Living in the Spirit
September 1, 2015
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 22:1-2, 8-9, 22-23
Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,
and the rod of anger will fail.
Those who are generous are blessed,
for they share their bread with the poor. –Proverbs 22:8-9
What does it mean to sow injustice? Surely we do not actively engage in causing injustice. I do not know about you, but when I present my sins before God and plead for forgiveness, I am most often listing sins of omission rather than commission. Seeds of injustice are often sins of omission.
A friend recently castigated me about taking a stand publically regarding the need to raise the minimum wage. Actually I did take that stand but I think raising the minimum wage is a mere stop gap response to meet immediate needs, as we struggle to find ways to assure that everyone who works earns a living wage. If we just raise the minimum wage, businesses most likely will raise their prices taking away all that was gained from the increase in the minimum wage.
My friend went on to say we both worked for minimum wage in high school but no one should plan on supporting themselves on that salary. It is what we should pay teenagers living at home with the parents. The truth is when my friend and I were teenagers working at those minimum wage jobs, the minimum wage was at the highest level it had ever been about 99% of poverty today the minimum wage is 60% of poverty. What is rarely mentioned is the measure for poverty has not been changed since the 1970’s and is based on statistical model created in 1965**. It is woefully inadequate now, if only because of the changes in the cost of housing. There probably are not enough teenagers of working age in this country to fill the many service jobs held by adults supporting families because we have lost so many well-paying manufacturing jobs.
We would do well to consider, if our desires for more wealth, keeps us from working toward everyone earning a living wage. Do we tolerate those high profit margins and CEO salaries because they have become like a lottery to us? Someday we may win it. We need to carefully search our values and compare them to Jesus’ values for we may be sowing injustice in the name of greed.
Prayer: Lord, you championed meeting the needs of the poor and challenged us to do the same. Guide us from being sowers of injustice to being champions of justice. Amen.
*Pictured graft source: U.S. Bureau of the Census; U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; Statistical Abstract of the United States; and Survey of Current Business. See at: http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/anth484/minwage.html
**http://www.census.gov/library/infographics/poverty_measure-history.html
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.