It was just after Christmas that the world changed for many and the word "tsunami" became a recurring theme on nightly newscasts and in newspaper headlines. The incredible loss of life and property will, in the end, reach staggering numbers that most of us will have trouble wrapping our minds around. The response of the entire world, including our own country, has been admirable as billions of dollars and thousands of relief workers from around the world have poured into the devastated areas.On a recent Monday evening, I along with several others from our church had the privilege of leading a chapel service at the Union Gospel Mission in Sioux Falls. There was a crowd of about seventy in attendance, mostly men. They came for a hot meal, and a part of the deal was that they had to sit through a chapel service first. They were good sports about it. They sang the songs, listened to a message, and then were served a hot meal. Many of the people were also staying in the Mission’s facilities, receiving a hot shower and a bed for the night.There is an important connection between those two events.When something large happens, it gets our attention, and rightly so. 200,000 deaths is not just a statistic, it is the death of 200,000 individuals. People matter. Individual people matter. They matter to Jesus, they should matter to us.The global response to the tsunami has been incredible to watch, but a part of me wonders if we are responding to what has happened to people or to the tsunami itself. Don’t get me wrong. I think the amount of relief pouring in is great; it’s the right thing to do. But why is the response to a big event like the tsunami so much greater than the response to people right here around us?The men I talked to at the Union Gospel Mission are important to Jesus, too. They matter to Him, they should matter to us. They have lives, families, hopes, and potential. One man told me that he was ten days sober and taking it a day at a time. Another man had recently been beaten into a coma down in Florida but dreams of writing and singing music. Those men matter.Frankly, we don’t have to look across the border into South Dakota either. Right here in Rock County there are hurting, needy individuals who matter to Jesus. Do they matter to you? When John the Baptizer was preaching in the wilderness, he told the people, "If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry" (Luke 3:11 New Living Translation). In Matthew chapter 25 Jesus told his followers that giving someone food, drink, and clothing and visiting them was the same as doing all of that for Him.Those are things we can and should do for the people right around us, not just for those on the other side of the world.Or is that too personal, to be involved in the lives of people right in our community? Maybe it’s easier just to write a check and then wait for the next big event to happen. Maybe it’s easier, but is it right?
