Lesson two the curtain that veils poverty jon warren/world vision 2008 Overview We must seek to see those who are poor through the eyes of God as precious women, men, and children whose very hairs are numbered, just like ours. These are people with names, dreams, and families who love them. Key Scripture Genesis 1:27 Essential Question How do our personal experiences influence our interpretation of the world specifically, our perceptions of those living in poverty? Lesson Goals» Develop a greater understanding of how we view those living in poverty.» Consider the assumptions with which we view other people and identify some of our own biases.» Reflect on our relationship with those who are poor in our world. M at e r i a l s Pen, Bible, candle (optional) ONLINE RESOURCEs from www.womenofvision.org/heart» Seven Steps to Poverty handout» A Framework for Understanding Poverty handout Agenda» Welcome, opening prayer» Explore stories about the kinds of poverty participants have encountered» Reflect on Scripture» Consider how those living in poverty see themselves» Choose a personal response» Close in prayer» Review homework and further study suggestions Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 1
Introduction and Opening Prayer 1. Consider the following questions. Then share your responses with the group or journal about them.» When and where have you encountered someone whom you consider to be poor? Describe your interaction.» How would you feed your family on a severely limited income? For your homework assignment, you planned how you would feed your family on $2 per day. In groups of three or four, share your plan and what kind of skills, resources, and talent you would need to keep your family alive in those circumstances. (If you are working through the lesson on your own, you can post comments on the Bulletin Board at www.womenofvision.wordpress.com.) 2. Offer a prayer. Pray for open eyes and an open heart to see others as Jesus sees them. Spend a few minutes in silent meditation, concentrating on how this lesson might change your perceptions and responses toward those who live in poverty. Explore Stories 1. Read the following story: Like many other young women, Della is spending this spring planning her June wedding. After years of struggling through wrong relationships, she has finally met the man of her dreams, the man who has promised to care for Della and her children as her faithful husband. They re planning a small wedding a few family and friends who will gather at the home of Della s parents. Their preacher will perform the outdoor ceremony under shade trees with green mountains as a backdrop. Della s aunt will make the cake, and other family members will prepare a light lunch for the guests. A neighbor will provide music to add to the celebration. laura reinhardt/world vision 2008 With the plans going so smoothly, Della begins to search for her wedding dress. She wants to be a traditional bride with a floor-length white gown and veil. She searches area second-hand stores and locates a white dress. The short-sleeved beauty fits Della and matches the season. The day is nearing, and Della is almost ready. The one thing she lacks is a veil. (continued next page) Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 2
When her sister is able to borrow a car, the two women drive to a shopping mall an hour from their home. Della rarely leaves her small community, and going to an unfamiliar place makes her nervous. With her sister by her side, she walks into the mall and keeps her eyes on the floor. She knows she doesn t look quite like everyone else. She s overweight, doesn t wear makeup, and never has time to think about her hair. She s happy to escape the eyes of people in the mall when she walks into the store that she heard sells veils. It s a small store with an attractive floor display of furniture and silk-flower arrangements. As she walks deeper into the store, Della sees the furniture displays replaced by tall shelves of household décor. Then they arrive at the wedding aisle where napkins, flowers, ribbons, and other wedding accessories fill the shelves. As Della reaches for a veil to try it on, a sales clerk materializes. She stretches around Della and, without a word, moves the veil to a high shelf that Della cannot touch. Della s eyes return to the floor, and she and her sister hurry out of the store and the mall to return home. 2. Share your reactions to the following questions after hearing this true story:» Why do you think the sales clerk reacted as she did?» Why do you think Della and her sister didn t ask the sales clerk to get the veil for them? 3. Consider these questions for further reflection or discussion:» Where do you think Della lives?» Why do you think Della kept her eyes on the floor?» What assumptions did the sales clerk make about Della? laura reinhardt/world vision 2009» What assumptions did Della make about herself? Note: The story above is a true story of a young bride s experience in Appalachian Kentucky. Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 3
4. Consider the following: Because of where we were born, who raised us, our genetic traits, our life experiences, our culture, our education, and myriad other influences, we each see the world in a way that no other human being precisely replicates. Because of this, each of us brings distinctive gifts to the world. We also bring our particular biases, or lenses, through which we view people and situations. Sometimes our assumptions reveal that we see those in poverty as inferior or objects that need our help as people who do not understand their own conditions as well as we do. Each of us brings distinctive gifts to the world. We also bring our particular biases. 5. List some of the assumptions our society makes about poverty or the poor: 6. Consider the following questions about your own life:» Has anyone ever assumed something about you that you felt wasn t true? How did that make you feel?» When have you assumed something about someone else that you discovered was false?» Share your thoughts about the questions above or journal your responses below. Scripture Reflection 1. Read Genesis 1:27 and Psalm 139. a. Make a list of characteristics or traits that reflect God s image. jon warren/world vision 2008 Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 4
