Jennifer T. Holmes is a development officer at Habitat for Humanity International. She is based in Michigan, USA. Read her Advent reflection below.
But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before Him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. He bestows rain on the earth; He sends water upon the countryside. The lowly He sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away. Darkness comes upon them in the daytime; at noon they grope as in the night. He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; He saves them from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. - Job 5:8-16
The word “poor” is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as “inferior in quality or value” and “lacking an adequate supply of something specified.” In Job chapter 5, Eliphaz is sharing with Job his judgment on why Job has lost his family, his health and his material possessions. Eliphaz erroneously asserts that Job’s predicament is due to some sin of which Job has not confessed nor repented. In couching his assumptions about Job as encouragement, Eliphaz states in verse 16 that “… the poor have hope.”
Who are the “poor” who have hope? Are they people who are inferior in quality or value? Are they people lacking the essentials for a healthy quality of life, such as safe, decent housing? Is there an assumption that the poor are less deserving or have failed to take actions that could have improved their life conditions, as Eliphaz implies about Job?
This season of Advent can be the impetus for an awakening of consciousness, a birth of awareness about systemic economic injustice. While we know Job’s experience of loss was a test from God to prove Job’s commitment to his faith, the families with whom Habitat partners may be experiencing insufficiencies for the same reasons Eliphaz references in verses 12–15.
When Habitat for Humanity, through the Home Equals advocacy campaign, examines legislation that affects housing affordability, it becomes clear that powerful systems continue to perpetuate economic marginalization. Eliphaz used the words “crafty,” “schemes” and “powerful” to describe the systems in which the poor are relegated to the margins where never enough is the norm. Through advocacy and hands-on labour, Habitat has the influence to “shut the mouth of injustice.”
May this season awaken an Advent-ure in each of us to assess our judgments of our neighbours, to strive against injustice and motivate us to be a source of hope for those who have less.
God, send us on an Advent-ure to mourn with all who grieve the loss of safety, justice and peace. Awaken us from our cognitive dissonance so that we can be Your faithful disrupters of injustice. Dismantle our egos and comfort so that we prioritize caring for the least of these who are among us. In the mighty name of Jesus, our Lord, amen.
