Day 36 - Simple living

I hope you have all seen, at least once, the powerful video clip put together by Catherine Booton and sent out by the Congregational Federation on March 9th: In the face of war I’m so small. Yet love is big.

For me, this poem by John Roedel encapsulates our feelings of hopelessness and helplessness when faced with disasters, especially man-made ones.

North Moreton, near Didcot in Oxfordshire, has been dubbed “Britain’s kindest village” because its population of 350 people has offered homes to 50 Ukrainians. I considered offering a home to a Ukrainian person or couple but I would need to contravene Roedel’s advice: “the only thing I can do is love the next person I encounter without any conditions or strings”. My list of conditions or strings is rather long: non-smoker, unaccompanied by pets, continent…

While I was pondering on this reflection, I was sewing and listening to a Stuart Townend CD, The Journey. One track in particular made me pause: Simple Living.

“O teach me Lord to walk this road, the road of simple living;

to be content with what I own and generous in giving.

And when I cling to what I have, please wrest it quickly from my grasp;

I'd rather lose all the things of earth to gain the things of heaven.”

The song begins with the rich young man coming to Jesus (Matthew 19:16-22) and asking what good deed he must do to gain eternal life. The Bible tells us he had kept the commandments, including “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. But if he had truly kept this commandment, why did he still have possessions and money? Perhaps because his view of “neighbour” was skewed.

Today my neighbour is trapped in Mariupol or fleeing from Lviv into Poland. But if I had sold up and given everything away when the Horn of Africa crisis happened or that in Myanmar occurred, I would have nothing left to help Ukrainians.

We live in an affluent area – if the evidence for that is the number of times people appear on our doorstep trying to get us to subscribe to their specific charity. I have to say: “My charitable giving is already decided for this year – but thanks for calling” or “Your charity does wonderful work and, although both my husband and I have suffered with cancer, we have no more charity funds to allocate at the moment”.

However, I do NOT live simply and I DO cling to what I have. I have two occupational pensions as well as my State Pension. I worked for those and paid in voluntarily, sacrificing income then for income now. BUT, I had the privilege of being able to work, of being born in a wealthy country.

Father God, I thank you that I am rich in worldly terms; help me to remember this at all times.

Lord Jesus, help all of us to live more simply and to care for all our neighbours.

Holy Spirit, guide us as we decide which charities to support both as individuals and as churches. Amen.

Elaine Kinchin