This time of year, in the spirit of thanksgiving, celebration, peace, light, hope, love, and giving, it is common to reach out to those in need, sharing what we have. Especially during wintertime, we may be thinking to reach out to those who don’t have a warm home to sleep in at night. It is for this reason that an outreach organization in North Carolina does a lot of work in an effort to end youth homelessness. Here’s a video that shares some of what they do:
Play the following video for your students [2:41]:
Raleigh group helps fight teen homelessness with only shelter in Triangle for youths
- What does Haven House Services do to help teenagers in need? (They provide a shelter for young people experiencing homelessness. In addition to providing a place for young people to stay, they also pass out necessary supplies.)
- What is the impact of reaching out with these offers? (These offers meet immediate physical needs as well as more internal psychological/emotional needs, all of which helps people get out of the cycle that brings them down and allows them to meet their own needs and contribute.)
This organization meets the immediate needs of homeless youth in their area, but they do it with an aim to offer dignity as well as food. Because Haven House Services offers necessary supplies and a place to sleep, these young people can feel human, seen, and significant. Through their actions, Social Bite shares the message that dignity is not just for people with means, but for you too.
Today we will see a deep display of care from Jesus for folks who may have otherwise been ignored by society. Jesus met immediate needs and treated everyone with dignity, but additionally offered something only He could provide—the good news of the Gospel, which He said is for everyone, not just those you expect. Jesus expects us to reach out to everyone in need on His behalf.
