Tearing the Roof Apart

By Kathleen Fleming

What a dramatic story in today’s gospel! Because of His powerful ministry of preaching and healing, it had gotten to the point where “Jesus could no longer openly enter a town.” (Mark 1:45) Imagine the excitement when the word spread that He was in His home in Capernaum! Imagine the crowd that gathered around Him leaving no room, not even around the door. Then come the four men carrying the man who was paralyzed. We don’t know much about this man, do we? Historically, we do know that he was an outcast, the poorest of the poor, for he had no way to make a living, other than begging. What about the four men who carried him? We don’t know much about them either, except that they had faith, faith that led them to drastic action. Can you just picture these men tearing the roof apart on Jesus’ home? And then, the man lowered through the roof, Jesus seeing him face to face, knowing exactly what he needed to hear and saying the words. Words of forgiveness. For at the time, this man was considered to be deserving of his fate, again, an outcast because his illness was believed to be the result of sin. We can speculate that his exclusion from society, even from the temple, was more harmful to him than his inability to walk. We can also speculate that Jesus must have known that the agony of that burden was the more difficult one to bear. And so He told the man that he was forgiven. He cured the spirit before He cured the body. In fact He cured the physical condition only in response to a lack of faith on the part of the scribes.

This gospel and its revelation of Christ’s mission for the broken people of our world relates to what I want to share with you today, an issue that is very close to my heart. The issue is poverty, its causes, and what we are called to do about it in our world. You see, the effects of poverty have often surfaced in my work with children and adults who have physical and intellectual disabilities, with the unemployed, with prisoners trying to start over, with single moms on welfare, with the homeless, and with people who have chronic mental illness.

So poverty, for me, has a face, in fact many faces and many stories. Thinking of those faces and stories can be both an uplifting and a disturbing experience. Uplifting because what often comes to mind are broad smiles and true faith despite heavy burdens. Disturbing because those burdens are so often attributable to injustices in our world. I remember a woman I will call M. She lived in the infamous Hooker Hotel in Willimantic. Many of the poor in Willimantic live there because they have no other place to go. M. was a tough talking, blonde haired grandmother who took it upon herself to pick up the dirty needles in a local park so that the children who played there would be safe. I remember that she always had a joke or a story to tell me. I also remember that she was someone who slipped through the cracks, who didn’t fit into any neat category that gave you a ticket to benefits, however meager they might be. M. wanted so much to find a job, but no one would hire her, probably because she didn’t quite fit into the mainstream either. I know, because I tried for a long time to help her with no success. While I worked with her, the town welfare program that paid her rent was discontinued. I wonder what happened to her.

I must tell you, too, about J. She is the 46 year old divorced mother of an 18 year old daughter. J. has worked since she was 16 years old. Recently, for the first time in her life, she found herself without a job. She then lost her apartment. This past Christmas, J. had an eviction date of January 5th, no food, 3 cats and a dog she had taken in to find homes for and no money because her unemployment benefits had ended. Like M., J. was someone who slipped through the cracks, who didn’t qualify for any monetary support. She just couldn’t find a job. What might be seen as a little thing J. saw as a major barrier to employment and I believe she was right. One of the lenses in her glasses was broken. J. says that it made her feel ugly. I imagine it also was a constant reminder of her poverty and her powerlessness.

When working with people like M or J, you are apt to hear words that express the same sentiment that the man who was paralyzed appears to have felt, that is, responsibility for his condition. In fact, I did hear J. say “God must be punishing me for something.” I have heard that said more than once. There truly is shame and guilt attached to being poor. Is there anyone who hasn’t heard “Why can’t they pull themselves up by their bootstraps?” As stated by Richard J. Barnet in his publication titled “The Global War Against the Poor” “This philosophy drags many ...further into a culture of despair and self-blame for their inability to break the poverty cycle and mobilize themselves economically.” (www.sojo.net/magazine) I can tell you from personal experience that those who work with the poor can also be dragged into that “culture of despair and self-blame”. It is easy to feel powerless, angry and despairing in the face of politicians who prefer to cut services to the poor rather than tax the rich, or globally, in the face of companies that put profits before fair wages and the protection of the world’s children.

Yes, the problem of social injustice and the poverty it creates can feel overwhelming, particularly when we consider our world community. Listen to the words of Henry Leiper. Perhaps you have heard them before. Leiper wrote an article entitled “Our World in Miniature”, in which he looked at our globe as it would be if you condensed it into a city of 1,000.

60 of those 1,000 persons would be citizens of the United States.

940 of those 1,000 persons would represent the rest of the world. ...

The lowest income among the 60 Americans would be rich when compared to

the rest of the world.

Most of the 940 non-Americans would be poor, hungry, sick, and unable to read or write.

(Dr. Karl K. Stegall, “Can You Hear the Children Praying, October, 2002)

Further, in a recent United Church of Christ pronouncement, the increasing gap between the rich and the poor is noted with these words.

