A cheerful heart is good medicine… Proverbs 17:22
(NLT)
Celebrities, red noses and money – for thirty years
there has been no more successful fundraising in Britain.
Now it’s here in the U.S.
Well, the British invasion of the Beatles in the
1960’s was pretty successful; now we have Red Nose Day™. Last night was the schedule for Hollywood’s
“A-List” to gather and make fun of each other while thousands (perhaps millions)
of American viewers send-in money for charity.
According to the website the funds will be used (as in Britain) to address the
woes of primarily children in poverty.
The funds are to be used 50% in America and 50% worldwide, for
· Keeping them
safe by reducing levels of violence, exploitation & abuse
·
Educate them
by improving access to good quality basic education and helping them
with job
training when they grow up
·
Make sure
they’re healthy by giving them access to primary healthcare, clean water
and
sanitation.
Now, you might ask, Russell – you are a pastor; what
in the world are you doing promoting what Hollywood is doing? Aren’t they the godless ones?
Well, let me be really clear – I don’t approve of a
lot of what I see in the entertainment trade – I abhor both the proliferation
of violence and sexual perversion, and the overt political agenda-mongering of
most of that industry, which contributes to a degenerative moral effect on
culture in general, and the young children who get caught-up in viewing the
trash (and later emulating it).
But, on the other hand, in this case, if the money
raised is going to help children, I’d stick a red nosed ball on my own face and
let them throw pies at me all day long to help!
Which leads me to list one caution about giving to
such events…and other so-called charitable fundraisers; sometimes as
much as 90% of the money you send-in, following a solicitation call, is used to
pay for the salaries of people making the calls, as well as other ”necessary expenses” – while only 10%
winds-up actually helping those in need.
(I found no information about this on the Red Nose web page.)
Well, can’t the church do a better job than that?
Yes – Yes – Yes we can; and we do – and we should do
more! A good case in point is The United
Methodist Church’s Nothing But Nets campaign against malaria (malaria is
responsible for one-fifth of all child mortality in Africa[2]).
A mosquito net costs $10, and your $10 donation buys a
whole net, possibly saving the life of a child.
100% of your donated dollar goes into buying mosquito nets.
Now, with all that done, why am I a “red-noser” supporting the likes
of movie stars, rockers, comedians, rappers, Kermit the Frog and a host of other
celebrities I would never want to meet?
I’m taking the approach that the children are worth it!
For those of you who
need a proof text from Scripture….one day the disciples of John the Baptist got
upset because crowds were beginning to follow Jesus instead of their guy. They pitched a fit and went to John for him
to call down some fire on the followers of Jesus. Here’s what the Baptist said:
“No one can receive anything unless God gives it
from heaven…I am filled with joy at his success. He must
become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
John 3:27, 29-30 (NLT)
For You Today
If God has touched your heart to stick a red clown
ball on your nose to help children – wonderful.
If He has touched your heart to donate to buy mosquito nets – better!
Either way…ANY way…EVERY day…respond
to God’s touch and call.
For a follower of Jesus Christ, it’s ALWAYS
Red Nose Day!
[1]
Title image: By Red Nose Day (TM) (Eigene Vektorisierung) [Public domain], via Wikimedia
Commons
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