Caring?

Perhaps you are old enough to remember the picture on the right.  It was a part of an ad campaign in the 70's called "Keep America Beautiful."  The commercial ends with a close up of a tear running down the Indian's cheek after a car drives by throwing trash that lands at his feet.  The idea was that the trash being thrown out so carelessly affected him so deeply that he cried and, perhaps, you should as well.  The picture became a symbol for caring about our environment.

I was reading Nehemiah just the other day and in chapter one, we find that some people came and gave a report to Nehemiah about the condition of the people and the city Jerusalem.  The report is not a good one!  The people are in distress and the city's walls are broken down.  The Bible tell us Nehemiah's response, "So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days" (Nehemiah 1:4).  He mourned over what he had learned.  He cared for his people.

When we look at the condition of our churches what do we discover?  We see that a majority of our churches are plateaued or declining.  We see churches that, over time, have focused more on the institution and no longer reflect the people that live around the church plant.  We see people who have never learned what it means to live life as a disciple of Jesus. 

When we look at our community what do we discover? 

How has what we have seen affected us?  Has it brought a deep sense of caring?