Day 20 - March 15, 2007
In “The Mission”, Jeremy Irons plays the part of a Jesuit priest and is instrumental, through his leadership, in building a community where all people have work, all people have dignity, and all people are cared for. It’s not communism. It’s not socialism. It’s not capitalism. It’s the kingdom of God, made visible in small measure as the community of God’s people becomes, increasingly a place where physical and material needs are met.
What we see in Nehemiah 5 is the opposite of that. We see the powerful getting rich at the expense of common people, with the result that those who are watching the people of God are now able to point and say, “these people don’t even care for each other!”
In the Bible, profound warnings are carried with wealth. There are numerous examples of wealthy people in the Bible – both Old and New Testaments. But there are also lots of warnings. It’s incumbent upon we who are rich to take seriously the responsibilities that come with this wealth. Are we using that which God has given us to ennoble and empower, or to oppress? Do our spending habits reflect the heart of God?
Lord of all, You have made it clear that your heart is for the poor, and that all the world will know of the reality of your life, not by our astute doctrinal articulations and defenses, but by the demonstrable love we show for each other, a love which must include our commitment to the physical well being of others – both locally and globally. Guide our church as we continue to meet and pray about how you want us to serve the poor in our own neighborhoods. We pray for our food bank and homeless shelter ministry, and for the pastor’s ministry to the many who come to our door each week. As well, we pray for the economic development projects we are considering on Eastern Europe and Central America. Give us wisdom to both know and do your will in these areas. Finally, and perhaps most significantly, we pray for our own stewardship of the resources you’ve given each of us as individuals and families. Let us not hide behind global economic development projects done by the church to dismiss us from our own responsibilities. May you open our eyes to specific areas of spending and investing, that you might want to change. As the hymnist wrote, “Take my silver and my gold – not a mite would I withhold.” Teach us to be faithful in this vital realm of life. In your great name we pray, amen .
posted by Richard Dahlstrom @ 12:56 PM
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