Social Activism
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
Isaiah 61:1-2
STORY
Alex Trebek was the host of the television game show Jeopardy for 37 seasons, since 1984 and until his death in 2022. For a number of years he had been quietly donating money to organizations that care for the homeless. Trebek said he began this practice after driving around Los Angeles and continually noticed the number of homeless people there were. He felt he needed to help these individuals. In a few months prior to his death, he donated $100,000 to the Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission. He only did so after auditing their financial books, visiting all of their facilitates, and extensively interviewing the director of the mission, Ken Craft. Trebek wanted to be sure his donations would be used to help others and not be squandered. He began this extensive research procedure when he once learned that an organization he had been contributing to paid its director a salary of $450,000. Trebek said of that outlandish salary, “I just don’t think that’s a good use of non-profit finances.” Sharing his reason for assisting the homeless Trebek said, “Homelessness is a serious problem. I wanted to do something, so I researched this charity, visited their facility, and personally saw the good work they are doing, and wanted to help. I hope others will do what they can as well.”
DEVOTION
Isaiah had a theology that must be emulated by Christians today. Isaiah uses the paired expressions “justice” and “righteousness.” He believed that leaders bear deep ethical responsibility for those they governed. He held that the Israelites being God’s chosen people must be involved in the worship of Jerusalem’s God, and also have behavior consistent with God’s commandments. God’s care extended especially to the people without wealth, who stood outside the halls of power. Isaiah was appalled by those who used the legal system to enrich themselves and mistreat the needy.
A major theme for Isaiah is arrogance. He preached that the urge for human greatness is empty. Pride, whether belonging to an oppressor nation or to a class of people within Judean society, that arrogance would inevitably be thwarted by God who has planned a day of judgment “against all that is prideful and haughty.”
In our reading this morning Isaiah declares that “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me.” Isiah realized and accepted that he was to be the mouthpiece for the disenfranchised. Isaiah also knew that in his calling he was to be a social activist for the oppressed, the brokenhearted, and for those who mourn.
Points to Ponder
> What are the social issues today that must be addressed
o For me: I consider abortion to be a serious issue and I am especially concerned how the LGBTQIA+ movement is wrongly changing the morality of society – as a society we have lost our moral compass
> Where do you see those who are oppressed and brokenhearted and those who mourn
o For me: Presently I am not directly involved in any kind of social work, though I do know that every individual that I encounter is oppressed and brokenhearted in their own individual way and I must be aware of these hurts and compassionately minister to them
> Where are the words “justice” and “righteousness” seen in your life
o For me: I hope that I am seen as a good person, but sometimes I wonder if that is not the case as seen by others because of the behavioral problems and quirkiness associated with my having Aspersers which is on the upper end of the autism spectrum
> What is your calling to be a social activist
o For me: My spiritual gift is devotional writing, so this is my calling to be a social activist -this may seem like a passive approach to addressing societal problems as I am hiding behind a desk, though this becomes very active once I put my thoughts on paper and publish them
> Do you sometimes feel helpless in correcting the sins of society
o For me: I do feel helpless – the power elite are so far beyond my influence I feel that there is very little that I can do
Please share other Points to Ponder so I can update my list
Please share your thoughts with me – if you desire I will publish them for others to read anonymously or first name only or your entire name as you choose
Weekly book suggestion:
Letters and Papers from Prison
By Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The book discusses faith and hope, reflects on his career as a pastor and theologian, discusses his involvement in the resistance movement against the Nazi regime, and dedicates a significant number of pages to family and friendship relationships. He wrote this book while imprisoned for a year and a half in Tegel Prison before being transferred to Flossenburg concentration camp where he was executed on April 8, 1945.
Please note: Autism and eyesight often prevents me from seeing grammar errors