{"id":284,"date":"2012-06-04T12:19:28","date_gmt":"2012-06-04T17:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/?p=284"},"modified":"2012-09-28T15:20:22","modified_gmt":"2012-09-28T20:20:22","slug":"we-are-all-beggars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/we-are-all-beggars\/","title":{"rendered":"“We are all beggars”"},"content":{"rendered":"

We close the Minnesota chapter of the “Advocating on the Road”\u00a0blog series with this reflection\u00a0by Kate Gaskill, ELCA Washington Office.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all beggars.\u00a0 This is true.\u201d\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0 – Martin Luther<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 1546, a dying Martin Luther scribbled this sentence on a piece of paper.\u00a0 It turned out to be one of the final missives Luther would physically write himself.\u00a0 The man who transformed Christianity and altered the course of world history with his pen ended his career and life with these words.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all beggars.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the final days of Luther\u2019s eventful (and often controversial) life, he united all people by saying that before God we are all sinful, in need of God\u2019s grace. Theologians debate the intent and meaning behind this heavily studied statement, but\u00a0 it is interesting to note that\u00a0 Luther made this point of common need by identifying all of us as beggars.\u00a0 He aligned us all as\u00a0 poor, as outcasts.<\/p>\n

Alone we are all beggars in the eyes of God, yet the risen Christ justifies us, lifts us from \u201cbeggar\u201d to \u201cchild\u201d, from \u201coutcast\u201d to \u201cbeloved.\u201d\u00a0 Through Christ, we are free to live joyfully in God\u2019s grace\u2014and we are free to serve\u2026 free to tear down the walls of poverty and inequality that divide our society.\u00a0 \u201cFor he is our peace,\u201d reads Ephesians 2:14, \u201cin his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us.\u201d<\/p>\n

It seems so often through our rhetoric and public policy, we distance ourselves from the beggar and we often reinforce walls.\u00a0 How reluctant are we to unify with all people, and especially the person who is in need?\u00a0 We often seek to do the very opposite of what Luther acknowledged\u00a0 on his deathbed.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want to be thought of as lowly, poor, or in need of help.<\/p>\n

Today people who use government assistance\u2014no matter how temporary\u2014are often vilified.\u00a0 We\u2019ve all heard the rhetoric, and sometimes it even comes from our elected officials.\u00a0 Parents who rely on state and federal hunger programs for meals are often deemed \u201clazy.\u201d\u00a0 Families who must transition to government assisted housing are part of the \u201cproblem.\u201d\u00a0 Children who rely on programs, like the Minnesota Family Investment Program\u2014or SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) or WIC (Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children) \u201cthreaten\u201d our nation\u2019s financial solvency.<\/p>\n

Therefore, life-saving programs are cut.\u00a0 Proven effective ways <\/a>of aiding direct need and creating self-sufficiency are abandoned.\u00a0 We don\u2019t seem to see the people behind policies\u2026 or if we do, we immediately separate ourselves from\u00a0them.\u00a0 \u201cThey are different than me\u201d, we might say, \u201cThey are a beggar.\u201d\u00a0 We build a wall between ourselves and the others.<\/p>\n

But Luther reminds us that in the eyes of God, \u201cWe are all<\/em> beggars.\u201d\u00a0 How can we separate ourselves from this commonality?\u00a0 Regardless of socioeconomic status, race, or gender, we are alike in our need for forgiveness and grace\u2014given to us through Christ.\u00a0 And because of our freedom in Christ, how can we reject Christ\u2019s example of breaking down the divisions between us and our neighbors?<\/p>\n

Governments, at their best, can help tear down walls between people. They can be a gift that enables nations to live peacefully with one another and help cycle people out of poverty.\u00a0 Government programs can aid immediate need all over the world, and government policies can help shatter cycles of homelessness, conflict, and hunger.\u00a0 But this good government requires participation and direct advocacy from constituents.\u00a0 It requires action from ELCA members\u2014and our partners\u2014to speak out for just government that serves the common good.<\/p>\n

As Christians in the United States, we have unique opportunities to speak out for policies\u2014like the Minnesota Family Investment Program, or SNAP and WIC\u2014that help restore lives.\u00a0 We also have the duty to reject harmful rhetoric that vilifies, and may even dehumanize, those living in poverty.\u00a0 We are called to align ourselves with the beggar.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are all beggars.\u00a0 This is true.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We close the Minnesota chapter of the “Advocating on the Road”\u00a0blog series with this reflection\u00a0by Kate Gaskill, ELCA Washington Office.\u00a0 \u201cWe are all beggars.\u00a0 This is true.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 – Martin Luther In 1546, a dying Martin Luther scribbled this sentence on a piece of paper.\u00a0 It turned out to be one of the final missives Luther […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7389,7387,7384],"tags":[7388],"class_list":["post-284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-advocating-on-the-road-series","category-human-dignity","category-hunger-and-poverty","tag-advocating-on-the-road"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n"We are all beggars" - ELCA Advocacy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.elca.org\/advocacy\/we-are-all-beggars\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""We are all beggars" - 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