During this week after Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the crucifixion, Scripture tells us that Jesus was teaching in the temple. In all the Gospels, Jesus just doesn’t preach on abstract or obscure passages of the Torah, but draws his teaching – note the difference in the words – teach, not preach – from real life examples right before his very eyes.
Those examples have lessons for us in this day. Take, for example the poor widow who put two small copper coins, “worth a penny.” Her gift given out of her poverty was worth more than the gifts of those who gave out of their abundance. It is the very opposite of how we think of our resources today.
The real issue for us is how we manage our resources today, not just personally, but as a Nation. We complain about the high cost of living yet do not share our resources with the marginalized in our society: people who have no real permanent housing, the many who are at the bottom struggling to eke out a living.
Prayer for the Day
Abundance we have as a Nation, O God,
But the question remains: how do we use it?
Wealth we aspire to as a society, O Lord,
But we do not use it for the poor and marginalized.
May we have the vision to see that we are blind,
To the real basis of any society: to care for all.
In the name of the One who showed compassion,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
The most widely accepted measure for calculating income inequality is a century-old formula called the Gini coefficient. What it reveals is startling. Today the United States has the most unequal society of all developed nations. America’s level of inequality is comparable to that of Russia, China, Argentina, and the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
Jessica Bruder, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it understands that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.
Martin Luther King (1929-1968)
For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
Their righteousness endures forever.
Psalm 112: 6. 9
During this week after Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the crucifixion, Scripture tells us that Jesus was teaching in the temple. In all the Gospels, Jesus just doesn’t preach on abstract or obscure passages of the Torah, but draws his teaching – note the difference in the words – teach, not preach – from real life examples right before his very eyes.
Those examples have lessons for us in this day. Take, for example the poor widow who put two small copper coins, “worth a penny.” Her gift given out of her poverty was worth more than the gifts of those who gave out of their abundance. It is the very opposite of how we think of our resources today.
The real issue for us is how we manage our resources today, not just personally, but as a Nation. We complain about the high cost of living yet do not share our resources with the marginalized in our society: people who have no real permanent housing, the many who are at the bottom struggling to eke out a living.
Prayer for the Day
Abundance we have as a Nation, O God,
But the question remains: how do we use it?
Wealth we aspire to as a society, O Lord,
But we do not use it for the poor and marginalized.
May we have the vision to see that we are blind,
To the real basis of any society: to care for all.
In the name of the One who showed compassion,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
The most widely accepted measure for calculating income inequality is a century-old formula called the Gini coefficient. What it reveals is startling. Today the United States has the most unequal society of all developed nations. America’s level of inequality is comparable to that of Russia, China, Argentina, and the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
Jessica Bruder, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century
True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it understands that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring.
Martin Luther King (1929-1968)
For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.
They have distributed freely, they have given to the poor;
Their righteousness endures forever.
Psalm 112: 6. 9