Living in the Spirit
July 19, 2022
Scripture Reading: Genesis 18:20-32
Then the Lord said, ‘How great is the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah and how very grave their sin! I must go down and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me; and if not, I will know.’
So the men turned from there, and went towards Sodom, while Abraham remained standing before the Lord. Then Abraham came near and said, ‘Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will you then sweep away the place and not forgive it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?’ And the Lord said, ‘If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will forgive the whole place for their sake.’ Abraham answered, ‘Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes. Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?’ And he said, ‘I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.’ Again he spoke to him, ‘Suppose forty are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of forty I will not do it.’ Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak. Suppose thirty are found there.’ He answered, ‘I will not do it, if I find thirty there.’ He said, ‘Let me take it upon myself to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.’ Then he said, ‘Oh do not let the Lord be angry if I speak just once more. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.’
I have observed that religions identify hierarchies of sins and find that the worst sins are behaviors they would never do. I have learned that in many instances, the ones raving the most against some sins are the practitioners of those sins behind closed doors. I was thus surprised that the lectionary writers chose to leave out the description of the sins that caused the discussion in the above scripture. They carefully opened the door that all of us must consider all aspects of our lives that may separate us from God and address those issues.
Politicians have recognized this tendency and instead of campaigning on their vision for the wellbeing of their constituents, they work to get your vote by highlighting divisive issues repugnant to many. As with our Supreme Court Justices, these same politicians soon forget what they promised regarding real problems in our society after they take office. I recommend we each take some time to identify the issues impacting our lives or the life of our friends and find out how candidates plan to address them. Can you afford the medication you or a loved one is prescribed? Do you have the internet access your children need to succeed in school? Have you lost a home or suffered other ill effects from the weird weather that we are experiencing due to climate change? Does your family’s income add up to a living wage (see https://livingwage.mit.edu/)? After you complete your list find out who the candidates are running for office where you live. See what you can find out about each candidate’s positions regarding your concerns. Your local library might be a good place to start. Make a list of the candidates you pick and take the list to the polls with you. Now, ensure you are registered to vote and learn where you can vote. Plan on how you will get to the polls or access absentee voting. Oklahoma City in the past has not charged bus fees for people going to vote. Many groups offer rides to vote if you need help reach out for it. Finally, vote. Your vote matters.
Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds to assuring that we are loving you and our neighbors as ourselves in our role as citizens. 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 America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.