The gospel text appointed in the daily readings was Luke 4,when Jesus quotes Isaiah:"The pirit f the Lord is upon me to preach good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and to proclaim the year of God's jubilee." Jesus claims that his speech embodied in ministry fulfills this divine prophecyof one who is sent and anointed for this work of justice. All day long we heard from people who seek to embody this same mission of justice byt challenging the status quo systems that oppress and reject movements of the Spirit to promote the common good.
Jim Wallis says that we have the will of those in places of influence to drastically reduce poverty and hunger. But Nancy Pelosi says getting anything done politically requires influence from inside Washington and mobilization outside.
Today we heard from Jim Wallis. Budgets are moral documents that seek to embody what we believe. He believes that we currently have an administration that wil do more than give acess to the white house, but will listen in unprecedented ways to the faith community with ressect to the governments partnership in caring for the least among us. We are called to challenge the gov't to step up and protect women and children, minorities and the poor. major reform is needed though and we need the courage to stand in our convictions before our leaders and compel them to listen and change.
Richard Stearns, head of World Vision, told us to take the log out of our own eyes before we shift responsibility and blameto government or anyone else. Self-criticism is important. What am I, are we doing as church, to address the poor and systems that perpetuate a culture of poverty? Stearns believes that this is a major turning point in history; likened to 1776, 1860, 1963, and 1989. just a that year saw the collapse of the berlin wall and the economic ideology of communism, so 2009 sees the collapse of unrestrained capitolism. He gave us a picture of our possibility only after revealing our moral failure as people of GOD. Whyar 30 million kids dying from hunger related disease? Stearns was changed when he met three orphaned boys living in subsistence in Ughanda. I was admittedly moved by his conecton of our shameful neglect of these children with Matthew 25. "I was a stranger and you deported me, in prison and you said I was getting what i deserved; hungry and you bought fast food, thirsty and you drank bottled water; naked and you bought more clothes for yourself." He told us that Americans give 2.5% of income to global causes. 98% of faith-generated income is for local use; buildings and staff. 0.6 cents a day for the world's poor. He left us with a vision of what could be by 2020 if the church ook the gospel seriously enough to live it by giving generously. A full tithe from all of us would contribute 168 billion dollars to the global poor. He shared a vision of a revolution of giving that would change the world economy elevating the vast maority out of extreme poverty and disease.
A break: we had free lunch with the Lutherans and free dinner with the mennonites. nice. ecumenism as real table fellowship extended.
We heard great preaching calling us to live counter culturally as liberators and courageously compassionate advocates.
Tomorrow is capitol hill day. We will meet with staffers in the US senators' offices and in Rep. Pitts office. There is also a prayer vigil on the hill.
President Obama has promised to imlement a strategy to end childhood hunger by 2015.Shouldn't we agree and help him to accomplish this goal?
More tomorrow...pray for us as we go to the hill to speak the truth to power.
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