September 25, 2024
It’s curious, and disheartening, to see how some people raise some Bible-based standards, and ignore other Bible-based standards. In particular, I grieve at the way our society ignores the plight of far too many of our children.
The Old Testament authors repeated over and over again: the nation and its people had an obligation to care for two vulnerable classes of people: widows and orphans. “You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice,” reads Deuteronomy 24:17. The tithe, which we usually imagine supported the priesthood, also provided for orphans, widows, and foreigners living among them. All told, the authors of the Hebrew Bible mentioned orphans over fifty times.
I don’t think it’s much of a stretch to say that injustice against any child, neglect of any child, flies in the face of those ancient standards.
In a recent poem, the Rev. Maren Tirabassi writes,
“…whoever’s primary mission
is to welcome a child, any child,
is the greatest.”
Who among us welcomes the children? Who among us rejects them? Who among us feeds the children? Who among us takes the food from their mouths? Who among us protects the children? Who among us puts them in harm’s way?
Who is the greatest?
In peace,
Pastor Eric
The image is by Mostafameraji – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68597484.
