Reflections on . . . James 2:14-17

Keeping warm

It is no small feat that women in the three most westerly provinces created 15,000 blankets for overseas shipments via Mennonite Central Committee last year. Colour schemes, fabrics, sizes and thicknesses, were as varied as the groups who gathered to stitch. What was constant was a concern for those who are cold, for these are generally older women with not only the time to sew, but also memories of destruction, destitution and profound need. When they were starving in Russia 75 years ago, their own lives were saved by the founding of MCC.

An MCC visitor tells of being hosted by a woman in a tiny refugee apartment in Bosnia. In the one small room which she shared with her children, he was invited to be seated on the only piece of furniture: a cot. He realized that he was sitting on a familiar-looking quilt, and indeed, in the corner was the label, "In the name of Christ".

"This blanket saved our lives last winter," she said. "During the fuel embargo, we huddled beneath it at night when the temperature was below freezing in the room. By day, we wrapped ourselves in it."

James 2:14-17 says, "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed;' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith that is not accompanied by action, is dead."

Who will stitch blankets when all those are gone who remember what it was like to be cold?

This one is by Helen Rose Pauls from Chilliwack, B.C.

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