Christmas Devotion - Day 3

To kick off the Christmas Season, The Field's Edge is creating a storyboard about serving those that experience homelessness. We asked ten Midlanders to write a short devotional about their personal experiences which we will post each weekday through Christmas. Today's devotional is written by Rev. Deacon Steven Abbottt, Curate Associate at Christ Church Anglican. 

Day 3 by Rev. Deacon Steven Abbott

“If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?’” ~ James 2:16

I’m likely the newest and, turning 29 this month, possibly the youngest pastor in Midland. I’m currently serving as a deacon at Christ Church Anglican and I look forward to being ordained a priest here on February 23rd.

My road to becoming a committed disciple of Jesus Christ has been paved with many questions and obstacles, but Christ has continually been faithful to my family and me—confirming that he has called us to serve Him and His church.

My first obstacle to becoming a committed disciple of Christ was, honestly, the church itself. I continually questioned the relevance of the church in our world today. I felt that the church was completely out of touch with the needs of the world and that most Christians were just hypocrites focused primarily on being moral police.

Growing up, the only time I saw the church in action was during Sunday morning services and I wondered what relevance they offered to a world that I knew, even as a teenager, was desperately hurting and in need of help.

As I began to read the Gospels for myself, I saw a disconnect between the lives of many self-proclaimed Christians today and the lives of Jesus Christ and His disciples. Most of the Christians I knew were content to show up on Sunday and go on the rest of their week with little contact with the down-trodden.

The first church where I really experienced a radical commitment to caring for the needy was Faith in Christ Fellowship—a small congregation made up of people who loved to serve. Chris, the pastor, was proud to say that his church was known as the poor people’s church. He said that many people in Marquette would not come to the church because they were not comfortable mixing with the impoverished.

This is what drew me to following Jesus as a committed disciple. I began to find churches that looked like the kind of places Jesus would have served. They were nothing fancy, but they knew that being a Christian meant a radical selfless servant-heartedness. I was hungry to serve the hungry and found Christians who were doing just that. Pastor Chris and Faith in Christ Fellowship fed the spiritual needs of the poor through worship, provided a meal for their hungry bellies, and served as a shelter for the homeless.

As I get moved into Midland-Odessa, I see a community where great wealth and poverty live side-by-side. Jesus Christ came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many. He beckons us to join Him in His mission to serve the least amongst us. We can do this through partnering with organizations like The Field’s Edge, who provide homes for the homeless.