solidarity resolution

Introduction

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

1st John 3:18

This resolution was written to help you put words into action and live in solidarity with the poor. We are inspired and directed by the Word of God. The Bible is the basis of the standards in this resolution.

We offer this as a tool for accountability and community, not as a legalistic requirement. Christ has freed us for joyful obedience. And from that freedom (not obligation or shame), we can extend his love.

His love was not distant, but up close and personal. Through the incarnation, Jesus took on flesh and moved into the neighborhood. Christians are called to put faith into action through this incarnational, real-world, on-the-ground love.

If you would like to join this community of love, please read through the resolution with care and sign your name at the end. Simple Charity will then walk with you to remind, support and exhort you as you practice liturgies of solidarity with the poor.

Liturgies of Solidarity

James K. A. Smith writes in You Are What You Love that liturgies are “habit-forming, love-shaping rituals that get hold of our hearts and aim our loves” (p. 38). Liturgies are things that we do that “do something to us” (p. 46). Solidarity is a term common in Catholic social teaching. It’s a word of unity that says, “I see you. I won’t turn aside from your suffering or oppression. I am with you.” In solidarity, we “rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn” (Romans 12:15). This solidarity resolution calls Christians to practice liturgies of solidarity with people experiencing poverty and injustice.

Liturgies of solidarity have daily, weekly, monthly and yearly rhythms. They are acts of worship to God and with people. Liturgies of solidarity are how we see the image of God, marred by suffering, in the lives of the vulnerable and respond with love.

Six spiritual disciplines, derived from the teachings of Jesus, invite us into solidarity with the vulnerable: giving (Matthew 6:1-4), prayer (Matthew 6:5-15), fasting (Matthew 6:16-18), gratitude (Matthew 6:19-24), faith (Matthew 6:25-34), and service (Matthew 25:31-46). As acts of worship, each practice must be shaped by the essential Christian virtues of humility, community and love.

Essential Virtues

Humility

Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 6:1

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that we must be holy not just externally but also internally. In Jesus’s economy, a good act with a prideful motive is worthless. Practicing liturgies of solidarity with humility means that we do them first and foremost as acts of worship to God. We would do them even if no one else knew.

Community

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Community and humility fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Living in solidarity with the poor begins with a mutual connection between all of God’s people all over the world. Rich or poor, near or far, we are all members of the communion of saints and the body of Christ. Without community and mutuality, we can begin to imagine ourselves as someone’s savior instead of Jesus. The virtue of community also calls us to practice solidarity with a worshiping church. A local expression of the body of Christ stirs us toward love and good works. We also exhort others not by saying, “Look at me: How well I am doing” but rather, “Look at Christ: How He lived and the words He spoke.” Jesus becomes our shared love and standard.

Love

If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

1 Corinthians 13:3

Love is the genuine pursuit of the well-being of another. If we do not love the poor when we give, our generosity is spiritually bankrupt. God wants our hearts. There is also a two-way relationship between our hearts and our habits. Even when we do not feel love, prayer and fasting can produce the love that we long for. Practicing liturgies of solidarity through love means that we do them to seek the flourishing of the poor, not for some ulterior motive. The love of Christ is our example.

Trust

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Matthew 6:25

Worrying about the future is often how we justify hoarding wealth and increasing our standards of living while calling it prudent and wise. However, Jesus commands us to not be anxious. The biblical concept of faith, also translated as trust, begins with a community of mutual responsibility and care. The prime example is the Trinitarian community of God, in which Father, Son and Spirit show perfect faithfulness to one another. That community of faithfulness and trust extends to humanity through the work of Jesus Christ (John 17:21). Trusting God gives us the freedom to show faithfulness to our brothers and sisters who do not have vast reserves of resources but live from faith in their land, communities and God.

Commitment

We commit to memorize Philippians 4:5-7 in our favorite Bible translations and recite it to ourselves when tempted to worry.

“Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (ESV)

Aspiration

We aspire to live by faith and not by fear, with peace and not with anxiety, in our thoughts, words and actions.

Solidarity

This practice is an act of solidarity with the poor who, without reserves of resources, often must rely on the faithfulness of their communities and God for their basic needs.

Gratitude

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Matthew 6:19-20

In no uncertain terms, Jesus condemns hoarding wealth. One way we can begin to care less about earthly treasures and more about eternal ones is by living from a posture of gratitude. Gratitude creates a sense of enough. It’s not just an attitude. It’s something we do. A good place to start is to list 100 things that we thank God for. Giving thanks shows us that God’s world has more than enough resources to meet the needs of every person, but not enough to satisfy the endless greed of even one. Gratitude awakens us to the abundance of God’s creation, replacing a scarcity mindset and enabling us to be radically generous.

Commitment

We commit to ending each day by thanking God for three specific gifts from that day, either in verbal prayer or a journal set aside for gratitude.

