I Will Stand For The Vulnerable

There are Christians in this country casting people aside and they are doing it in Jesus’ name.

Think about that while I break it down…

Christians…

Christ followers…

Casting people aside…

People… made in God’s image…

CASTING PEOPLE ASIDE…

Just like trash…

And doing it in Jesus’ name.

What is wrong with this picture?

Let me clue you in on the answer: EVERYTHING IS WRONG

EVERYTHING

In the last few months, I have seen the worst in many people coming out.

Reprehensible behavior has been shrugged off or called justified.

Now, in the last month, we are seeing some of the most draconian orders coming from the current administration dealing with immigration, sexual and gendermidentity, racial issues, and equity (which also impacts women and the disabled).

There is so much to say about these orders (and, believe me, I will in later posts), but let me stick with this theme right now:

First, These orders are making entire groups of people more vulnerable, and attacking them in their vulnerability.

Second, and paramount for us: our obligation as Christ followers is to stand with the vulnerable.

This is not just a Jesus thing, either. It is a theme all through the Bible. Take care of those who are in need and are vulnerable.

Yes, the Bible uses words like “widow,” “orphan,” “mute,” “destitute,” “poor and needy.”

You know which one I like the most, though? It’s from Matthew 25, the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats:

The Least of These.

Just in case the rest of the Bible wasn’t clear enough, Jesus put it right out there.

The hungry.

The thirsty.

The stranger.

The naked.

The sick.

The prisoner.

Jesus said: “you help them, you help me.”

Jesus also said: “you refuse to help them, you refuse to help me.”

The least of these.

The vulnerable.

The people Jesus hung out with.

When we look at these people, WE ARE LOOKING AT JESUS.

When we help these people, WE ARE HELPING JESUS.

And, here’s the kicker. when we cast these people aside, WE ARE CASTING JESUS ASIDE.

Now tell me, how can Christ followers cast other people aside in Jesus’ name?

THEY CAN’T. Because, if they’re casting people aside, they’re casting Jesus aside, so they can’t be following him.

Full stop.

I told you to fasten your seat belts.

If we are going to follow Jesus, we are going to have to remember what he said about the Law and the Prophets. They all come down to two things:

Love God. Love people.

Sounds simple, but it isn’t, because here’s a quote from Dorothy Day that keeps me up at night:

“I only really love God as much as the person I love the least.”

Think about that. Now think about the person you love the least.

Love God. Love people.

That means ALL PEOPLE.

That means we stand for the vulnerable.

Now let me tell you what that means for me (and here’s where I may get in some trouble):

I’m going to stand for ALL the vulnerable:

I will stand for immigrants; yes, even undocumented immigrants. Please don’t call anyone illegal around me. It’s rude and it’s dehumanizing.

I will stand for ALL LGBTQ+ people. Period.

I will stand for ALL people impacted by the unwarranted attacks on DEI initiatives in the workplace. This goes back to another basic issue in our country I will address later.

If you are ANY of these people, I will stand with you. I will do whatever I can for you.

Will that upset some people? Maybe.

Do I care? Sorry.

Loving people is more important.

My friends, we are called to stand up for ALL the vulnerable. That won’t always be a cozy ride.

In the last few weeks in this country, we have millions more vulnerable than we had before, and we are going to have even more with time, the way it’s going.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that’s okay.

I can’t change policies, but I CAN stand up for those who are being made vulnerable.

So I will.

We ALL can.

It’s the least we can do.

It’s the Jesus way.