Have you watched the Disney animated version of “Robin Hood”? The handsome and debonair hero, a fox, follows the classic pattern of robbing the rich to give to the poor. And we get to meet the poor of Nottingham: the honest laborer with a broken leg; and the “widder lady” with her three well-behaved young bunnies. If we consider the matter at all, we can figure out why these people are poor. They don’t have the means to adequately support themselves and their families. The sheriff who takes what little they have to add to the coffers of Prince John is a villain worthy of the title.
Good and evil are so easy to sort out in such stories. The poor are honest, decent, hard-working folk under the oppression of the greedy and cold-hearted rich and powerful. It’s easy to see this same divide in Proverbs, where the rich and powerful are warned that God himself will take up for the poor.
If only life were so simple. Have you seen the faces of the poor in your community? If you have, you may wonder if everyone living in poverty is as decent, honest, and hard-working as the citizens of Nottingham. Are they poor because they have no path out of poverty or because they are disinclined to follow a path that requires perseverance and hard work? Have they discovered that surviving on handouts is easier and more pleasant than working?
Who “plunders the poor” (see Proverbs 22:23) in our society? Is it the faceless tax-collecting government agencies? Is it the equally faceless banks who foreclose on unpaid mortgages? Is it states who foster the belief among those who have little that a lottery ticket is their best route to financial freedom? Is it us?
If we listen long to advocates for the global poor, we will hear about poor labor conditions in developing nations where large companies take advantage of the poor by giving them low-paying jobs in unhealthy work environments. We’re urged to demand that such businesses change their ways. So how should that affect our shopping decisions? When choosing between a pair of athletic shoes made by an oppressed worker in China and one of equal quality for more money made by a union laborer in Cleveland, what is the best stewardship of our resources? How do we know as we examine the shoes whether the Chinese worker is oppressed or blessed by the opportunity to exchange hard work for money? How do we know that the Cleveland worker isn’t somehow being oppressed by his/her employer? How much research are we obliged to do into the companies behind the goods we buy? Can we trust those who would do our research for us? If we looked at the same data they have and talked to the people involved, would we draw the same conclusions they do?
“The poor you will always have with you...” (Matthew 26:11). What keeps them in poverty and how can we best help them out rather than tighten the chains around them? Are they oppressed or lazy? Are they in need of charity or of healing and a push toward responsibility and self-sufficiency? How do we make sure our charity is a boost out of poverty rather than enabling those who choose a destructive lifestyle to continue along that path?
The apostle Paul reminded the believers in Thessalonica that he had told them: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). That’s tough love. How do we tell the difference between “will not” and “cannot” in those who are not working? How do we break down the barriers for those who cannot work for various reasons?
Proverbs doesn’t give us many clear-cut answers to these questions, but it does caution us to be on the side of the poor rather than siding with their oppressors. That and the wisdom that comes with the fear of the Lord give us a good place to start.
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Thursday, September 21, 2006
The Proverbs 31 Woman
The lesson for Sept 24 includes four verses from Proverbs 31. Ah, the Proverbs 31 woman. I've had a rocky relationship with her through the years. She's so very competent, always on top of things. I am so very incompetent. Mother's Day is her day. Preachers everywhere cite her virtues while we mere mortals cringe at how far we fall short of the standard she sets.
At least that's the way I used to feel. However, as I've become better acquainted with this woman while reading about her every year on my way through Proverbs, I've actually become quite fond of her.
The first step along this journey came when I somehow acquired a copy of Help! I'm Being Intimidated by the Proverbs 31 Woman: My Battles with a Role Model Who's Larger Than Life by Nancy Kennedy (Multnomah Books, 1995). I'm not sure whether the content of the book or the title did me more good. It was simply nice to realize that I was not alone in my negative feelings. Finding an equally intimidated friend in the author allowed me to relax a little with this woman who burns the candle at both ends and has her household under total control.
