Eastertide
May 10, 2014

Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 34:1-16 

Thus says the Lord God: Ah, you shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep? You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak, you have not healed the sick, you have not bound up the injured, you have not brought back the strayed, you have not sought the lost, but with force and harshness you have ruled them… . 

I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord God. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice. — Ezekiel 34:2b-4, 15-16  

Ezekiel does not mince words. Those in leadership, the shepherds of Israel, are lining their own purses at the expense of the very ones for which they have been given responsibility, the sheep.  We are seeing the same thing happen in the USA today. As the rich get richer and the number of poor grow, we will soon reach the point where there is no one left to buy what the rich are selling. It is called greed when one’s lust for more, overshadows the logic of one’s actions. Greed is a sin; it separates us from God. The ancients would call it idolatry—the act of ascribing to some thing greater worth than one ascribes to God. Our sin as a people is reflected in our governments at all levels where our individual representatives pay homage to the ones who have bought them or are trying to buy them. While collectively, they accomplish little or nothing regarding their one assigned task—to provide for the common good.

I fear we are all guilty of a bit of greed and we each must confess this sin while turning away from it.  This is no easy tasks as greed is ingrained in most part of our lives. Our personal confession and repentance is just a first step. We must eat the justice we have failed to assure. It will no doubt taste a little bitter. Like the cleansing antiseptic used to cleanse a wound, we will have to fill the sting before we can return our country to health.

The good news is we have a Savior in Jesus Christ our Lord and if we turn to him and follow the path he lays out for us, we can return God’s justice to this land as we share the abundance of bounty God provides for all God’s children, through loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves. It is a meal both sweet and savory. Come share the bread and the wine.

Prayer: Lord of the Harvest, I ask forgiveness for the greed I can readily see in my life and the greed that is so comfortable I do not even recognize it as greed anymore.  Thank you for your mercy and thank you for your persistence in justice for all. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.