10.12.03 - God's in Charge

God’s In Charge
October 12, 2003
Rose McLean, Diaconal Minister

Today we are celebrating the National Observance of Children’s Sabbath, which is an opportunity for people of all faiths to learn about the urgent needs of children and the mandate in every faith tradition to nurture and protect children, to seek justice on behalf of those most vulnerable. The goal of Children’s Sabbath is to generate new, long-term efforts to meet children’s needs by raising awareness, serving children directly, and advocating on children’s behalf.

You already know many of the facts that tell the story of the urgent needs of children around the world, including those right here in Anchorage. You have heard that 25% of the world’s children live in families whose income is less than $1.00 per day. You have heard that one in every 12 children in the world dies before they reach the age of five, mostly from preventable causes. You know that even in the United States many children are uninsured. You know that in third world countries and even in some developing countries, education is a luxury for only a few. You know that there are nations that use children as soldiers to fight the wars. You know that in Africa alone there are millions of orphans due to the AIDS pandemic. You know that in the United States a child is killed by a gun every three hours. You are aware of these facts and even more statistics. There are appalling stories about children who are used around the world in the sex industry. There is information about child abuse and neglect that make us want to scream, cry, or simply shut it out. We know of the urgent needs of the children in the world.

So why don’t we feel depressed or hopeless or helpless? Because we are a people of faith. Specifically, we are a people of the Judeo-Christian faith and we have a mandate to nurture and protect children. And we are a faithful people.

First from our Jewish heritage comes the theme for this year’s Children’s Sabbath: Providing what God requires and children need: Justice, kindness, and faith.

And secondly, from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, "if your child asks for bread, will you give a stone? Or for a fish, will you give a snake". How much more than will God do for us?

I want to suggest today, that giving bread and fish to our children, is in fact giving them justice, kindness, and faith. But how can we tell a stone from bread, or a fish from a snake? Sometimes it may not be that easy to tell the difference.

One of my favorite parenting columnists is John Rosemond. I cannot remember disagreeing with any of his columns I have read. For instance, in Thursday’s Daily News, a single mother who works at home, wrote that her kindergarten child has difficulty learning to occupy herself in the afternoon and either a) interrupts her mother complaining she is bored, or b) wants to watch TV in spite of the no-TV rule on school days. John Rosemond’s immediate response is "It’s not your job to occupy your daughter’s time; it’s her job." His advice: "Tell your daughter that she is old enough and smart enough to entertain herself without television; that television is for people who aren’t smart enough to entertain themselves. Unplug the electronic drug." He makes some further suggestions that allow for some 10 minute breaks when the mother and the child interact, and he also has some very clear consequences for when the daughter obeys or disobeys. He concludes, "your daughter will undoubtedly learn how to occupy herself, which is one of the most valuable of all life skills." My guess is that initially, the little girl felt like her mother was giving her a snake, but in fact, it was a fish.

Children may rather spend time with their friends than with their family and we may model that by spending more time at work than with our families. Are we giving our children a snake or a fish if we have to work more in order to maintain a particular lifestyle rather than spending more time with our family. What has more lasting value—the relationship between parents and children or the big screen TV or extra "toys" we have?

It’s not always easy to tell a fish from a snake. As a nation we make choices. Will our children experience the national debt as a snake or a fish? If we vote for legalized gambling as a way to balance our state budget it may look like a fish because we will avoid some other form of tax, but statistics show that it is clearly a snake when the social ills from gambling become a reality. As a nation are we making choices that bring blessing and the fullness of life to children and families everywhere? Are we faithfully fulfilling God’s requirement by doing justice for our children and seeing that all children are loved and protected?

Monday Morning Women is studying "Community with Children and the Poor" which is based on the United Methodist Bishops’ Initiative on Children and Poverty. We are overwhelmed with much of the information. I’ll readily admit that I have little understanding of global economics. Last week we read about global debt and its effect on children. That led us to a discussion of the indebtedness of many people in our country, including some of our friends and family—about how easily one can fall in that trap and how difficult it is to get out. We discussed how we know people who are living on their credit cards. My response is that someone needs to help these people learn to live within their means.

I was pushed beyond my judgmental approach when one of the women suggested that maybe some of the choices we make—even though we can afford them, are a stumbling block for our neighbor who cannot. For instance, we provide some luxury for our children and our neighbor who can’t afford it, yields to the temptation to provide the same luxury for their children and goes further in debt. Don’t we have a right to buy what we want as long as we can afford it? But perhaps a more loving approach would be to not buy the particular item if it becomes a stumbling block for our neighbor. I’m reminded that St. Paul said there really wasn’t anything wrong with not observing the food laws, but if in doing so, you became a stumbling block to your neighbor, to refrain. I’m going to have to think about this for awhile. I work hard for my money, it seems I should be able to do with it as I please as long as it’s legal and doesn’t hurt anyone. The question is, does it hurt anyone?

There are lots of depressing statistics and ideas to consider, but I have good news: God is with us. And perhaps that is the greatest gift we can give our children: the gift of faith. As a people of faith we are stronger than the forces of evil, random violence, apathy, ambivalence, and hate. Most of the severe problems facing the world’s children and the poor are readily solvable. Resources and solutions are available. What is lacking is the moral will, the theological vision, and the political commitment to respond. That is where, we as a people of faith come in.

We can and do make a difference in a variety of ways. For most social problems, there are three ways we can respond: 1) direct aid to the victim, 2) change in lifestyle, 3) systemic change.

Children’s Sabbath is a time to pursue principles of justice, freedom, and peace, on behalf of children and all human beings. May we find the resolve and commitment to transform our own fears, frustrations, anger, disappointments, and sadness into confidence, courage, and stronger faith, that God will guide us through difficult times.

The good news is that God is with us.

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