If I asked you to close your eyes while I said the word “household,” what would come to mind?
Caring people?
A table with food, shared with family and friends?
Shelter?
Warmth?
Friendly voices?
Love?
Yes? Did I think of some of the same things you did? I imagine we all think of many of these same things when we think about a household. Yet there are many in this world who don’t enjoy those comforts that we may automatically think of when we hear that word. Household.
People like Mimita whose home and life in Puerto Rico were literally torn apart by Hurricane Maria.
Or like Abdi who lost her husband and had to trek for days with her small children through a war-torn region of Somalia to bring the family to a place where they could find food and shelter. Did I mention that she was pregnant at the time?
And Monica, whose day-to-day peace of mind was threatened by a predatory landlord who brought false charges against her time after time as he tried to evict her in order to rent her New Jersey apartment for more money.
What do you think these three women think when they hear the word “household?” Not comfort but perhaps discomfort. Not a hot meal but wondering where the next meal is coming from. Not shelter and warmth but sky above where once a roof had been.
But this is not the end of these stories, for where there is life, there is hope. Where God is, there is hope. Together, we become the household of God. Through One Great Hour of Sharing, we extend shelter to those who have no place to stay, offer compassion to those who have pain—be it physical, emotional or spiritual—and we set a feast, with God, for those who lack access to enough food to eat. May we be called, as Isaiah said, to be “repairers of the breach.” To be the church in the world and active followers of our faith.
Through One Great Hour of Sharing, we are building a household with the suffering and the vulnerable— God’s household filled with love where everyone is welcome. Please give generously, for when we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.
(reflection from the PCUSA 2020 One Great Hour of Sharing offering resources)
Caring people?
A table with food, shared with family and friends?
Shelter?
Warmth?
Friendly voices?
Love?
Yes? Did I think of some of the same things you did? I imagine we all think of many of these same things when we think about a household. Yet there are many in this world who don’t enjoy those comforts that we may automatically think of when we hear that word. Household.
People like Mimita whose home and life in Puerto Rico were literally torn apart by Hurricane Maria.
Or like Abdi who lost her husband and had to trek for days with her small children through a war-torn region of Somalia to bring the family to a place where they could find food and shelter. Did I mention that she was pregnant at the time?
And Monica, whose day-to-day peace of mind was threatened by a predatory landlord who brought false charges against her time after time as he tried to evict her in order to rent her New Jersey apartment for more money.
What do you think these three women think when they hear the word “household?” Not comfort but perhaps discomfort. Not a hot meal but wondering where the next meal is coming from. Not shelter and warmth but sky above where once a roof had been.
But this is not the end of these stories, for where there is life, there is hope. Where God is, there is hope. Together, we become the household of God. Through One Great Hour of Sharing, we extend shelter to those who have no place to stay, offer compassion to those who have pain—be it physical, emotional or spiritual—and we set a feast, with God, for those who lack access to enough food to eat. May we be called, as Isaiah said, to be “repairers of the breach.” To be the church in the world and active followers of our faith.
Through One Great Hour of Sharing, we are building a household with the suffering and the vulnerable— God’s household filled with love where everyone is welcome. Please give generously, for when we all do a little, it adds up to a lot.
(reflection from the PCUSA 2020 One Great Hour of Sharing offering resources)
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