“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” – James 1:27
Caring for orphans and widows is a common instruction in the Old Testament. In a patriarchal society, orphans and widows on their own would not have had the means to provide for themselves without a male head of household. They are mentioned often in the Bible because they were among the most vulnerable people back then. Immigrants are also listed alongside them as another vulnerable group (see Jeremiah 7:5-7). Part of what it means to be people of faith is to help and care for those who are at risk or in need. This is rooted in God’s own identity: Deuteronomy 10:17–19 shows that God is deeply concerned for anyone who is vulnerable, especially orphans, widows, and foreigners.
During normal times, our church does a good job of honoring God’s concern for and commands about those who are in need. That inclination has served us well now, because we were ready to step up and reach out to folks when the pandemic shutdown began. Not only are orphans, widows, and immigrants still vulnerable, but now there is increased risk for the elderly and for folks with other health conditions. Even simple things like going to the grocery store can carry the risk of infection. Hopefully one result of this virus time is that we as a society are more mindful of people who are in need or at risk. Hopefully in the future we as a society will think about who might be hurting, or suffering, or lonely, and what we can do address the problem. It is also my hope that our church can help show society how to do that well. We’ve been at it a long time, because it has been God’s command for millennia.
A few weeks ago, a law professor at the University of Michigan named Len Niehoff wrote, “If we view ourselves as besieged victims who need to go into hiding, then we will cultivate fear and hoarding. If we view ourselves as a community working hard to protect the most vulnerable among us, then we will cultivate courage and helping. Mindset matters.” That sounds like the mindset that God’s people have been developing since the Old Testament. May we continue to cultivate that within ourselves, and be a true example to others how and why we do it.