Originally posted on July 17, 2018

Our bodies and souls can be mysterious to us. We need comfort. We are never satisfied. Poverty and slavery exist because – to put it in stark reality – the 1% who have and control most of the wealth do so at the expense of “the other 98”.

Immigrants who settled along the South Carolina and Georgia coastlines quickly learned that rice grew very well in that climate. The only problem? Those pesky mosquitos! It was intolerable for the white workers. The word got out, though, that Africans didn’t mind as much mosquitoes, heat, swamps, or being poor. So slavery, because it was “destiny” and “God’s will”, made those plantation owners feel very justified in hiring slaves.

Today, we are “high tech”, even as morality is harder to find, our ozone layer is depleted; even though we enjoy our air conditioning and complain when it won’t work. We dull the pain of the world, tuning out with food, booze, or opioids.

I continually find myself drawn to the writings of Brian McLaren, Jim Wallis, and Gabe Lyons. They all advocate and speak out for the least among us, and how we ought to strive for the common good. Whenever the vagaries of human consumption and greed trample on the backs of the poor, we cannot say that we are interested in the common good. This week’s blog might be starting to sound like a guilt-inducing sermon. I only intend to comment and reflect on what I perceive. In doing so, I acknowledge my own shame for not doing more. I am comfortable in terms of lifestyle, but just uneasy enough to withhold giving more freely. To not be comfortable is to suffer. I am talking strictly about basic living conditions. We all know that among our own citizenry, there is severe poverty.

In Acts 4:34, the first Christian church, i.e. the gathering after Pentecost, there were no needy persons. Those who owned lands or sold them brought the proceeds of the sale and laid them at the apostles’ feet.

God’s economy is no mystery. His Word is quite clear on the common good. Father, forgive me for being in the camp of “yeah, yeah, we know.” Instill in all Your children, dear God, the will and the trust in your provision so that more stomachs are filled; more bodies have a place to lay their heads; that ALL may feel the comfort of our loving Shepherd, Jesus Christ, the true Bread of Life. We know, O God, that you love all of us unconditionally. Amen.

Pastor Art