Years ago, we had Ileen Clifford come and share with us her experience of building the Essex Food Bank. One of the points she made was to acknowledge that there may be as many as 10% of the folks who access the food bank who may be abusing it. Some might feel discouraged by this thought. Indeed, there are many people who use the possibility of abuse as a reason not to help those in need. This idea has become so prevalent that society tends to cast a shadow on those who make use of social supports questioning what they have done to end up in this situation. We are encouraged to ask why they can’t pull themselves up by their bootstraps ignoring the reality that social systems have created circumstances where, metaphorically and literally, some people don’t have boots.
Recognising the potential for abuse could have become a cautionary tale that could have halted the creation of the Essex Food Bank. Ileen, however, chose to throw such caution to the wind. Through faith, Ileen chose to leave those might abuse the system to God, while she committed to using her gifts to help the 90% who she recognised as genuinely needing support.
Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
John the Baptist had made a splash in the community, figuratively and literally as he proclaimed a baptism for the forgiveness of sins saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” (Mt 3:2) The impact of his ministry was significant. There were many who chose to come and see, come and hear, and come and be baptised. Not everyone liked what he had to say or what he was doing and so he was arrested in an effort to silence him.
Those in power arrested John to silence him by limiting his opportunity to spread his message. This moment also served as a signal to any who followed John that a similar fate might befall them if they continued along the same path. John’s fate should have become a cautionary tale, a story to discourage those who might challenge the status quo, colour outside the lines, and point towards something different, something new, something transformative. John’s life, arrest, and death could have been a cautionary tale, and yet, Jesus, upon hearing of his arrest, instead of being discouraged and dissuaded, echoed John’s message saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’
Jesus echoed John’s message signaling to those who found meaning and hope in John that the story did not end with John’s arrest. There was more to be said, more to be learned. God wasn’t done with the community.
‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’ Jesus started with John’s message and then built upon it, bringing new faces into the story, including Simon, Andrew, James, and John, and revealing through his own life, death, and resurrection aspects of the good news that continue to be shared millennia later. In Jesus the world was given glimpses of what the Kingdom of God looks like and how, through our own lives, we can share that good news with others.
Jesus did this with courage and faith in God whose power working in and through human beings can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. This we know because God has done so from generation to generation. Drawing from John’s courage and Jesus’ courage, we too are asked to trust God, throw caution to the wind, and proclaim the good news that the Kingdom of God, a kingdom that is embodied through profound love, continues to be near.
We know what this looks like today. We remember it in the work of Ileen who threw caution to the wind and began the Essex Food Bank which continues to help thousands of people each year. We know how our faith has inspired us to take risks and throw caution to the wind as we serve those in need through the clothing cupboard and ongoing donations. We trust God and throw caution to the wind in our commitments to support and advocate alongside marginalised groups. We don’t get overly wrapped up in the status quo and colouring in the lines in our willingness to learn and, when we know better, seek to do better, seek to be better.
It isn’t always easy trusting God and taking chances for the sake of the Kingdom. It has been worth it as we have built new relationships and found our hearts filled with the grace of God’s love working in and through us. Knowing this, may we persist in our willingness to throw caution to the wind trusting God to colour outside the lines with us in all the ways we seek to embody what we have learned in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This we pray as we sing: (VT) 582 My Love Colours Outside the Lines