“If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah 58:10
Hosiah and Constance pastor a small struggling church in South Africa. Even before the worldwide increase in food prices, the little money Hosiah earned doing part time work barely bought enough food for his family. But recently, their own struggles were overshadowed by the desperation of others. Daily they turned away mothers pleading for food to keep their children from starving. Fortunately, Willow’s Global Connections ministry was able to provide funding that enabled Hosiah and Constance to continue their ministry of compassion in their community. Unfortunately, the global food crisis is creating more and more stories of hunger and starvation. Experts estimate nearly 100 million poor people have moved from a subsistence lifestyle on $2 a day to an astoundingly meager $1 per day. For some, this means moving from a diet of bread and tea to a diet of tea alone.
The food crisis is also hitting closer to home. Willow’s food pantry is currently feeding 2500 local families each month—more than ever before—and that number keeps rising. The growing economic crisis guarantees escalating hunger in both developed and developing countries as we move into 2009.
Broad changes in economic and agricultural policy could significantly help many of the world’s working poor. Christians must pray earnestly for the wisdom of global leaders and become vocal advocates for just, biblical solutions that will lead toward a stable economy and an adequate food supply. In the meantime, we must respond to the world’s crisis with grace and unprecedented generosity.
We worship a God whose Incarnation in Jesus Christ assigned dignity to the human family, showed us how to live in loving community, and ushered in his kingdom of restoration and redemption. As we proclaim the message of Jesus’ coming in this season of Advent, we offer life-giving food for hungry souls. I pray that this Christmas every Christian will also celebrate Jesus by providing life-giving food for hungry bodies.
Willow’s annual year-end fund will restock the shelves of our food pantry and support the ongoing efforts of our ministry partners in Africa. Is there a local food pantry you, your small group, or your church could adopt and restock? Could you make a special donation to a Christian organization that provides food to the hungry in the developing world? If you’re not sure what to do, would you be willing to set aside a day to fast and pray about your response to global hunger?
As is true in most churches now, many Willow members and attendees have lost jobs, homes or savings in the recent economic crisis. We are praying and trusting that those with available resources will give freely to make up for those who no longer have the ability to contribute. We are encouraging families to spend less on their own wants so they can give more to others’ needs. And we are trusting in the words of Isaiah, that if we spend ourselves on behalf of the hungry, our light—the light of Christ—will rise in the darkness of this needy world.
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