The Poor and the Alien
Wednesday, July 12, 2006 -- Week of Proper 9
"Morning Reflections" is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.
Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this link -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (p. 973)
Psalm 119:1-24 (morning) // 12, 13, 14 (evening)
Deuteronomy 1:1-18
Romans 9:1-18
Matthew 23:27-39
When you read the scriptures day by day, it is impressive how often the Bible speaks with a compassionate voice on behalf of the poor. It is impossible to study the scripture and not be convinced of God's special attention for the poor and of our responsibility on behalf of the poor.
That struck me today again as I began reading the psalms. (I'm reading the afternoon psalms during this cycle.) Psalm 12 is a lament which criticizes the leaders and the culture for their smooth talking while "the needy are oppressed, and the poor cry out in misery." So many of the psalms sound this theme. Jim Wallis is fond of telling about a Bible experiment that some of his seminary students conducted many years ago. They cut out every passage that had to do with the poor and with our just use of our wealth. They removed several thousand verses. The Bible was literally cut to ribbons.
Then as I was reading the passage from Deuteronomy, I was drawn again to another repetitive theme in the Hebrew Scripture. As Moses describes the comprehensive justice system that he established, creating commanders of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and even tens, he charged those who will exercise judgment to "give the members of your community a fair hearing, and judge rightly between one person and other, whether citizen or resident alien." Here is yet another command that the resident alien be treated with equal regard. That couldn't have been easier for ancient Israel than it is for us today either.
Generous action toward the poor and equal regard for the alien. You can't read the Bible without being convinced that these are God's expectations of us. This is God's agenda, God's politics, God's economics.
Politicians who wrap themselves in religion and the Bible and fail to make generous action toward the poor and equal regard for the alien a centerpiece of their policies are like the whitewashed tombs and the enemies of the prophets that Jesus speaks words of woe to in our Matthew reading. Jesus uses the word "hypocrites."
Lowell
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posted by Lowell @ 7:38 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Talking about equal treatment of aliens reminded me of this. My little brother, Matt, is 16. He just spent five weeks in Tokyo through a foreign exchange program. He stayed with a Japanese family, and went to a Japanese high school where he was the only American, and the only student who spoke English.
In talking to him during his time over there, he became aware of a cultural difference that was interesting. He said that foreign exchange students at Fayetteville High School are almost always widely ignored and even ostracized. But on Matt's first day in Japanese high school, there was a huge banner welcoming him to the school, and all of the kids in his class went out of their way to befriend him, show him how to get from class to class, and help him to learn the language. He just got back a few days ago and was heartbroken to leave such a warm and welcoming place.
I'm anxious to see how Matt treats this year's exchange students at his high school. I wonder if one kid could influence a few others, and wind up changing how an entire school treats kids from other cultures. Could the same thing happen in the rest of the country?
Jusus and I are on the same wave link.
AMEN!
Bettye
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