The next step was at a Ladies' Retreat where Liz Curtis Higgs was the speaker. She pointed out that it was King Lemuel's mother who described this ideal wife. This is the kind of woman the king's mother wants for her son. Did King Lemuel find such a wife? We don't know. We only know that the poor woman he married had a mother-in-law with some fierce expectations.
What finally brought me around to actually learn to love the Proverbs 31 woman was simply reading about her without the extra baggage that comes with Mother's Day sermons. I mean, look at this lady. She is certainly not your common female Bible character. How many times have we heard about the role of women in the Bible? It was a patriarchal society. Women were on the same level as children and slaves. It was scandalous that Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman in John 4. We hear the role of Bible women described and can picture the cloaked women in modern Islamic fundamentalist societies, faces covered, scooting along in the shadows as second-class citizens.
But look at this Proverbs 31 woman! She doesn't fit the mold. While her husband is chewing the fat down at the city gate (probably involved in politics with more talk than action), she is out wheeling and dealing, buying a field, providing merchants with sashes. She's a business woman and a manager, taking full responsibility for her household. She has staff! The men down at the city gate speak highly of her. The respect they give her husband reflects their respect for her. What a lady! I think I'd like her. Sure, she accomplishes more in a day than I do in a month. I'll introduce my daughters to her so that they can see that their opportunities are not limited by their gender. Here is a woman who demonstrates that we do not have to hide in the shadows. We can use our management skills to their full potential.
The point of the lesson in referring to these verses is respect and honor. There is mutual respect between the Proverbs 31 woman and her husband. She brings him good, not harm. He praises her. Both of them are well thought of down at the city gate. They each enhance the other.
Yep, I like this lady. She's not back in the tent using manipulation in order to get her own way in a patriarchal society like Sarah and Rebekah. She's down at the wharf checking out the latest boatload of merchandise or in her home office planning next month's household schedule.
So, hurrah for the Proverbs 31 woman. You go, girl!
At least that's the way I used to feel. However, as I've become better acquainted with this woman while reading about her every year on my way through Proverbs, I've actually become quite fond of her.
The first step along this journey came when I somehow acquired a copy of Help! I'm Being Intimidated by the Proverbs 31 Woman: My Battles with a Role Model Who's Larger Than Life by Nancy Kennedy (Multnomah Books, 1995). I'm not sure whether the content of the book or the title did me more good. It was simply nice to realize that I was not alone in my negative feelings. Finding an equally intimidated friend in the author allowed me to relax a little with this woman who burns the candle at both ends and has her household under total control.
The next step was at a Ladies' Retreat where Liz Curtis Higgs was the speaker. She pointed out that it was King Lemuel's mother who described this ideal wife. This is the kind of woman the king's mother wants for her son. Did King Lemuel find such a wife? We don't know. We only know that the poor woman he married had a mother-in-law with some fierce expectations.
What finally brought me around to actually learn to love the Proverbs 31 woman was simply reading about her without the extra baggage that comes with Mother's Day sermons. I mean, look at this lady. She is certainly not your common female Bible character. How many times have we heard about the role of women in the Bible? It was a patriarchal society. Women were on the same level as children and slaves. It was scandalous that Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman in John 4. We hear the role of Bible women described and can picture the cloaked women in modern Islamic fundamentalist societies, faces covered, scooting along in the shadows as second-class citizens.
But look at this Proverbs 31 woman! She doesn't fit the mold. While her husband is chewing the fat down at the city gate (probably involved in politics with more talk than action), she is out wheeling and dealing, buying a field, providing merchants with sashes. She's a business woman and a manager, taking full responsibility for her household. She has staff! The men down at the city gate speak highly of her. The respect they give her husband reflects their respect for her. What a lady! I think I'd like her. Sure, she accomplishes more in a day than I do in a month. I'll introduce my daughters to her so that they can see that their opportunities are not limited by their gender. Here is a woman who demonstrates that we do not have to hide in the shadows. We can use our management skills to their full potential.
The point of the lesson in referring to these verses is respect and honor. There is mutual respect between the Proverbs 31 woman and her husband. She brings him good, not harm. He praises her. Both of them are well thought of down at the city gate. They each enhance the other.
