Post Diluvian thoughts

Life goes on as normal here and yet still we hear of more and more dire news from South East Asia. 50,000 now thought dead. Almost the population of my town. Yet the busy rush of the SALES continues. I had to take back a shirt my Dad had bought me in not quite the right size and was overwhelmed by the vastness of the hordes of people bustling around the things they don't really need and may not really want and still lining up at tills to buy them.

I may think I NEED a winter coat, another pair of jeans and a pair of smart trousers yet what is that compared to the people needing housing and consolation. I sit here in my warm house and consider the possibilities of various boxes for Christmas chocolates and yet I know that there are people out there, across the seas, asking reporters if they have any clean water or food they can spare.

So my challenge, once again, to those in the blogosphere who read this is to consider what exactly they really NEED from those sales. Even the small donation we might make of sending our money rather than spending it in the sales is a poor example of us showing Christ to the world.

The BBC site offers a list of places you can give money:

Cafod
Care International
International Federation of the Red Cross
Medecins Sans Frontieres
Oxfam
Save The Children
Unicef
World Vision

To which I might also add
Christian Aid

The situation reminds me of that parable of the kingdom in Matthew 25(35-40).

"for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, "Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.' "