Reflections on the Gospels from a Justice Perspective written for St. Andrew's Episcopal Church by members of the congregation

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 Does God Speak to us Today?

January 5, 2014   Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23 Does God Speak to us Today?

Is God still speaking to us? We hear the word of God in Scripture, but do we hear the voice of God today? Not exactly the way Matthew tells in today’s gospel: Most of us don’t dream of angels giving directions. But prophets, men and women of our own time, remind us of the simple checklist the Old Testament prophet Micah gave us so long ago: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Are we listening to the prophets of our day? What are they saying?

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.”  Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"Violence never brings permanent peace. It solves no social problem; it merely creates new and more complicated ones". The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“ . . . my hope is that we will be moved by the fear of remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security, within rules which make us harsh judges, within habits which make us feel safe, while at our door people are starving and Jesus does not tire of saying to us: ‘Give them something to eat.’” Pope Francis I

“If you can't feed a hundred people, feed just one.” Mother Teresa

“God cares about human pain, God cares about it in this world now.” The Rev. Richard Rohr, OFM

“Christians should emphatically be campaigning for justice for the poor . . . “ The Right Reverend Rowan Williams, retired Archbishop of Canterbury

“Any gospel that isn’t good news to the poor isn’t the gospel of Jesus Christ.” Jim Wallis, Sojourners

“There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Nelson Mandela

“We are the Mandelas, we are the Gandhis, we are the Kings.” Leymah Roberta Gbowee, co-winner of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize

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