Wednesday
2/19/20 6:10 AM
We had the
grandkids over the weekend and I spent yesterday recuperating. While they were
here we spent time playing outside and going for walks. Whenever I am with them
I act excited about everything. I am perhaps best known for my celebration of
water meters and water valves as we walk the sidewalks through the neighborhood.
The theme of
my devotions this week is wonder, a fitting theme given my attempts to inspire
wonder in my grandkids this weekend. My psalm this week is Psalm 113, which
includes these verses, “(God) raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy
from the ash heap; he seats them with princes, with the princes of his people.”
The God who created this universe is concerned about the poor and needy. That
is a wonder indeed. The society in which I live idolizes riches and power, the
opposite end of the spectrum. God’s desire is that the poor and needy have a
place at the table of the leaders of our society and the leaders of the church.
Today is trash
pickup day in my neighborhood. While I was walking I saw three different people
picking through the trash cans, looking for recyclable material. I imagine those
three people were either homeless or poor. God does not want people to have
to pick through trash to survive. He wants them to have a place at the table
where decisions are made and community is practiced. The very people despised
by our society and who are often seen as a scourge, or as parasites, are loved by God
and should be accepted by and loved by his church.
The community
around our church is comprised of a large number of poor, disenfranchised
people. I believe we need to give them a place of honor in our church where
they can lead and show the great transforming power of God in their lives.
Those of us currently in charge need to step back and give them a place at the
table.
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