Protecting in Diversity

In Acts chapter 6, the early church faced its first internal crisis. The church was mainly Palestinian, but there was a growing number of Hellenistic Jews joining the community. As Greek-speaking Jews often moved to Jerusalem for their final years of life, they left behind their widows who were relatively unknown in the larger community. As the community was distributing food to the hungry among themselves, these Greek-speaking widows were being overlooked.

The apostles listened to the complaint. They recognized the need. They understood how the injustice originated. They resolved to respond. They appointed a task force of 7 to take oversight of the food distribution to resolve the unintentional injustice. We know their names. Each name given is Greek. None are Hebrew or Aramaic names. The Apostles determined that not only were they the ones aware of the problem, they were also the ones for whom fixing the issue was most important.

We are being told a segment of our community is facing injustice. We are being told that decisions and policy proposals reportedly made to protect children are having the opposite effect. They are, instead, causing harm to children and youth who tend to fly under our radar.

A good-faith effort to protect children requires listening to the concerns of those being silenced or overlooked.

A good-faith effort to protect children requires including unseen communities in the decision process.

A good-faith effort to protect children requires a pause to consider who is being adversely impacted.

A good-faith effort to protect children requires distinguishing angst over the unknown from real harm that impacts lives.

A good-faith effort to protect children takes the time to listen.

A good-faith effort to protect children would include those in the LGBTQ+ community and empower them to come to the table, to be seen, to be heard, to be taken seriously.

Anything less than this increases injustice. It harms children. It demonstrates that we can’t be bothered with responding to the needs of people whom God loves. It pits us against the very children we claim to protect.



— ©Copyright 2023, Christopher B. Harbin 



http://www.sermonsearch.com/contributors/104427/

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