Living in the Spirit
Light a Candle for Children
September 23, 2014
Scripture Reading: Exodus 17:1-7
I will be standing there in front of you on the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it, so that the people may drink.’ Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. He called the place Massah and Meribah, because the Israelites quarreled and tested the Lord, saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ — Exodus 17:6-7
Oklahoma is currently under a court order to improve its child abuse and neglect response system and we are not yet meeting the goals stipulated in that decree. The numbers of confirmed incidences of child abuse and neglect quoted below are nebulous as they only count the cases that were reported and investigated. No one really knows how many children are being abused or neglected. While additional funding was provided by the legislature in response to the court order, it was not enough. The greatest shame, in my opinion however, is the limited attempts to prevent such occurrences from happening in the first place.
In our scripture today as the Israelites rant and rave about whether the Lord is among them, God has already assured Moses that God is present. God continues to be present to God’s people today and stands ready to assists us in meeting the needs of all of God’s children. We, as the people of God, have a responsibility to our fellow humans to assure that their basic needs are met including living in a safe and nurturing environment. It is called loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Children particularly need advocates to speak for them. They cannot vote and do not have the power to assure their own safety.
Oklahoma Fact: in 2012, 9,581 children under the age of 18 were confirmed by child protective services as victims of maltreatment that is 10 out of every 1000 children in the state.*
Prayer: Grant us the insight to see you standing before the solutions to our problems, and the courage to act on your guidance. 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.