Eastertide

May 2, 2022

Scripture Reading: Acts 9:36-43

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas. She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. At that time she became ill and died. When they had washed her, they laid her in a room upstairs. Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, who heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him with the request, ‘Please come to us without delay.’ So Peter got up and went with them; and when he arrived, they took him to the room upstairs. All the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing tunics and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was with them. Peter put all of them outside, and then he knelt down and prayed. He turned to the body and said, ‘Tabitha, get up.’ Then she opened her eyes, and seeing Peter, she sat up. He gave her his hand and helped her up. Then calling the saints and widows, he showed her to be alive. This became known throughout Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. Meanwhile he stayed in Joppa for some time with a certain Simon, a tanner.

I wish helping others were always that easy.  This story was memorial enough to be shared with all of us, giving us hope and reminding us that God is God and we never face alone the principalities and powers described in Ephesians 3:10 as translated in the King James Version. Trying to help an individual can be a challenge, changing the systemic causes of the problems we try to address is frustrating, hard work bringing together diverse people with varying backgrounds to break down the barriers that prevent positive life situations for everyone.

We spend far more on health care in the USA than any other nation in the world. Health spending per person in the U.S. was $11,945 in 2020, which was over $4,000 more expensive than any other high-income nation. The average amount spent on health per person in comparable countries ($5,736) is roughly half that of the U.S.¹Of the 10 other nations that are most like the U.S., The U.S. ranks last overall on the health care outcomes domain².

Poverty is a leading cause of health problems. Yet we do little to address the fact that 43 % of the people in the U.S. and 52% of children are poor or low-income³. Greed is the primary cause of poverty. Our health care system is an excellent example of greed at work where layers of profit are weaved through every aspect of health care. The cost of insulin is just one example. In 2018, the same amount of insulin that cost $98.70 in the U.S.  cost $21.48 in Chili the next highest priced insulin⁴.

We need a moral revival in the U.S. to combat the greed that is killing our country.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for keeping our heads in the sand as those principalities and powers define who we are. Give us the courage to give up greed. Amen.

*https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/health-spending-u-s-compare-countries-2/#Per%20capita%20health%20consumption%20expenditures,%20U.S.%20dollars,%20PPP%20adjusted,%202019%20and%202020%C2%A0

2. https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2021/aug/mirror-mirror-2021-reflecting-poorly

3. https://www.poorpeoplescampaign.org/140-million-maps/

4. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/cost-of-insulin-by-country

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.