This is part 3 in a blog series about caring. Maybe you read the first blog about When to call the pastor, or the next blog about offering pastoral care to others. Here’s where all that caring leads – to care for those you don’t know but who need care. This is where the rubber meets the road. Because God laid down this template for us about how to live a life that is full, and meaningful, and honors the Creator. The Old Testament is the story of a relationship – a relationship of God the Creator with a group of people to whom God poured out God’s Love. From the beginning, God saw that it was not good for humanity to be alone. (Genesis 2:18). Relationship is everything. God’s loving relationship is reflected in all our relationships. The world today is struggling to find a way to reach out and love those in need. Sure, you have seen many people do it, you do it yourself. But as a society, I find we reach out in love less and less. Why? I believe one reason is that we feel starved for care, and so we withhold it from others – parceling it out in small bits to worthy individuals or groups, but withholding our caring from others because we feel a scarcity of care in our own lives.
So, how do we alleviate that scarcity of caring feeling? Pastoral Care. Remember the definition for Pastoral Care? The ministry of caring at the heart of the church’s life. I believe the church’s life will be diminished, and blunted if caring is not part of the picture. And God’s love, God’s caring, is available to us all. I remember the old story about the mother going in to comfort a little one in the night. “Why are you crying, Sam?” the mother asks. “I was scared and alone, ” Sam sobs. The mother says, “But Sam, you know God is always with you, and you are loved.” Sam nods, and says,” Yes, Mom, but sometimes I want someone with skin on!”. We are comforted by God’s love, often, in the physical prescence of a human being.
This is the pastoral care cascade effect. God loves you, and you choose to worship and participate in a church, a faith community of some sort. That community has leaders, pastors, whose job includes modeling that caring that God gave us first. Others in the faith community respond to that caring by offering compassion, listening, and prayer for the individuals in their community whose need they become aware of. It is a logical next step for a community of faith to offer compassion, listening, prayer and physical support to others who they haven’t even met.
Years ago, I remember politicians talking about ‘trickle down economics’ – which I think (okay, I’m not an economist) means money in the hands of those at the top will dribble or trickle down to those underneath. Please hear me – I am not interested in trickle down pastoral care. There is no pyramid of caring for each other. It’s more of a circle. And when the pastoral care is modeled by leadership, and members of a community of faith, it is a natural outgrowth of that love to care for people we don’t even know – those horrifying videos on national news of children in need, or people in trouble. Because it is a circle, my friends. God created a circle of care, and joins hands with each of us to offer care. 
Want to start today? here’s some ideas – pray (intentionally – put it on your calendar) for homeless, for refugees, for those on the margins of society. Give of your time to work in direct care for people in trouble. Give of your money to agencies who have the tools and expertise to offer care beyond your own ability. Educate yourself and vote for others who show their caring for others first.
Bless you all – Pastoral Care for the win!
Pastor Patricia+