It was a long, hot and dusty drive, one of many that a group of us from the Congregational Federation did during our visit to see Christian Aid’s work in Nicaragua back in 2012. The travelling may have been uncomfortable, but it gave us the chance to talk to Christian Aid staff in more depth about their work. One thing that Alex, Christian Aid’s Country Manager, said has particularly stuck in my mind ever since. “I’m never very comfortable with the use of words like ‘poor’ and ‘poverty’,” he said. “A better way to describe the people that Christian Aid helps is that they are marginalised.”
To the best of my recollection, Graham Kendrick was not in the car with us (I think I would have remembered!), but I am sure he would have understood that sentiment. “Beauty for brokenness” is probably my favourite of all his wonderful hymns and songs. It succinctly and evocatively captures the challenges faced by all who work alongside the most marginalised in our world. I often think that the words of the hymn read like they could be a mission statement for any NGO working in lower income countries like Nicaragua. Many such organisations exist to provide “bread for the children” but also more widely to provide “shelter for fragile lives, cure for their ills, work for the craftsmen [and] trade for their skills”.
The hymn also reminds us that as we do this, we must protect our fragile planet. We must ensure that there is “rest for the ravaged earth, oceans and streams” It calls us to “end our madness, carelessness, greed” and to be “content with the things that we need.”
At the heart of the hymn are two golden threads which run through its five verses. The first is a call for justice and for peace. The marginalised in our world need “voices that plead the cause of those who can’t speak”. They need people to campaign for “land for the disposed” and “rights for the weak.” As we see the chilling images coming out of Israel, Palestine and Ukraine, we know that those caught up in these struggles need “refuge from cruel wars” and “havens from fear” more than ever. They need people to call for “peace to the killing fields” and pray that scorched earth may be turned to green.
The second golden thread is a reminder and a call to action. The reminder is that our God is on the side of the poor, the marginalised and the weak. He cares as much for those on both sides in the Israel-Palestine conflict and for all marginalised communities in places such as Nicaragua, as he does for you and me.
The call to action is that He wants us to do the same.
God of the poor
Friend of the weak
Give us compassion we pray
Melt our cold hearts
Let tears fall like rain
Come, change our love
From a spark to a flame
Philip Clarke
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