DAY 273
Faith in the Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily reflections for people of faith
by Rev. Robert Bayley, Interim Pastor
Patuxent Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland
pastorrobert@paxpres.org
Week Thirty-nine Saturday 12 December 2020
Forgive Us Our Debts
Churches are Rescuing Americans from Crushing Medical Bills”
“Debt is a particularly destructive consequence of an American health care system that treats medical care as a consumer good. A 2018 survey found that 67 percent of Americans worry about paying for unexpected medical bills. Unpaid medical bills become unpaid medical debt, which destroys credit ratings, attracts harassment from collection agencies and postpones or precludes important purchases, including additional health care…. It’s a reality many may soon face. COVID-19 can be an expensive illness to survive. In just societies, these debts do not exist. But in our society, charity must stand in for justice so long as the latter is in short supply.… RIP Medical Debt is a charitable organization founded in 2014 by two former debt collection executives that uses donations to buy portfolios of medical debt at a fraction of their value – and then forgives it. Since their founding, hundreds of churches have been able to see over 2.7 billion dollars in medical debt forgiven.” - From a current newspaper article by the same name.
Medical debt is a contributing factor in approximately 2/3rds of the filings for bankruptcy in this country, and disproportionately hits hardest the working poor who have little or no savings and live from paycheck to paycheck, with one in three American families carrying what for them is a heavy load of medical debt they are unable to pay. Thus out of a sense of Christian responsibility churches have rallied to raise funds to forgive medical debt through RIP Medical Debt, remembering that Jesus has made it clear that doing things for others in need is doing it for him. Add to ‘normal’ medical costs, treatment for COVID-19 and the need is greater than ever. Once we get in the ‘habit’ of giving to others in need, the giving becomes easy.
To give a Christmas pandemic gift of freedom from medical debt go to: ripmedicaldebt.org.
RIP Medical Debt is a 501 C 3 entity and you will receive a receipt for tax purposes.
Reflective question: Will you join me in giving a Christmas pandemic gift to forgive someone’s medical debts? One dollar will forgive $100 in medical debt. Will you pray about it?
Reflective Scripture: 1 John 3:17 – ‘If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
Reflective hymn:
“Give Me Your Eyes” – Brandon Heath Knell (1978- )
Give me Your eyes for just one second, give me Your eyes so I can see,
Everything that I keep missing, give me Your love for humanity.
Give me Your arms for the broken-hearted,
the ones that are far beyond my reach,
Give me Your heart for the ones forgotten, give me Your eyes so I can see.
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