Thoughts for the Day

Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O King of Judah sitting on the throne of David—you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. For if you will indeed obey this word, then through the gates of this house shall enter kings who sit on the throne of David, riding in chariots and on horses, they, and their servants, and their people. But if you will not heed these words, I swear by myself, says the Lord, that this house shall become a desolation.

(Church in Wales Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today our reading from Jeremiah jumps back to six hundred years before the time of Jesus. He lived in the southern kingdom of Judah at a time when the northern tribes have been destroyed by Assyria (around 722 BCE), and before the invasion by the Babylonians and the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem (586 BCE). He sees that the kingdom is in danger and his prophecies remind them what God wants from His people. His words still apply to the present day.

As Chrstians we are to live out our principles - to act as we think. Unfortunately we seem to have shut down our horizons and look inwards to ourselves and our family. Perhaps lockdowns and concerns over rising costs have caused this, but God calls us to make changes to our whole world. We must be concerned with justice for others, to deliver people from oppressors, and to help the alien, the orphan and the widow. They should be as much our concern as our own family. If we have very little money then perhaps we can find out about those who need help and pray for them. We can support pressure groups by signing petitions. Or we can involve ourselves in helping to raise money for a charity.

There is absolutely no option to do nothing!

Lord God,
You call us to care for all people,
and to lift our eyes to the plight of others.
Help us not to be insular,
thinking only of ourselves or our family,
but to get involved with helping others in need.
Give us an active prayer life as well as
an active concern for those less fortunate
than ourselves.
Amen.