We live in a rich area. You can tell by the clothes the children wear. You can tell by the way the roads and the lawns are kept tidy. There are all the tell tale signs of prosperity around us.
On discovering that this week was a special campaign of the Micah Challenge movement here in Portugal and that yesterday, Saturday October 17th was the Global Day of Eradication of poverty, we wondered what do with our regular Saturday morning activity in the square. How can we inspire our little “Lusitos” who come to us every Saturday morning for crafts and colouring in to think in terms o
f need, and hunger and pain.
How do you communicate to four and five year olds these harsh realities that are so much a part of life for the half of the world they know nothing about. This was the result. A simple do-it-yourself little cardboard hut. It was easy for them to cut out and put together and provided a talking point. “How do you think it would be to live in a one-roomed hut with your mum and dad, brothers and sisters, grannies, cousins uncles and aunts. How would you all sleep? Where would you all go to the toilet?”
I think the message got across. It’s a constant challenge, knowing how to inject what we do (plasticine and colouring pencils) with the values of the Kingdom. But as Micah himself says.
He has shown you, o Man , what is good,
And what does the Lord require of you
To act justly
To love mercy
And to walk humble before your God.
...............................................................................Micah 6:8
In all that we are doing and trying to be, I think that has to be the key thing. It’s at one and the same time, a simple thing to follow, and yet a profoundly difficult balancing act to maintain.
What does it mean for me to practice justice and righteousness in my relationships with my friends. What is mercy and how do I show mercy to the people down my corridor. And when do I find clear time to walk humbly with my God.
On discovering that this week was a special campaign of the Micah Challenge movement here in Portugal and that yesterday, Saturday October 17th was the Global Day of Eradication of poverty, we wondered what do with our regular Saturday morning activity in the square. How can we inspire our little “Lusitos” who come to us every Saturday morning for crafts and colouring in to think in terms o
f need, and hunger and pain.How do you communicate to four and five year olds these harsh realities that are so much a part of life for the half of the world they know nothing about. This was the result. A simple do-it-yourself little cardboard hut. It was easy for them to cut out and put together and provided a talking point. “How do you think it would be to live in a one-roomed hut with your mum and dad, brothers and sisters, grannies, cousins uncles and aunts. How would you all sleep? Where would you all go to the toilet?”
I think the message got across. It’s a constant challenge, knowing how to inject what we do (plasticine and colouring pencils) with the values of the Kingdom. But as Micah himself says.
He has shown you, o Man , what is good,
And what does the Lord require of you
To act justly
To love mercy
And to walk humble before your God.
...............................................................................Micah 6:8
In all that we are doing and trying to be, I think that has to be the key thing. It’s at one and the same time, a simple thing to follow, and yet a profoundly difficult balancing act to maintain.
What does it mean for me to practice justice and righteousness in my relationships with my friends. What is mercy and how do I show mercy to the people down my corridor. And when do I find clear time to walk humbly with my God.
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