Self-Preservation vs. Sacrifice

Right now, I'm struggling with one characteristic that seems to be innate in all Americans, and perhaps all people: self-preservation. Most recently this has been brought to the forefront by the health care town halls and media coverage. In particular, I have been saddened by the Christians who (at least somewhat rightly) claim that the Church and community organizations should step up and take care of those who do not have health care coverage and decry any efforts for change at a government level.

From where I sit, we, as Christ followers, should be advocating to our government and other organizations on behalf of those under-served individuals as well as providing aid. It should be obvious by now that our current healthcare system is horribly broken. Even people with health insurance often have difficulties paying medical bills or fighting with insurance companies to cover what their doctors have determined to be the best treatment for them. That says nothing of the poor or the uninsurable who are left on their own.

Understandably, many people are scared that they'll lose their coverage. I myself am terrified that I might not be able to get the medications that I have been so fortunate to receive under a very good health plan. Were I uninsured or insured differently now, my life would be very different. At the same time, I know that without my privilege (education, job, spouse, socio-economic class), I would not be receiving the quality health care and medications I receive now. There are millions of people who are denied the ability to have a relatively healthy life just because they were not born into privilege.

All this brings me back to the Bible. Matthew 16:24-26 to be exact. I particularly like the phrasing of The Message:

^24-26Then Jesus went to work on his disciples. "Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to finding yourself, your true self. What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself? What could you ever trade your soul for? (Matthew 16:24-26, The Message)

"Self-sacrifice is the way"

That's tough to take. We want the best for ourselves, but Christ calls us to care for others as much as we care for ourselves. In modern parlance, we should care for the homeless guy on the corner as much as we care for our spouse, our brother/sister, our friends. Most of us would sacrifice a lot for our family and friends, but not a total stranger, let alone a total stranger who is other, different from us.

Bishop Willimon puts it beautifully in his post Thinking Like Christians about Health Care:

Our concern should not be to protect our entitlements but rather our Jesus-assigned concern is, “Am I happy with my neighbor’s health care?”

Where is the love for our neighbors, the compassion for the poor, the ill, the least of these? If you disagree with the current proposals, offer up alternative solutions that are viable. Go volunteer with an organization that is making a difference.

It's hard to swallow that knowledge, but an article about Community United Methodist Church in Florida really hit home for me.

Then came the decision by Community United Methodist Church: To do the most good, they decided, their church needed to close — and reopen as a sanctuary for the poor and homeless of Pasco County. (St. Petersburg Times)

Dying so that others might live. That's powerful stuff.