials on biblical creation and love the fatherless. It’s all from the same motivation. He loved us, so we love others.

****************************

Luke 4:18 recalls Jesus’s reading of the scrolls from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised…”