Tag Archives: Food insecurity

Called By the Spirit

Pentecost

May 23, 2021

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:1-21

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. Amazed and astonished, they asked, ‘Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs—in our own languages we hear them speaking about God’s deeds of power.’ All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’ But others sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’ –Acts 2:1-13

The coming of the Holy Spirit was one of those events where one had to be there to describe what happened. Even with in-person witnesses, it was hard to explain. The event got the message across to Peter that the time had come to take the message of Jesus Christ to the whole world. What better means to do that than to have a large crowd of people who spoke various languages understand what Peter was saying. These people were sent home with curiosity to pave the way for the Disciples’ ministry. It also gave the Disciples courage to step out into strange lands, knowing that God would find a way for them to communicate God’s love.

We are called to share the love of God with the whole world still today. The world as a whole certainly needs to understand the power of God’s love. We are caught in a difficult time filled with people who have more than they need and people who do not have enough to meet their basic needs. The percent of people in the USA today who identify as Christians has dropped steadily for several years. Some Christians are caught in as much greed and lust for power as the non-faith-based populations in the USA. Other parts of the world are in a far worse condition where greater numbers of God’s children are dying from starvation or being killed by the ravages of terrorists.

How are we answering the call to love God and love like Jesus? Are we feeding the hungry, providing safe water for the thirsty, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, restoring the prisoner, and welcoming the stranger?

Prayer: Lord, visit us once again with the strength of your Spirit to help us know we can love as you love and address the needs of all your children everywhere. 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.

Consequences

Kingdom Building

July 9, 2019

Scripture Reading: Amos 7:7-17

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said,
“Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
   and Israel must go into exile
   away from his land.” ’

And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’ –Amos 7:10-13

The primary thing we learn from all prophets is what we sow we will reap. This scripture follows Amos’ discussion of God’s plumb line, the guideline by which we are to live. The Israelites clearly were not following the plumb line and God sent Amos to tell them that. He is telling them the natural conclusions of bad practices. Prophesy is essentially religious instruction, with occasional predictions* of outcomes.

Greed is most often the sand in which humans bury their heads to avoid facing the real results of their behavior. Greed is often accompanied by lust for power. We in the USA are caught in the web of both and like Amos’ Israel if we do not pull our heads out of that sand and see the harm we are doing, we will face the consequences.

I am so tired of hearing what a great economy we have. For whom I must ask?

A full 43 percent of Californian voters, and an astounding 61 percent of those aged 18 to 34, feel they can’t afford to live in the state, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. And over three-quarters of voters agree that there’s a “housing crisis**.”

The U.S. economy is enjoying nearly a decade of expansion since the Great Recession. Yet food insecurity — a lack of money or resources to secure enough to eat — still grips almost one in eight Americans. That’s roughly 40 million people. While slowly improving, that figure remains stubbornly higher than before the recession, when more than one in 10 U.S. residents had difficulty knowing when and how they might eat next, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Until all have enough to eat, a place to live, affordable and accessible health care, and adequate education to maintain self-support and self-sufficiency, we will not have a good economy much less a great one.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our greed and lust for power. Help us to find the plumb line to follow that assures all will have enough. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5012.htm.
**https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/43-percent-of-california-residents-say-they-cant-afford-to-live-there.html

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.