Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon and ratted on.

I was intrigued to find out that Paul Simon wrote a song called Blessed many years ago. The opening lines of the song are profound:

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit
Blessed is the lamb whose blood flows
Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on
O Lord, Why have you forsaken me?
I got no place to go” – Paul Simon

The crowds that came to hear Jesus often felt like they were 'sat upon and spat upon' in a religious sense. They were hungry for the things of God, but had been overlooked and ignored, until Jesus showed up and changed all that.

If you are feeling a little 'sat upon' at the moment and that no one seems to care, why don't you turn to Jesus? Listen to his words of hope and consolation and remember that you always have a home in Christ.

Matthew 12:21 - "In his name the nations will put their hope."

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Human rights

In response to the South African national holiday, Human Rights Day, I found a few quotes from the scriptures, which would be good to read in light of our Christian response to the rights of all people. This is usually a sensitive topic as we all have varying opinions on our rights, but hold these verses up to the debate and see if they add any wisdom.

"Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees,
2 to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people,
making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless.
3 What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar?
To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches?" - Isaiah 10:1-3

1 Corinthians 8:8-9 - "But food does not bring us near to God; we are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak."

Lamentations 3:34-36 - "To crush underfoot all prisoners in the land,

35 to deny people their rights before the Most High,
36 to deprive them of justice—would not the Lord see such things?"

As Christians, how do we view 'our' rights in the context of a fallen world? What action should we take to protect the rights of the marginalised and poor?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Why not me?

When Christopher Reeve was thrown from his horse and broke his neck in 1995, many people wondered how such a tragedy could befall a famous actor like him. Christopher response was something along the lines of "why not me?" His point was that anyone can suffer. Suffering is not reserved only for the poor, the outcast, the sinner. Everyone suffers at some point in our lives.

This point was driven home to me when reading through Mark 5. Suffering is universal – rich and poor encounter it. Just because we have social status like Jairus (the leader of the Synagogue) doesn’t preclude us from suffering. 

This is the one thing that Covid has also shown us. People from all walks of life have suffered and even died – doctors, lawyers, teachers, pastors, clerks, the homeless etc.

It is interesting that we somehow think that the rich don’t encounter trials and difficulties – but we are wrong. We were watching the movie about the life of Steve Jobs the other evening –he was the founder of Apple. This is what he said towards the end of his life, as he was dying of Cancer.

Steve Jobs - “At this moment, lying on the bed, sick and remembering all my life, I realize that all my recognition and wealth that I have is meaningless in the face of imminent death… In other eyes, my life is the essence of success, but aside from work, I have a little joy.”

As we go through our own periods of trials and testing let us remember we are not alone. Others can relate to us and certainly God is with us. 

Mark 5:22-23 - Then one of the synagogue leaders, named Jairus, came, and when he saw Jesus, he fell at his feet. He pleaded earnestly with him, “My little daughter is dying. Please come and put your hands on her so that she will be healed and live.”  So Jesus went with him.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

We should not be surprised

It is interesting that we assume that the issues we are facing in 2020 are unique to our generation. In some ways they are - for example the Corona Virus - but in other ways we are just seeing a repeat of historical mistakes. Take note of today's reading:

"Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. Even the king milks the land for his own profit!" - Ecclesiastes 5:8-9

For those of us living in South Africa, this is a sad fact. It is always the poor who seem to be at the raw end of the deal. This is why Jesus challenges us to stand on the side of the poor.

Matthew 5:3 - “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Kindess

 

 

Today's reading from Proverbs 19 reminds us that: "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,    and he will reward them for what they have done." (Proverbs 19:17)

We are facing up to a time in our history where poverty is very close at hand. As South Africans we have been exposed to the poor in diverse ways, but Covid-19 is slowly creating more opportunities for us to be kind to those who are struggling economically. Jesus made it clear that we would always have poor amongst us and urged his followers to treat all people with compassion, love and kindness.

On this significant day in the life of the Evangelical Church, where we remember the difference that John and Charles Wesley made to England (and the world), it is fitting to note a very challenging word from them on poverty and our call to address it:

"Do you not know that God entrusted you with that money (all above what buys necessities for your families) to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked, to help the stranger, the widow, the fatherless; and, indeed, as far as it will go, to relieve the wants of all mankind? How can you, how dare you, defraud the Lord, by applying it to any other purpose?”- John Wesley

Perhaps his other quote which is well known is also appropiate at this point:

“Do all the good you can,
By all the means you can,
In all the ways you can,
In all the places you can,
At all the times you can,
To all the people you can,
As long as ever you can.”
― John Wesley 

How can we show kindness to others? 

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Strange Sight

I saw a strange sight this morning. It caught me a little off guard, but it certainly made me think. As I drove down the street I noticed a man digging around in the garbage, which is not really out of the ordinary, but then I saw him stand up and answer his Cellphone. I was a little taken aback and thought - "this guy is digging in the trash for food, but he has a cellphone!" Wow.

Then, it struck me - why shouldn't he have a phone?! It is obviously important for him to have contact with his family/friends, and a phone is not a luxury item anymore. For some people it is a necessity.

I was then also left thinking about God's Love (on this Valentines Day) - God's love is for all people. No matter whether you are rich or poor, God pours out his love on us. We just need to be willing to receive it.

Psalm 86:5 - You, Lord, are forgiving and good, abounding in love to all who call to you.

Are you and I willing to accept the LOVE that God offers us?

Living in Grace
D3LM3