We are certainly living in uncertain times.  

We all feel it, in every trip to the supermarket and electricity bill, but for many people – particularly children, the unemployed and the elderly – it is causing genuine harm.

As Jesus suggested in Mark 13, we shouldn’t be surprised. So, how then as Christians can we truly understand the needs of our community, and respond in genuine grace and mercy? 

First, let’s understand the need. Research by the Australian Council of Social Service shows 3.3 million Australians live in poverty, including 760,000 children. On any given day, half a million Australians will go hungry. 

According to Anglicare’s rental affordability research, only one in 11 homes advertised for rent in Sydney are affordable for a family where both adults work on minimum wage. For those on income support, that falls to one in 500 homes. For a single parent with two kids, there are no affordable homes in Sydney.

That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re homeless. It means they’re skipping meals, delaying energy bills, avoiding medical treatment… to keep a roof over their heads.

One 47-year-old mum told us she had about $15 in hand for the family until her next income payment. She had a specialist appointment coming up and knew that, if she paid it, she would not be able to pay the rent.

I’ve painted a fairly bleak picture. It’s one we see every day at Anglicare.

A long tradition of serving the marginalised and vulnerable

But there is hope. Along with churches and Christian charities, we stand in a long tradition of serving the marginalised and vulnerable in the name of Jesus.

Care for the poor has been a mark of Christian distinctiveness – love for neighbour – for millennia. It’s all through the Bible: Leviticus 19, Deuteronomy 10, Isaiah 1, Psalm 82, Proverbs 19, Luke 3, Acts 2, James 2, 1 John 3, and more.

We think of care for the vulnerable and marginalised as normal, but it is unbelievably revolutionary compared to most of human history. Historian Rodney Stark argues that it was precisely the early church’s approach to care for the poor and marginalised that led to the rapid spread of Christianity.

Yet I feel we’ve lost something of our distinctiveness, lost something of the Gospel-attractiveness of service and sacrifice for the needy in recent years. 

Be careful to hear that I am not saying acts of charity toward the poor and the marginalised will save you or them. But, as Christians seeking to honour Jesus, God’s grace should compel us to do more. 

Over the past 50 years there has been a growing expectation that care for the vulnerable is the domain of government. In some way, the church has handed over its role to government and large not-for-profits, like Anglicare, that are increasingly reliant on taxpayer funding. 

The church needs, alongside and adorning its word ministry, to regain its deed ministry.

Tim Keller argued in his book Ministries of Mercy: “Our ability to show mercy comes from the mercy we have received. The gospel compels and empowers us to extend mercy to others”.

If Christians show this mercy, in a world that seems increasingly hostile, there will be people attracted to what Jesus has to say because of the good deeds God has prepared for us to do. 

So, what can we do in response to the needs we see around us?

Volunteer — Choose something as a church. For example, our Anglicare Mobile Community Pantry visits churches, enabling volunteers to meet the physical (and often the spiritual, social and emotional) needs of the community. Anglicare provides access to food, but it’s the local congregation that provides the connection. Many other volunteering options are available.

Give — Make a financial contribution to partner with a Christian charity that is meeting need and honouring Jesus. Donate food and clothing.

Offer your expertise — Many of you have tremendous skills – as accountants, medical professionals, tradespeople, teachers. Offering your skills to those in need, or considering working for a Christian charity, is a tremendous way of serving.

Open your heart — In your Bible study groups, at your kids’ schools, in your street, there will be people in need. It might not be food insecurity; it might be that their teenager has a mental health challenge or some other need… be Christ to that neighbour.

Advocate — Take the time to speak up for the needs in our community by lovingly championing the marginalised and vulnerable to government, to council and to services. 

Pray — for the needy, for our leaders, for the work of Christian charities, and pray for your neighbours.

As Isaiah 58 says: “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.” 

Simon Miller is the CEO of Anglicare Sydney.