Surely the empty tomb calls us to more than mass introspection culminating in a warm group hug.

(From Sunday's Birmingham News)

JaJuan Tanniehill has no desire to skip school. At 8 years old, he'd rather skip going home. The Norwood Elementary School first-grader has no home to go home to. Just a shelter teeming with rough boys and bad smells. And anger. There is always anger. "It's fun at school," JaJuan said. "But at the shelter, it's not too good. I've got to go to bed at 8:30. I don't like the kids. They be trying to fight you, and if you hit'em back, their mamas say something." JaJuan, his mother and brother share a small room with another family. "It's terrible," he said. "I wish I had my own room."

JaJuan is one of more than 3,100 homeless children who attend Birmingham city schools. That number represents 12 percent of the system's enrollment. And the number is growing.

You can read the rest of JaJuan's story HERE

What does the gospel call us to do? Granted, this is a secondary question. First and foremost we should ask, "Who does the gospel call us to be in relation to Jesus?" It is in light of the answer to this question, that the gospel of Jesus Christ dying on a cross for sinners like me (and you) to pay the price that we could not pay for our sin, calls us to be men and women who bask in the glory of our calling to be children of the King. It is then in the blinding light of this truth, the truth that an all-powerful and completely just God calls us to be dearly loved children, not because of what we have done to deserve his pleasure, but in spite of what we have done to earn His wrath. It is in the clarity of this light that we are then called forth in love and submission to His will, both to live lives that are reflective of our position as sons and daughters AND from that position of security to then pursue others with the same wreckless abandon.

So now, what does the gospel call us to do? If it calls us to do nothing, then we must ask ourselves, are we following the same gospel that the apostle's were following in Acts 4 where it states in verses 33 and 34 that "great GRACE was upon them all" so much so that that there "was not a needy person among them"? Are we following the same gospel that caused even Roman politicians and officials to recognize that this growing band of followers of "The Way" cared for each other and even those outside of their faith communities in a radical way? Are we following the same gospel that James, the very brother of Jesus speaks of when he writes James 1:19-27, or in chapter 2 where he make his famous statement of faith without works being dead?

Even thinking through the season we are in right now, this week. What does Christ's crucifixion and resurrection mean for us and for JaJuan? Surely the empty tomb calls us to more than mass introspection culminating in a warm group hug. People of God, we were homeless, we were orphans for whom the Creator of the universe sacrificed his very own Son!

Because of the love that we have been shown, what would a watching world say to people who opened up their own homes to homeless families? What would a watching world say about people who cared enough for the homeless and fatherless to provide for real and tangible needs like gardens of fresh vegetables to those individuals and families? (Both real life examples from local and national news media of things that NON-CHRISTIANS are doing right now.)

There are opportunities to plug in right now. Household of Faith is a local PCA church reaching into Barret Elementary School downtown to touch kids just like JaJuan through tutoring and building relationships. Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Birmingham is another widely known and respected group placing children in need in a long term relationship with an older and wiser individual for shepherding and guidance. RESTORATION ACADEMY is a private Christian school located in Fairfield living out real, incarnational ministry. In the past several years much of the faculty have sold their homes in Homewood, Vestavia, Pelham and Hoover and actually moved to Fairfield because they recognized 7 hours of discipleship in a given school day simply was not enough.

There are real and practical ways to plug in. When we have answered the question of who the gospel calls us to be, we must ask what the gospel calls us to do. If you are interested in engaging in the missio dei, the mission of God at Oak Mountain Church, call Jason Tucker at 205-981-4364 or contact him at jtucker@ompc.org.