b. Share or journal your response to the following questions:» Which aspects of God s image are reflected in those who are not poor?» Which ones are reflected in those who are poor?» Are there aspects of God s image that are better reflected in the poor and that can encourage and inspire those who are not poor? Mother Teresa once referred to the poor as Christ in His most distressing disguise. c. Consider the following: When we see those in poverty as God sees them, we will glimpse His image in their faces. Mother Teresa once referred to the poor as Christ in His most distressing disguise. A grandmother in Appalachia who was speaking with a reporter took exception to the term poor because she felt she wasn t any poorer than the next person. She might have little money, live in a house that needed repairs, and not have as much education as the next person, but she also has a rich relationship with God and with her family. What right does anyone have to call me poor? she asked. In our society, we generally refer to people who lack in materials goods, income, and education as poor. As we move forward in our quest to better understand the causes of poverty and what a community of poverty is, let s try to see our brothers and sisters through the eyes of God, as precious women, men, and children whose very hairs are numbered, just like ours. These are people with names, dreams, and families who love them. How we regard the least of these is an indication of how we regard Christ. 2. Read Luke 12:7 and Matthew 25:34-40. Discuss or journal about what Jesus says regarding the value of the least of these. rachel wolff/world vision 2006 Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 5
Consider Our World Today 1. Read the following: The San people are descendants of those who lived in what is now South Africa and Botswana. They are the original human inhabitants of sub-saharan Africa. The San woman could never believe God would allow His Son to die for a San woman. In her marred image, she saw herself as having no value and had no idea why she had been created. The San were hunter-gatherers, and some of them still survive in small numbers in the Kalahari Desert. They are small in stature, their skin is brown, and they use unique click languages. In response to hearing the gospel story, a San woman sitting around a campfire in the Kalahari Desert said she felt it is possible that God would let His Son die for a white man, and maybe for a black man, but she could never believe God would allow His Son to die for a San woman. In her marred image, she saw herself as having no value and had no idea why she had been created. She was twisted by the poverty of being. This state of mind and heart can become permanent. Share or journal your response to the following questions.» What might have influenced this woman to see herself this way?» What do you think is needed to help someone recover from this kind of poverty? 2. Read and role-play: Consider the situation of people throughout rural India. Life in India is heavily influenced by a caste system. In this system, ruling groups believe they have earned their position through previous faithful lives. Those who are poor, however, are believed to have inherited more difficult living conditions because of sin and unfaithfulness in their previous lives. Therefore, lessening their poverty would negate the consequences of sin. This leaves some without access to clean water because people from a higher caste do not want to share their water source. The high-caste people might not believe that people who are paying for past sins deserve access to water. Higher-caste people might also fear that the lower caste will contaminate their water if they use it. So even when the only water source is in a neighboring village, belonging to those from a higher caste, it is off-limits to the lower caste. jon warren/world vision 2008 There are also times when it s beneficial to those in power for someone to remain poor. For example, if a money lender in India gets his wealth from lending to the Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 6
poor at exorbitant interest rates, then the money lender s wealth relies on people continuing to live in poverty. Below you will find descriptions of some of the roles found in the caste system in India. Take some time to read about each role and think about life from each person s perspective. If you are gathering with a group, consider role-playing assigning each role to a group member and inviting them share the perspective of the person portrayed in the description. If you are doing this study on your own, choose one or two roles and journal what it might be like to be in this role. Thobias is the local Brahmin leader. He feels that as a member of the highest caste, he has paid for previous wrongs and now deserves to live the good life. His home is near the border between his village and the next village where a group of Untouchables, the lowest caste in India, lives. Thobias has a well in front of his house that several Brahmin families use. He is steadfast in refusing the Untouchables to use the