Breaking hearts

I have, in the past, asked God to break my heart for what breaks His.
This Sunday we had nearly 130 different children in the NCLC kids church.

There is a real cross section of socio-economic, racial and gender groups. I get to hear of the issues that some of these children face when they go back home.
I thought I would let you know of some of them. These are just from our kids church not the youth!!! Thats a whole other story.

These are some of the issues the children face:
-self harm of a 8 year old
-emotional & physical abuse
-parents mental health
-aunty's death the night before due to drug overdose.
-rat bites on ankles
-anniversary of dad's suicide
-dad sleeping with grandmother
-extreme poverty
-parents in prison
-lack of parental control or care
-the only carer for a disabled parent

I don't know about you but this is almost too much to bear at times. These are not little issues, some of them would crush many of us. Our children are trying to cope with this.
The church has to have an answer. The answer is Christ, but not just preached through clever sermons and intellectual theology or worshipped with great songs and production but worshipped with a towel wrapped round our waist and washing feet. Doing things for the least of these.
We are trying to build a church that places value on the young and old, on the rich and the poor, the broken and the captive.
A church that carries Christ into our world and brings hope.
A church that proclaims God's favour in a broken world.
We make mistakes, we lose focus and sometimes people get lost in the process but I guess, just like the early church we trying to be a faithful presence in our community.
Our answer is not JUST social programs but introducing people to Christ. Hope for this life and the next.

Our heart should be breaking because God's is.
Christ is the answer and the church is his vehicle.


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