Words'nTone

I was planning a comment about worship.  But something had gotten in the way.  I was with my wife at the Fairfield Stopn’Shop, picking up milk and cheese and bread.  The town bag lady, wheelchair bound with plastic bags filled with her cans and other useful collected items hanging all around, had knocked over an end-cap of cookies.  She was trying to pick them up.  She couldn’t reach them on the floor.  Perhaps working where I do at a Community Action Agency (a human service agency) that helps low-income families made it second nature to respond and help her.  But I must confess, it wasn’t.  I still had to think twice.  What bothered me in this nice super-market on the edge of Suburbia was that she was being ignored, avoided by people who could plainly see she needed help.  I was more angered by that—so I forgot my discomfort, my own tendency to avoid such unbecoming, unkempt, unpredictable, undesirable people and picked up the packages of cookies for her.

She was grateful.  Even asked blessings on me and told my wife to give me a kiss for her.  And she smelled.  Man, did she smell.  I patted her on the shoulder and told her it wasn’t a problem to help and that I was sure my wife would give me a kiss later.  She rolled off.  Lisa and I went to look for some cheese.  My wife commented, “People can be so mean.” I didn’t disagree, but I replied, “I don’t think it’s meanness.  I think people are uncomfortable.  They don’t know what to do with people like the bag lady.  I’d even say they are scared.  Unfortunate people like this are unpredictable, messy, smelly…I bet you anything, that was the first time she had been touched in a long time.”

Here’s where my mind wandered as Lisa and I finished our shopping:  Leviticus 19:9-10 says:

“Now when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very corners of your field, nor shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest.  Nor shall you glean your vineyard, nor shall you gather the fallen fruit of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the needy and for the stranger.  I am the LORD your God.”

What does it mean to the Christian community to worship (see I got to that subject) in a place where there are those that are “needy” and who are “strangers”?  How do we not reap to the “very corners of your fields,” leaving nothing for the needy and economically vulnerable?  In other words, how does the Christian community, my church, your church, obey this command?  Or, do we safely say, it is the Old Testament and we are under no obligation?  We’re excused.  We’re safe.  In worship every Sunday I think about these things.  How can I go before God and not think about it?

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