As I walked down the dusty streets of Mbale, Uganda, a small boy holding my hand looked up and asked what position I played. Looking ahead to the brown field I realized that when it came to soccer, these boys were all business.
“Defense,” I replied.
It had been my first day spent with Child Restoration Outreach, and I was sweating. Covered in dirt and out of breath, I sat down to check out my now bleeding toenails. Apparently, barefoot soccer with African orphans is more than my feet had bargained for.
I once heard a speaker say, “We need to know the faces of the people behind the issues we are concerned about.” I liked that. I think the moment an issue becomes a name we are more likely to do something.
In the past I had been involved with Invisible Children, a non-profit that seeks to end the conflict in Uganda and stop the abduction of children for use as child soldiers. I recall lobbying in D.C. as well as attending rallies at the capitol, but never had I seen the faces of those I longed to help.
Sitting in my college dorm I remember reading Bible verses like, “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow,” and thinking, “What can I do?”
Fast forwarding to Bemidji and my role as a worship leader, I’m still asking that question. In the midst of a life easily swept up in the latest deadlines I pray that I don’t ever lose sight of the faces. Just as soccer players have positions on a field, so does a Christian in the Kingdom of God. All these positions should be advancing the Kingdom towards the needs of the oppressed and hurting. The “good news” needs to be more than a well-executed Sunday service for those who have no home; it cannot simply be a word of encouragement for those who have no food; a personal prayer of salvation means little to a single mother struggling to make ends meet. Her salvation must be holistic.
The reality is that hurting people are all around us. Local groups like Servants of Shelter, Evergreen House, and countless others live out the cause of justice everyday.
Whatever our position in the Kingdom, may we continually seek after the Christ who calls us to see and serve the least of these in our midst.
