Lent
March 12, 2022
Scripture Reading:
Luke 13:31-35
At that very hour some Pharisees came and said to him, ‘Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.’ He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox for me, “Listen, I am casting out demons and performing cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish my work. Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way, because it is impossible for a prophet to be killed away from Jerusalem.” Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you. And I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.”’
I wonder what Jesus would say if he looked down upon our nation and our state today. I feel confident his words would be the same as those he spoke looking down on Jerusalem. Oklahoma is a state fighting against its own best interests. It ranks 47th in life expectancy* and 42nd in poverty**. The percentages vary among the different measures used to determine the standing of our ability to address these issues, but the numbers are only slightly different. We rank in the bottom 10 among all states in health care and health outcomes, education, and criminal justice. The one common denominator among these three ways of solving these problems is our leader’s desire to spread our tax dollars among for-profit providers rather than tackle the issues without greasing the skids of greed.
Jesus showed us the way in his life and his teachings. In Matthew 25 he says he will judge the nations in whether they fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, welcomed the stranger, clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and restored those in prison. In recent times we have turned inward only caring about our personal rights not the wellbeing of all. Jesus teaches us that there is room in God’s kingdom for all to have enough to thrive and we are each individually and collectively responsible for striving for that common good.
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for not fulfilling your plan for your world. Amen.
*https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/usa/oklahoma-life-expectancy
**https://www.news9.com/story/5e3498fe527dcf49dad814d4/oklahoma-ranks-among-the-poorest-states-in-the-us#:~:text=And%20Oklahoma%20wound%20up%20in,median%20household%20income%20at%20%2449%2C176.
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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.