Aspiration

We aspire to live with an abundance mindset, thanking God in all circumstances and being radically generous to those around us with any needs.

Solidarity

This practice is an act of solidarity with the poor who suffer most when greed and scarcity mindsets restrict the flow of necessities and resources.

Prayer

Give us this day our daily bread

Matthew 6:11

Have you ever noticed that the Lord’s Prayer includes language that expresses solidarity with the poor? “Give us this day our daily bread.” We pray for God to provide not only for our needs but also for the needs of all our brothers and sisters—“us.” Most of us in well-resourced communities can take our next meal for granted, but we are still commanded to depend on God’s daily sustenance. At the same time, we are called to intercede for our neighbors who may not know if they will eat today.

Commitment

We commit to praying the Lord’s Prayer daily, taking a moment to ask God to provide daily bread for us and the poor.

Aspiration

We aspire to cultivate an awareness of every breath, every meal and every good thing as gifts from the Lord, lamenting with the poor whose access to these gifts has been taken by sin or scarcity.

Solidarity

This practice is an act of solidarity with the poor who, though made to flourish as God’s children, do not have access to basic needs.

Fasting

But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:17-18

Jesus shows that fasting is an important practice for believers. Like giving and praying, fasting should be done in secret as an act of worship and not as a display of holiness. At the same time, the church can fast together in unified desperation, surrender and solidarity. There are many good reasons to fast. One reason is to feel in our bodies the hunger and scarcity that mark the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. Another is to recognize that true nourishment comes from communion with God.

Commitment

We commit to fast from food for at least one 24-hour period each quarter as an act of solidarity with the poor.

Aspiration

We aspire to occasionally fast for longer periods or special occasions and to do so without seeking attention or glory for ourselves.

Solidarity

This practice is an act of solidarity with the poor who feel the pangs of hunger and want due to a lack of material resources.

Giving

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:3-4

Jesus takes it as a given that His followers will be giving financially. As Christians, we start our giving with a tithe, ten percent right away after each paycheck. Ten percent is a biblical baseline, but we are free to give as much as our heart decides (2nd Corinthians 9:7). Giving immediately also helps remove the temptation to think that our money is ours—everything we have is the Lord’s. Giving is an act of faith in God’s provision, a posture of surrender and an opportunity to care for our neighbors in need.

Commitment

We commit to giving away a minimum of ten percent of our gross incomes immediately after each paycheck as an act of faith and worship.

Aspiration

We aspire to increase our standard of giving, not just our standard of living, as our financial resources increase.

Solidarity

This practice is an act of solidarity with the poor who are empowered to overcome poverty and flourish through transformational development.

Service

And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

Matthew 25:40

Jesus did not love and care for broken people merely by sending support from afar. Rather, he “emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). Jesus showed the ultimate solidarity in the incarnation when he came near to humanity. In the same way, we are called to serve the poor by giving not only our finances but also our time and attention. Serving is an act of incarnational love for the vulnerable.

Commitment

We commit to at least quarterly volunteer service with an organization serving the vulnerable.

Aspiration

We aspire to love humbly and serve faithfully by consistently partnering with the same organizations, building lasting relationships with vulnerable people in our community.

Solidarity

This practice is an act of solidarity with the poor as we align our time, attention and bodies with vulnerable people to pursue the flourishing of all God’s children.

Join a Community of Love

Commitments

We commit to memorize Philippians 4:5-7 in our favorite Bible translations and recite it to ourselves when tempted to worry.

We commit to ending each day by thanking God for three specific gifts from that day, either in verbal prayer or a journal set aside for gratitude.

We commit to praying the Lord’s Prayer daily, taking a moment to ask God to provide daily bread for us and the poor.

We commit to fast from food for at least one 24-hour period each quarter as an act of solidarity with the poor.

We commit to giving away a minimum of ten percent of our gross incomes immediately after each paycheck as an act of faith and worship.

We commit to at least quarterly volunteer service with an organization serving the vulnerable.

Aspirations

We aspire to live by faith and not by fear, with peace and not with anxiety, in our thoughts, words and actions.

We aspire to live with an abundance mindset, thanking God in all circumstances and being radically generous to those around us with any needs.

We aspire to cultivate an awareness of every breath, every meal and every good thing as gifts from the Lord, lamenting with the poor whose access to these gifts has been taken by sin or scarcity.

We aspire to occasionally fast for longer periods or special occasions and to do so without seeking attention or glory for ourselves.

We aspire to increase our standard of giving, not just our standard of living, as our financial resources increase.

We aspire to love humbly and serve faithfully by consistently partnering with the same organizations, building lasting relationships with vulnerable people in our community.

Fill out the form below to let us know you are interested in implementing the Profession of Practice in your own life. For a helpful resource to prototype the Profession in your life for 40 days, check out the Solidarity Challenge on our online store.

Make the commitment.