Lent
March 6, 2016

Scripture Reading: Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and travelled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. –Luke 15:13-14

I fear, we, the people of the United States, have all become prodigals. While we may react in horror at some of the political shenanigans that are occurring across our great land, we are only getting what we are asking for. We each as individuals and all of us collectively need to step back a few moments from the rhetoric and determine what it is we really want our government to be.

The form of government our founders proposed, which by the way was a messy process in and of itself, is a government that provides for the Common Good. I know there are those who have eradicated themselves from that basic premise, but it is still the case. It is my hope and prayer that it is still the vision of most of our population once we think about it. As a follower of Christ, I believe we are seeking the Common Good not just for Americans but for all of God’s children around the world.

Chinua Achebe, a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor, and critic stated While we do our good works let us not forget that the real solution lies in a world in which charity will have become unnecessary. It is a world where God’s justice rules, where all God’s children are loved and nurtured, where all have enough of the necessities of life, where all live in peace resulting from mutual respect and love. That is the Common Good. It is not socialism, it is not communism, it is not capitalism. It is a way of being that can thrive in any form of governance, if we the people make it so.

Prayer: Lord, order our lives to claim your vision of our future. 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 American. Used by permission. All rights 
reserved.