Food for thought…

Those who know me well will know how much bigging up anyone who plays for Manchester United distresses me – but I have to take my proverbial hat off to the young man pictured, Marcus Rashford, not for his footballing prowess but for his courage and determination to stand up for those who have little or no voice to speak for themselves. As you probably know Rashford suffered from what we might call childhood poverty and understands how it feels to not know if you are going to get a proper meal during the day. Because of his position in the public eye he has been able to speak out on the issue and make a difference. He certainly is not the stereotypical footballer who is only concerned about money, fast cars and looking good.
I don’t know if Rashford has any faith, but what he has been doing is exactly what Jesus would want those who follow Him to do – stand up for the forgotten, the oppressed, those on the margins of our society, even if that means challenging those in positions of power in the nation. And with the advent of further lockdowns due to the second wave of Covid-19, and the loss of income many will suffer as a result, more people will find themselves in a position of needing help to feed their families.
Someone once said that the measure of a nation is found in how it treats the least in its society – and of course as Christians we know children, widows, orphans and the poor hold a special place in God’s heart. So what happened on Wednesday in Parliament would seem to say that we are not a very “Great” country any more. 
Christians Against Poverty have launched a petition to get Wednesday’s decision reversed, and I would urge anyone who reads this to sign it – you can find it at:  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/554276/ or by going to CAP’s website.
But what else could we as Christians be doing? How can we speak up for those in our area and nationally who cannot speak up for themselves? Write to our MP expressing disappointment and concern – his address is: richard.fuller.mp@parliament.uk
And of course we can follow the words and teachings of Jesus and get involved locally too, through the Foodbank, or the Veg scheme set up by Sharon and Ashley, and by giving practical support in other ways where appropriate. Let me leave you with some words of Jesus: “let the little children come  to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19v14) and perhaps more pertinently today, ” I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when…’ The King will reply, ‘ Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me.” (Matthew 25v34-40).
How can we do it for Him today?
God bless, stay well
Martin