Thursday, December 12, 2019

The Christ of the Breadlines  by Fritz Eichenberg (1901-1990)

Amos 9: 1-10

Psalm 37: 1 – 18 

Revelation 2: 8 – 17  

Matthew 23:13 – 26

“Divine Light” – “Divine Truth”.  The light of God is a pure light.  Whatever that light touches, exposes divine truth. 

We are reminded today that God’s truth is not the world’s truth.  We are warned against following the ways of the world over the ways of God. We hear this in the words of the prophet Amos who cautions us against neglecting the laws of God by ignoring the needs of the poor.  We hear this in the book of Revelation as we are encouraged to “Listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”  God understands the affliction and poverty of the rich.  We hear it in the Gospel of Matthew as the scribes and Pharisees, the leaders of the church, are admonished for lining their own pockets and forgetting the needs of the poor. Their focus is on adiaphora and not on things that are life-giving and life-supporting.

Today, we are reminded that God’s truth is not the world’s truth.  Advent, the season of preparation for the incarnation, is not about how we serve ourselves.  It is about how we give witness to the light of God through our service to others. 

Debra Johnston