Then we spent some time in the Word... Genesis 16. We looked at the life of Hagar, servant to Sarah and concubine to Abraham, and asked some questions. How does Hagar see the grace of God? How does God speak to Hagar in her circumstances?
Well, Hagar was an undervalued woman who was forced into relations with Abraham solely for the sake of having children. Then she is mistreated and flees from her mistress. Hagar runs and ends up at a Spring, where the angel of the Lord (whom some say is Jesus) comes to her, calls her by name (something no one has cared enough to do so far in the story), and asks her what she is doing. The angel tells her to return, and assures her that he hears her misery. The angel says that she will have many descendants. But he also says that there will be hostility between her son and his family. But for the first time, someone has calle Hagar by name, and understood her tristeza (sorrow). So what does Hagar do? She gives the Lord a name. The one who named her is being given a name. And what does she 'name' God? The God who sees me. Have you ever felt that someone understands you so well that they 'see you' for who you are? Or have you ever felt 'seen' by someone when no one else saw you? God brings Hagar comfort and hope when the rest of the world is treating her like trash.
How does this apply to the Basurero we were looking out upon?
Well, in the dump there are 'scavengers' who sift through trash to look for recyclable materials. They collect the items and sell them to recycling companies. The maximum wage that can be earned at this job is equivalent to $3.oo/day. Not much to live on. These 'scavengers' are sifting through trash (which includes used toilet paper, because it can't be flushed here) and looking for treasures. They are treated like trash by the rest of Guatemala... they stink, have diseases, hoard garbage, and are considered the lowest of the low. Hagar was also treated like trash and it was culturally acceptable. So let us ask some questions about the people of El Basurero: What might the good news of God look like to the 'scavengers'? How might they name God if he were to speak to them? How can we be 'Jesus' to these people... bringing the message that the Angel of the Lord brought to Hagar?
This is just an ejemplo(example). There are 'Hagars' and 'Scavengers' in every culture, in every circumstance, in every country. Who in your life is in need of the good news from a God who sees?
Remember: Christians aren't supposed to 'preach at others' or 'do ministry to others'... they seek to share the good news of hope with those who have none. By doing this, they begin to understand 'the God who sees' more deeply, and others also recieve the hope of being 'seen'.
Any thoughts? Questions? Disagreements? Applications? I'd love to hear from y'all. paz y amor,
Kim <><
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