Why Love Lowell?
“Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions”. 1 John 3:18
This past weekend, we had over 50 people from Harbor serve at 6 different organizations around Lowell. On Friday, volunteers helped at a mobile food market full of fresh vegetables and fruits at a low-income housing development with The Merrimack Valley Food Bank.
Saturday we harvested over 128 lbs of carrots at the Mill City Grows farm, raked, weeded and mulched on the Concord River Greenway with the Lowell Parks and Trust, and did an amazing job cleaning Living Waters inside and out to make the place clean for its guests.
On Sunday a group prepared and served lunch at the Lowell Transitional Living Center, and on Monday volunteers sorted donations at The Wish Project. It made my heart so happy to see our church out loving and serving in this way. Thank you!
Why do we Love Lowell? Because serving our community, especially the marginalized and under-resourced is God’s heart! Over and over in the Bible we see God’s heart for the poor, the orphan, the widow, those who are forgotten and in the margins of society (the homeless, the poor, children, refugees and immigrants and the list goes on!…).
“This is what the Lord Almighty says: Administer true justice, show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the immigrant or the poor.” Zechariah 7:10-11
God has called the church to take notice, to help, to love, and to join Him in His fight for those who have few options in our world. When you choose to serve in the community, you are joining God in this endeavor!
I am so thankful that God gives each of us love, mercy and grace each day and it is this truth that should compel us to love and serve. My prayer for our community is that we will be a people who continue to take notice of those in the margins, that go out (of our houses, our everyday lives, schedules and comforts) and give love, mercy and help to those in our world who need it the most.
“...The Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8