Living in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
September 28, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Matthew 21:23-32

 When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?’ Jesus said to them, ‘I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?’ And they argued with one another, ‘If we say, “From heaven”, he will say to us, “Why then did you not believe him?” But if we say, “Of human origin”, we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.’ So they answered Jesus, ‘We do not know.’ And he said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things. — Matthew 21:23-27

Recognize this dialogue? You should for it is the norm anymore in our political system. This is, of course, a theological discourse, but it is not too different from our discussions about how our government should function. The primary purpose of the chief priests and elders as presented here was to maintain their seats of power, not to serve God. This theme presents itself over and over again among our elected officials. Often their primary purpose is to retain their seats of power not serve their constitutions. Even the ones who do understand their call think they must play the game or fail. Now in either case, whether church or state, church leaders and politicians justify such a stance by the belief that they have the best interest at heart of God, in the first case, or their constituents, in the second. There is truth in the justification to a degree. We want to be served by people dedicated to their calling. The problem arises when our leaders cross that thin line between appropriate leadership and greed. What has resulted is that the church has been splintered into divisive parts who fight each other and our government is tangled in gridlock. In neither case is the purpose of their work fulfilled. The people who pay the price for the inertia that results are those whose needs are not being met, neither spiritual in the case of the church, nor provisions for their common good, in the case of the government.

The most vulnerable are the ones who suffer the most in either situation and in most cases the most vulnerable are our children for they are totally dependent on adults to protect and provide for them. We adults are the ones who can stop this vicious cycle. We are the ones who need to support our church leaders who strive for the wholeness, oneness, and justice Jesus calls us to be and do. We are the ones who can vote and can hold our elected leaders accountable for the work they do. In Oklahoma we have actually seen that happen regarding pre-school education, but there is so much more that needs to be done.

Oklahoma Fact: State mandated pre-school has markedly increased test scores for young children. Study findings show that Tulsa pre-K program increases cognitive/knowledge scores by approximately 0.39 standard deviation, motor skills scores by approximately 0.24 standard deviation, and language scores by approximately 0.38 standard deviation.*

Prayer: God of mercy and justice, convict us of any contributions we are making to the dysfunction of our society whether by omission or commission. Show us a better way. Help us see how we can work together toward the realization of your kingdom on earth. Amen.

*http://rachaelrobinsonedsi.wiki.westga.edu/file/view/Oklahoma+pre-K+-+Copy.pd

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.