Two Sundays ago we observed the ancient Jewish tradition of the Festival of Shelters, or Lövhyddohögtid på Svenska. In the fifth book of Moses is written a description of what the tradition focuses on. God calls his people to remember that they were homeless wanderers in the desert for forty years before God led them to a permanent home. During this time they were totally dependent on God´s protection and mercy. They could not have survived on their own. But they did survive and God provided food and water for them in the desert.
When we settle down and accumulate wealth and possessions it becomes easy to forget. The tradition calls it´s observers to not become too comfortable. It is a human tendency to let selfish pride sink into our thinking. The rich can easily begin to think that their riches come from their own cunning or hard work.
When you eat, get full, build nice houses, and settle down, and when your herds and your flocks are growing large, your silver and gold are multiplying, and everything you have is thriving, don't become arrogant, forgetting the LORD your God: the one who rescued you from Egypt, from the house of slavery; (Deuteronomy 8:12-14)
God calls us to remember that everthing that we own we have received as a gift from God. We are called to be thankful and to share generously of the blessings we have been given. The tradition of the Festival of Shelters also calls us to resist an economic system that is built on capital, where greed has become a driving force, creating wealth for a few a poverty for many. We are called to see the homeless in our own city and the injustices and discrimination that push people out. And we are called to have compassion.
So to observe the Festival of Shelters we spent weeks thinking about how to decorate the church sanctuary in a way that would remind us of homeless in our own city, Luleå. We wanted to remember the people that experience discrimination and are pushed out of society in our own city. We reflected on the fact that Luleå Kommun continues to discriminate agains the homeless, providing shelter only for the few that happen to be registered in Luleå. Many homeless are forced to sleep outside because of this! We also remembered the threat of deportation to war that many of our neighbors live with each day who are refugees and asylum seekers. And we reflected on the stigmatisation of mental illness. We know that many who struggle with mental illness are completely isolated and do not receive the support they are in need of.
We painted banners and hung them. We cut out and hung chains of people connected at the hands to show our dependency on each other. And we built, as is tradtion, a temporary shelter to remember that any one of us could be homeless. We then shared in a service filled with music, Bible reading, and testimonies from those in our midst that have experienced homelessness themselves. We also took some time to pray to God for mercy and to give us generous hearts.
It was an unique service. Most of us are familiar with services that have some sort of hierarchy. We, as the participants, and the priest, not in this service though.
Everyone who wanted to was allowed to contribute something in the
worship. Three people then wanted to share their story with us. We were all a part of a community. Everybody shared the same worth.
The pinnacle of our worship was a reminder that Jesus is our source of life and fullfillment. We read the Gospel of John 6:35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty."
God loves and appreciates each and every one of us. Whether you own a home or live on the streets has no influence. You are loved and essential. But occasionally, we need to draw attention to it and remind people of it. As mentioned, we painted banners, and one of them had the following saying on it:
"Does God have favorite children or are we just picking favorites?"
The Festival of Shelters provides a clear response to the question. God doesn't have a favorite, we are all his favorites. As his favorites, it is our responsibility to love everybody the same way God loves you. To love someone else is to care for them as well. The homeless and those with mental illnesses are important too. We must also look after them.
So
this question obviously makes us point out the disparities we have in
our society here in Luleå and all over the world too. It is a rhetorical
question, because you can already guess the answer: it is not God who
has favorites, but us. We are to blame for the inequality that is
spreading in society and creating a gap between people. We are to blame
for the fact that people feel excluded from society and end up on the
streets. So it´s in our responsibility to stop those things from happening, because Jesus is not only with us everywhere, but also in each of us. In caring for others, you are also caring for Jesus.
So why don't we share some of what we own if we have so much of it? Even if it is only a simple "hello." It might significantly affect someone else's life. Just to let them know that they are still on our minds.
In previous years we have even spent the night outside in solidarity with the homeless in our city. One year we even camped outside the City Hall to protest the closing of the homeless shelter by the kommun. This year however we had only planned to spend a day outside with the homeless. But I (Josh) am again so blatantly reminded of my own priviledge! When the day came to be outside, I was sick with the flu. I chose to stay inside! How easy it is for me who has a house and food in my cupboards!
But the Festival of Shelters is not a time to feel guilty. It is not a shaming game for the rich. It is rather a time to be reminded of God´s goodness toward us. We do not love our neighbor out of duty or our own capacity to be good. We love our neighbor because God´s own love has transformed us! "This is how we know love: Jesus laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. But if someone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but refuses to help—how can the love of God dwell in a person like that?" (1 John 3:16-17)
Let us not be blinded by our comfort and priviledge, hoarding what we have in fear of not having enough. Our cups are overflowing! May we let the abundance of God´s goodness toward us flow out of us to each one we meet.
- Alicia Köhler, Valeria Elsholz, Joshua Armfield
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