Deuteronomy 15:7-11 … open your hand to the poor and needy

Psalm 96:9-13 … he will judge the peoples with equity

Mark 10:42-45 … the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve

Galatians 6:7-10 … let us not grow weary in doing what is right

Last night I was viewing yet another YouTube on the homeless. One family was being evicted from their home by their landlord, and another family was living in a van because their housing fell through, and they could not find another affordable apartment. Both families had nowhere to go, and they had lost almost all hope.

The desperation of these homeless families jogged my memory of a night when I was on police patrol. I attended a call for a broken window and injured person. Joe was an evicted homeless man who needed a place to sleep. He had come up with a plan to throw a brick through a bank window, get arrested, and have a police cell to sleep in. There was just one problem with Joe’s plan; it did not go as he expected. The window was plate glass, the brick bounced back, whacked him on his head, knocked him out, and he needed hospital treatment! Joe spent the night in a hospital bed instead of a police cell. When released from hospital he went to court, made a plea deal, and because of his past criminal record the judge as a humanitarian gesture gave him 30 days in jail. On hearing the sentence Joe looked across the court and gave me a beaming smile – it was a very cold winter!

The world’s justice was given by God to keep order, prevent chaos, and hold people who do wrong accountable, although it cannot stop evil or wrongdoing. My experience is that through power, wealth, greed and selfishness our justice system has been corrupted especially for the poor and disadvantaged. Guardrails keep us safe but as a people of God we are called to let go of our privileges and entitlement so that others can experience the fullness of life God longs for all people. The ultimate justice is God’s, who will hold us all accountable.

The Bible does not avoid the fact that poverty and homelessness will always occur but teaches us to love our neighbours and to be generous and help others. God sacrificed his only son, Jesus, so we could have eternal life. As God’s people we must be led by the Holy Spirit and do our part helping financially, physically, and spiritually the poor, homeless, and needy to make a positive difference.

Justice, love and forgiveness go together, and God wants us to love others, seek justice for the weak and vulnerable, and forgive those who have harmed us.  G. Austin