Friday 08 January 2021

Psalm 96

Background

Where I live at the moment most of the shops are within the local shopping centre, which is locked up at night so there are few rough sleepers in the doorways. Instead they tend to make their way to the large city not far from here. Having said that, I have seen my share of people sitting in our streets sometimes in silence, heads bowed, belongings gathered in black bags or rucksacks behind them waiting for someone – anyone – to acknowledge and respond to them.

 How easy it is to walk by. How much easier it is if we ‘don’t notice’ these human beings in need, or if we label them as wastrels, scroungers, addicts and the like to justify our lack of interest in them.

 Sitting and listening alongside a shared coffee or tea often gives a different story – a human story that frequently makes me realise "There but for the grace of God go I."

 In the reading today, Ruth is seeking to glean a few ears of grain. In Ruth 2:15 King Boaz tells his harvesters to leave a little extra of the harvested grain behind so that Ruth could gather it in order to sustain herself and Naomi. It was no grand gesture, it was not announced with herald calls. Rather, it was a very personal and human gesture and it made a world of difference to Ruth and Naomi.

 No one is called to change the whole world by tomorrow. Instead we are called to pay attention to the world immediately around us and the people who inhabit it. We are asked to share our good fortune with those who have been hardest hit by life regardless of how they ended up in that situation. A cup of tea or coffee (or even a sandwich) needn’t cost the earth and the gesture and the recognition from another human being can mean so much to a homeless person. The personal touch is the important thing.

To Ponder:

• Where are the small, unrecognised, un-noticed people in your community?
•  What could you do or get involved in to help them and others?