Living in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
October 8, 2014
Scripture Reading: Psalm 106:1-6, 19-23
Praise the Lord!
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
Who can utter the mighty doings of the Lord,
or declare all his praise?
Happy are those who observe justice,
who do righteousness at all times. — Psalm 106:1-3
What makes you happy? I was surprised at the amount of joy I experienced recently when I read the morning paper. Now, the morning paper is most often a source of prayer for me regarding the bad things that happen in our world. But on that day the first thing I read was that the public school my church adopted almost ten years ago now, improved from a grade of “F” in its annual evaluation to a grade of “C” this year. Now I am not heavy into this testing process and it has been highly criticized, but as bad as it is, it apparently does measure change from one year to the next. These elementary students and their families face multiple challenges: 97% qualify for free and reduced lunches. We packed numerous backpacks for children at this school with food from the Regional Food Bank for them to take home on Friday so that they will have food to eat over the weekend. 17% of the children are English as a second language learners. The mobility of students in an out of this school is astounding to me. I went to the same school from first grade through graduation. These children may change schools two or three times in a school year.
I think it is fair to say that my church contributed in some small way to this success as do the other churches that work with them but most of the gain can be attributed to the Principal and the wonderful cadre of teachers and counselors. Also I give credit to the people of Oklahoma City who voted a few years ago to raise taxes so that every school in Oklahoma City could either be replaced or get a major facelift. This school is now getting its “facelift” and it matters. Our sense of justice and righteousness should be reflected in how we vote.
So today, let us give praise for we have observed justice and righteousness in our time.
Oklahoma Fact: From 2010 -2012, 7.1% of Children missed 11 or more days of school per year due to illness or injury
Prayer: Lord, we praise you for your steadfast love and we ask that you embolden us to love like you do as you guide us in doing justice and righteousness. 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.