Advent
November 30, 2022
Scripture Reading: Psalm 72:1-7, 18-19
Prayer for Guidance and Support for the King
Of Solomon.
Give the king your justice, O God,
and your righteousness to a king’s son.
May he judge your people with righteousness,
and your poor with justice
May the mountains yield prosperity for the people,
and the hills, in righteousness.
May he defend the cause of the poor of the people,
give deliverance to the needy,
and crush the oppressor. –Psalm 72:1-4
I included the title offered in my Bible for this scripture as it is helpful to know that this was a prayer for Solomon when he assumed the throne. We do not live in a monarchy. In a democracy, we have installed new leaders recently, and we do need to pray for them. In a democracy, we, the people, are responsible for selecting qualified people for each job and for holding their feet to the fire to address well the issues for which we elected them to represent us. Certainly, a fair justice system is important, particularly for the “least of these*” who may not have the voice or influence necessary to correct injustice in our society.
The national poverty rate was 12.8% in 2021 but was significantly different for the nation’s oldest and youngest populations, according to a new Census Bureau report released today.
The child poverty rate (for people under age 18) was 16.9% in 2021, 4.2 percentage points higher than the national rate, while poverty for those ages 65 and over was 10.3%, 2.5 percentage points lower than the national rate**.
In the US, one out of every 10 people over 65 lives in poverty. At the same time, Congress is considering how to cut Social Security and Medicare, which are the programs that make the elderly have q poverty rate lower than the national rate. The worst outcome is that one out of every six children lives in poverty while we have a low unemployment rate. How can the poverty rate be so high if the unemployment rate is so low? The minimum wage has not been raised since 2009. It is meaningless today, as is the official poverty rate; both are well below a living wage***. If governments are responsible for caring for the poor, then we have much catching up to do.
Prayer: Lord, help us all be defenders of the poor. Amen.
*Matthew 25:40 And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”
***See MIT’s Living Wage Calculator at https://livingwage.mit.edu/
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.