Rescue the Perishing

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”- John 3:16
My grandmother always lived in a small town where she knew everyone, not just those in town, but all of the farmers who lived within twenty miles. She would always keep an eye on the local store owned by my uncle, especially on a Saturday, for those who came to buy groceries. It gave her a chance to drop her hoe in the garden and go visit a while, see what was going on, minister the Lord's love to them.
Now we live in communities where we don't know our neighbors, let alone love them. They're all around us, the needy, the unloved, the unlovely, our own mission field, and yet we come home from work and lock ourselves away behind closed doors. Are we afraid that they might rub off on us, that they might contaminate us, or even more so, afraid that we might rub off on them or perhaps rub them the wrong way with our righteousness?
The Lord told us to go preach the gospel. That means to the neighbor who is struggling with alcoholism, that means to the man with AIDS down the street, to the young couple next door who seem to have everything or even to the ones across the street with the yippy dog. We should be throwing our arms open to them. That's what Christ would do. He would pray for them and baby-sit with their kids, bake cookies for them, take them soup when they're sick. But we merely wait. Are we waiting for permission, for recognition, for a voice from the Lord? Meanwhile they're perishing.
An old hymn comes to mind:

"Rescue the perishing, care for the dying
Snatch them from pity, from sin and the grave
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save."

We need to open our eyes and see that the world is perishing while we sit calmly by with the answer. We've left it to our pastors, tele-evangelists, and missionaries, those who were "called" to present the gospel, but preaching, sermons, or even wise direction for their lives does not rescue the world. It is rescued by love, by closeness, by caring.
When a high-rise is on fire, it isn't the person down on the ground barking directions through a loud speaker that those who are trapped are so grateful to see. It is the one who goes out on a limb, who climbs the ladder to reach out his hand to them who makes a difference in their lives, in whether or not they live or die.
We need to stop giving the world direction. They've got enough of that already. We need to give them what they really need and what we've already received: God's love, compassion, acceptance and forgiveness. It's there as it has always been, freely offered and in abundance. He has it for all of his creation and they need it...they know they need it...they're dying for it and yet we hesitate to offer it.

"Down in the human heart, crushed by the temptor
Feelings lie buried that grace can restore
Touched by a loving heart, wakened by kindness
Chords that were broken will vibrate once more."--Fanny J. Crosby