well, fearing they will contaminate it. He feels that as a member of the highest caste, he has paid for previous wrongs and now deserves to live the good life. andrew goodwin/world vision 2009 Lu is the local money lender. She lives in a nice house and has what she needs to care for her family. Her business is on the village border where the Untouchables can access it without walking through the village. She charges an extremely high interest rate on all of her loans, which makes her business profitable. After initially agreeing with Thobias about the well, Lu tries to change his mind. She suggests he charges a fee for others to use the well, and she offers to handle the transactions. She fears that if they don t allow it, a Western aid worker will help the Untouchables dig their own well and maybe even irrigate their fields then their lives might improve, and they wouldn t need her services. Nirmala is a widowed mother of four and an Untouchable. She leaves her 7-year-old in charge of the other children as she makes the daily 90-minute walk to retrieve water for her family from a polluted pond. The water she brings home has made her 6-month-old very sick, and now Nirmala is also ill. Nirmala doesn t believe she can sustain her daily treks, and she thinks this is a sign that she and her children are destined to die. Amita is Nirmala s sister who has moved away from the village and returned to visit. Amita has been to university and lives far away in Delhi. She and her husband both have jobs with a human rights organization. Amita insists that Nirmala approach the Brahmins to use their well. Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 7
Share or journal your responses to the follow questions:» What is Nirmala s problem? The poor are poor largely because they live in networks of relationships that do not work for their well-being. Bryant Myers» What seems to be the cause, or causes, of Nirmala s problem?» How might a situation like this play out in our own society, even without the limitations of caste? 3. Read the following: The poor are poor largely because they live in networks of relationships that do not work for their well-being. Their relationships with others are often oppressive and disempowering as a result of the non-poor playing god in the lives of the poor. Their relationship within themselves is diminished and debilitated as a result of the grind of poverty and the feeling of permanent powerlessness. Their relationship with those they call other is experienced as exclusion. Their relationship with their environment is increasingly less productive because poverty leaves no room for caring for the environment. Their relationship with the God who created them and sustains their life is distorted by an inadequate knowledge of who God is and what God wishes for all humankind. Poverty is the whole family of our relationships that are not all they can be. Bryant L. Myers, Walking with the Poor, page 13. Choose a Personal Response Share or journal your response to the following questions:» How has this study changed your thinking about poverty and those living in poverty? andrew goodwin/world vision 2009» What might you feel called to do differently as a result? Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 8
Closing Prayer Light a candle (optional) and spend a few moments in prayer. Pray for communities around the world to be able to address the needs of all their members. Identify people or groups in your own community for whom you would like to pray. Homework for Next Session All resources are available at www.womenofvision.org/heart. 1. Read and study next week s lesson. 2. Read the handouts Seven Steps to Poverty by Richard Stearns, A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne, PhD., and Hidden Rules Among Classes. Payne examines what she learned as an educator about children and families who arrive at schools with a very different set of behaviors and desires than most teachers hold. Study her chart about Hidden Rules Among Classes to consider how differently people in different economic classes view things like money, food, and education. 3. Search the Internet or print publications to find several images of poverty as well as statistics. Bring them with you to the next study session. There are several good Web sources, including www.worldvision.org and www.unicef.org. + For Further Study» Consider relationships with the materially poor in your life. Journal about how those relationships have enriched your life.» Consider the biblical narrative of Creation-Fall-Redemption and write your thoughts about the causes and solutions to poverty. Additional Scriptures for Personal Study andrew goodwin/world vision 2009» Genesis 1:26-27» Genesis 9:6» Mathew 8:23-26» Mark 13:38-40» Luke 5:12-13» Luke 5:27-32» John 6:2-12» 2 Corinthians 3:18» Romans 8:29 Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 9
Lectio Divina or Divine Reading Using the Scriptures on the previous page, try this traditional contemplative practice to listen deeply to what God has to say to hear with the ear of our hearts. 1. Read one Scripture each day. Read aloud if you can. Poverty is the whole family of our relationships that are not all they can be. Bryant Myers 2. After the first reading, sit in silence for a few moments. 3. Slowly read the same passage a second time. Listen for a word or phrase that touches your heart. Reflect on the word or phrase during the silence that follows. 4. Read the passage a third time. Where do you see or hear Christ in the text? Is there an image that comes to your mind? 5. Read a fourth and final time. What is Christ calling you to do or be, today or this week, through this text? Hope in a World of Hurt: Lesson Two Page 10