The market, as we know, is an entity that by its very nature can only function if there is economic inequality amongst people. On the local, national or global scale, the market functions in such a way so as to allow for the rich to get richer and the poor to get poorer. Last week a study was released that concluded that in Canada, the gap between the rich and the poor is growing faster than any other country in the world.

For many, the market is a god, an idol. When the market is in turmoil as it is today, many people have very little idea as to where to turn to for their hope. People revere idols by worshipping them. Idols that are worshipped require sacrifices in order to appease them. For example, if we worship TV then we sacrifice our minds. If we worship gossip, then we sacrifice relationships. If we worship the market, then our sacrifices are often human; they are the world’s poor.

As Christians─individually and collectively─we ought to be conscious of our own individual roles in our contributions to a market that, by its very nature, makes some people its economic victims. We need to think about how we invest our financial resources and about the things in which we invest. We need to ask ourselves to what extent we should be increasing our savings while others starve on our streets. By participating in the structures and cultural practices of an increasingly materialistic society, do we contribute to the fact that many individuals do not have their basic physical and emotional needs met? Are we not at least partially responsible for the condition of those who the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures refer to as the oppressed (Dal, ebyon, ani)? Are we seeking the Kingdom first, on earth as it is in Heaven, as the Lord's Prayer teaches us to do? Are we seeking out ways as Christian citizens to confront structural injustices? Are we pursuing creative ways to assist those who are faced daily with the dark underside of the economy that allows us to enjoy material privilege?

What is our role as Christians and as the Church in addressing these problems? How should we begin to deal with the systematic causes of poverty and homelessness in our society? We have the responsibility as the body of Christ to ask ourselves: How are we contributing to or hindering Christ's purposes in our world?

Dion Oxford, along with his wife, Erinn, and daughter, Cate, live in Toronto and are committed to journeying alongside people in the margins of society. Dion and Erinn have spent a combined 30 years working amongst folks who are living on the streets of Toronto. Dion is the director of Gateway, a Salvation Army shelter for men experiencing homelessness. He and his wife see the solution to homelessness as the church taking seriously the two great commandments of loving God and loving our neighbours. He likes to read, write, fly kites, cycle long distances, watch TV, play in his band and hang out with his friends.