Over the past twenty years one of the main features of economic globalization

has been growing economic inequality. The income gap between rich and poor has widened. ... For example, in 1980 average income in rich countries was eighty-six times greater than in the poorest. By 1999 the incomes in the rich countries were 149 times larger. Inequality within countries has also grown. Moreover, over this twenty year period, improvements in life expectancy, infant and child mortality, and literacy and education have slowed.... (Proposed Pronouncement: A Faithful Response, Calling for a More Just, Humane Direction for Economic Globalization. p.5)

In the face of such realities, how can we possibly make a difference? Perhaps you have heard the story “about (the man) walking down the sandy beach and observing an (elderly) man standing on that beach-throwing starfish back into the ocean. There were literally thousands of starfish lying on the shore, and so he said to the man, “There are thousands of starfish here. Do you think that you can make a difference?” The ... man picked up one of the starfish, and took a long look at it before throwing it back into the ocean. He then turned and said, “I can make a difference in that one.” (Dr. Karl K. Stegall, “Can You Hear the Children Praying?” October, 2002)

We are called to believe that we can, in fact, make a difference. In his

statement to Christians, theology professor Kurt Luthi pleas for a “critical Christianity...a Christianity oriented “forwards” (where a) “principle of hope” persists (where)...Dreams of a better world are dreamt.” (Dr. Kurt Luthi, “Plea for a Critical Christianity”)

I can tell you of two people who do put their dreams of a better world into action, who, I feel, embody the call to provide for the poor and to work for social justice. One is a retired gentleman named Joe. I met him when I was teaching in Windsor last year. Joe is one of those people who is just electric with energy and enthusiasm for what he does. And what he does! He collects food from local grocery stores and restaurants and brings it to the local food bank. He delivers meals to Hartford’s homeless, drug addicts and prostitutes, the same marginalized people that Jesus liked to be with. Joe also visits a Hartford shelter one evening a week and cuts hair. But when he does he gives far more than haircuts. He gives the gift of human touch to people others see as untouchable. With each haircut comes a massage. Joe truly pampers his “customers”. Now Joe does ask for payment from each of the guys he serves. A hug. What a message he must convey with each hug! You are worthwhile. You are loved. The same message that Jesus must have conveyed to the outcasts of his time. The same message He must have conveyed to the man who was paralyzed.

The other individual is someone you may know of. His name is Chris. He is a young man who lives with his wife and children in the Catholic Worker house in a poor section of Hartford. Catholic Worker houses were established by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin to serve the poor and to work for social justice. Chris and his family and house members deeply believe they are obliged as followers of Jesus to live His message of love and peace. You may have heard about Chris when, through repeated attempts, he persuaded the Hartford Courant to write a series of articles about the devastation caused by sanctions against Iraq. The home where Chris and his family live is truly owned by the community, a place where folks from the neighborhood mix with folks from the suburbs. Those in need are offered food, clothing and friendship. Those of us removed from the poor and issues of social justice are offered face to face encounters and an awakening to those issues. Many lives are better for the presence of that one house and that one man and his family in Hartford.

So what about us? What about our community? How can we as individuals and as a congregation, show concern for others? I must tell you that even though I feel passionately about poverty issues, I struggle so much with the “doing”. So I ask, what can we do?

We can pledge and give our money.

This is a beautiful church, a wonderful place of worship. As we all know, it needed quite a lot of renovation recently. This community pledged over $100,000 in response to a capital campaign in order to bring this building to its present condition. So let’s consider what might be thought of as a somewhat radical idea. What if each one of us as individuals decided to look at what we pledged to refurbish this church and gave at least the same amount of money to help those in poverty? Think of the needs that those dollars could meet. Think of M. Think of J.

Every week there are Missions envelopes in the pews. Each person at each service could put at least $1 into those envelopes. We would then have over $800 to contribute to those in need each month. We can make a difference. Think of the man and the starfish.

This is a generous congregation and I believe that God is at work inspiring us to pledge and to give. Recently, individuals in this church have called for additional monies to support outreach to the poor in our community and in the world. You will hear more about their message in the coming months from our stewardship committee. We can give these individuals our wholehearted support.

In addition to pledging and giving our money, what can we do? What better way to find answers than to look to today’s gospel.

First, we can join in Christ’s ministry to respond not only to the message to give to the poor but to the message to change our society and our world.

Following the example of the four men, we can lower poverty into our midst. That is, we can become informed of what is happening in our society and in our world and bring it before this congregation for a faithful response.

We can take the time to look into the faces of the poor. I didn’t realize how important this was until a homeless woman I am working with said “If you were not working with me, I could pass by you on the street and you would never even look at me.” She may have been right about this.

We can help to end the cycle of self blame and despair. We can speak out against the harmful rhetoric that blames those in need and name the real causes of poverty that exist in our society and in our world.

We can become aware of the real needs of the poor and bring those needs to this congregation. Perhaps you will read something in the paper or hear of something at your place of work or know of a neighbor who is struggling. If you do, you can share it with the Missions Board or with Bruce.

This congregation recently decided to participate in the Adopt a Social Worker Program, a program through the Department of Children and Families. This program will give us the opportunity to respond to the real needs of children who live in poverty just a few miles from this church. As a congregation and as individuals we can make every effort to meet those needs.

We give more freely of our time and our talents. There are many ways to do this. Think of Joe. Think of Chris.

Yes, when the man was brought to Jesus, he was brought by others who believed in the message of Isaiah, who had faith that Jesus would “set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4:18) and so tore the roof apart and placed the man before Him. Let us now respond to the call to do likewise. Let us resolve to follow the example of those people of long ago, to join our hands and our hearts together and to tear apart those things that separate the poor from God’s will for them. Amen.