Yep, I like this lady. She's not back in the tent using manipulation in order to get her own way in a patriarchal society like Sarah and Rebekah. She's down at the wharf checking out the latest boatload of merchandise or in her home office planning next month's household schedule.
So, hurrah for the Proverbs 31 woman. You go, girl!
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
21st Century Nazarene Sunday School
After 19 months of random ramblings on my other blog, I think I finally have a theme and a purpose for blogging -- young adult Sunday School.
I lead the young adult Sunday School class at the Odon Church of the Nazarene in Odon, Indiana. Actually, I'm not supposed to call it "Sunday School" because that's an old-fashioned program associated with children. We are officially an "adult Bible fellowship group" or just a "small group". However, since we meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am and generally use official Nazarene Sunday School curriculum, I'm calling it Sunday School here. Maybe if I myself were truly a young adult, I would care about the name. But as it turns out, I am more concerned about other things.
We do study the Bible and enjoy adult fellowship, by the way.
My blogging experience to date has taught me several things:
1. Search engines pick up blogs quite easily.
2. People will follow a link to a blog even when it is obviously not the most relevant hit found by a search engine.
3. A surprising number of people end up at a blog site. In just over a year, since attaching a counter to my other blog, there have been over 4,000 hits on it. That's a small number compared to blogs that actually say something, but a satisfying flow of readers as far as I'm concerned. Many have come off the search engines while looking for something else. Others followed links pointing to my blog. A few came looking specifically for me.
So anyway, it seems like maybe it's time to have a blog that says something, that has a purpose. I could rename my other blog, but I might still want to post random ramblings, so I think I'll keep it. Thus, this is a new blog with the following goals:
1. To provide informal commentary on our weekly Sunday School lessons. Currently, we're using the official WordAction adult curriculum from the Nazarene Publishing House.
2. To explore subjects related in some way to the weekly topics (either before or after the Sunday we study them together) in written form.
3. To invite others to participate by leaving comments.
4. To invite those who are interested and close enough to join us on Sunday morning.
As best as those who study such things can determine, only 20% of all blogs are still active after a year. I've beat the odds on one blog. We'll see how this one goes.
I lead the young adult Sunday School class at the Odon Church of the Nazarene in Odon, Indiana. Actually, I'm not supposed to call it "Sunday School" because that's an old-fashioned program associated with children. We are officially an "adult Bible fellowship group" or just a "small group". However, since we meet on Sunday mornings at 9:30 am and generally use official Nazarene Sunday School curriculum, I'm calling it Sunday School here. Maybe if I myself were truly a young adult, I would care about the name. But as it turns out, I am more concerned about other things.
We do study the Bible and enjoy adult fellowship, by the way.
My blogging experience to date has taught me several things:
1. Search engines pick up blogs quite easily.
2. People will follow a link to a blog even when it is obviously not the most relevant hit found by a search engine.
3. A surprising number of people end up at a blog site. In just over a year, since attaching a counter to my other blog, there have been over 4,000 hits on it. That's a small number compared to blogs that actually say something, but a satisfying flow of readers as far as I'm concerned. Many have come off the search engines while looking for something else. Others followed links pointing to my blog. A few came looking specifically for me.
So anyway, it seems like maybe it's time to have a blog that says something, that has a purpose. I could rename my other blog, but I might still want to post random ramblings, so I think I'll keep it. Thus, this is a new blog with the following goals:
1. To provide informal commentary on our weekly Sunday School lessons. Currently, we're using the official WordAction adult curriculum from the Nazarene Publishing House.
2. To explore subjects related in some way to the weekly topics (either before or after the Sunday we study them together) in written form.
3. To invite others to participate by leaving comments.
4. To invite those who are interested and close enough to join us on Sunday morning.
As best as those who study such things can determine, only 20% of all blogs are still active after a year. I've beat the odds on one blog. We'll see how this one goes.
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