Look after orphans and widows in their distress

Good Monday morning my friends.

Yesterday I listened to a very challenging message.  It was based on this passage from James:

If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.  Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. (James 1:26-27 NIV)

The same verse from The Message paraphrase of the Bible is even more pointed:

Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world. (James 1:26-27 The Message)

The speaker followed that up with this passage from the prophet Amos:

 "I can't stand your religious meetings. 

   I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.

I want nothing to do with your religion projects, 

   your pretentious slogans and goals.

I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, 

   your public relations and image making.

I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. 

   When was the last time you sang to me?

Do you know what I want? 

   I want justice—oceans of it.

I want fairness—rivers of it. 

   That's what I want. That's all I want.  (Amos 5:21-24 The Message)

God does not beat around the proverbial "burning bush" here.  We can go to church every day of the week and twice on Sunday.  We can study the Bible to our heart's content.  We can go to conferences and conventions and hear the best speakers, the best musicians.  But none of that matters to God unless we are looking after "the least of these".  As Paul says repeatedly in 1 Corinthians 13: without love, it is nothing.  (For a wonderful interpretation of 1 Corinthians 13 click here.)

So the question is not whether we gather every Sunday to "fellowship", it is this: how are we reaching out to the homeless and the loveless?  How about the single mothers and their children in our midst? Are we aligning our hearts with God's?  Because He is pretty clear about what is on His heart.

Amazing Grace and Eternal Peace to you today,

Bruce

Just as you brought the Israelites from slavery, you redeemed us from the slavery of sin. 

May we be grateful recipients and sharers of your abundant grace and mercy, especially toward those who are slighted, oppressed and marginalized. 

May your Spirit and your glory be reflected in the way we treat the immigrants, widows and orphans among us. 

Amen.

(http://blog.sojo.net/2010/06/03/prayer-of-the-day-2010-06-03/)

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca