Dear MLEPC Family and Friends,

"May my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God." You have probably heard me quote that several times. It comes from Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision. His heart was broken on his initial visit to South Korea after the war. He was a traveling evangelist, but while he was in Korea, he stopped to visit an orphanage. When he saw the faces of the needy and forgotten children, his heart was instantly moved. He gave money to the orphanage staff and promised to send more. He went home and started to gather sponsors who would also send money regularly. And so the idea of child sponsorship was born, through a man with a broken heart. Just think how many children have been sponsored in the last 65 years, through World Vision and many other organizations!

As we turn our attention to Nehemiah 5 this Sunday, we see our fearless hero encountering brokenness not just in the wall of Jerusalem but in the people themselves. Right after Nehemiah's encounter with the enemies encountered in Nehemiah 4, the poor come to him with a grave complaint. There has been a famine in the land. The poor have had to borrow money to buy grain, and, in the most desperate circumstances, they have even had to sell their children into slavery so that they could survive. The wealthy have been charging exorbitant interest against their poorer neighbors, and they have been enslaving the poorest children.

Nehemiah is deeply grieved by these accusations, not just for the sake of the poor but because of the deep offense against the Lord. "Because the Israelites are my servants, whom I brought out of Egypt, they must not be sold as slaves," the Lord commands in Leviticus 25:42. The prophet Amos accuses the Israelites that they have been "buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals," (Amos 8:5). Here Nehemiah is trying to help them rebuild their land that was lost because they were disobedient - and they are breaking the very same laws they broke the first time around!

As we dig further into the passage on Sunday, we will see how Nehemiah confronts the problem and leads the people through repentance and reconciliation. He longs for his people to be united and truly develop a heart for one another, loving their neighbors as part of themselves.

Which prompts us to look at how can we each grow in this area? Are there ways we can have more compassion for the needs of those around us? What riches can we share? Other than material riches, what can we offer, like riches of faith, family, relationships, strength, energy, time, giftedness, joy, music, cooking ability, or other blessings? Have we hurt the poor in some way - have we been insensitive or even exploitative? Do we need to repent? Are there ways we should make up for injustice in order to seek reconciliation?

In Philippians2:3-4, Paul writes, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others." May the Holy Spirit give us a tender heart toward one another, that we may rejoice with those who rejoice and have broken hearts when God's heart is breaking. May we be united in proclaiming and living out the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Blessings,
Pastor Carolyn