Call to Worship: (From Mary's Song in Luke 1)
One: "My soul proclaims your greatness, O God,
All: And my spirit rejoices in you, my savior...
One: You have shown strength with your arm,
All: You have scattered the proud in their conceit...
One: You have filled the hungry with good things,
All: While you have sent the rich away empty."
Song:
"You are Salt for the Earth" #226, Hymnal
Scripture:
Matthew 26:6-13
Reader 1:
Even though 3 of the Gospel writers record the extravaganza anointing incident (Mark 14:1-9 and John 12:1-8), we have consciously and unconsciously concluded: Since there were poor in Jesus' time, there are poor today and there will be poor when Jesus returns. Therefore there is not much we can or should do for them. We conclude that to have 550 million hungry people in our world is a normal state of affairs. And so we can go on living like we always lived.
All: YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR WITH YOU!
Reader 2:
Once again, people who receive some form of welfare are being targeted as the enemy in spite of the figures that just don't add up. (e.g. in the United States, food and housing subsidies account for less than 4 percent of total federal spending. By contrast, over $1 trillion in government subsidies goes to corporations and wealthy Americans.)
All: (LOUDER) YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR WITH YOU!
Reader 3:
But poverty is not just isolated figures – it is lives of people, usually women and children. (Pause now and "see" the face of a poor person for several moments.)
All: (EMPHATICALLY) YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE POOR WITH YOU!!!
Reader 4:
Obviously there is some confusion here. So I ask you, Jesus – Did you or did you not call for systemic change by the rich and powerful (the Domination System) so that the poor may live?! You are suggesting that hearing the context of this most oft-quoted and misunderstood text might help? Ok, let's hear it.
Scripture:
Deuteronomy 15:7-11
Reader 5:
So, our superficial conclusion that what we do for the poor will not do much good anyway is not the conclusion that the disciples would have drawn from Jesus' statement. They certainly knew Deuteronomy 15 with its vision of "Sabbath economics." And they knew about your Luke 4 mandate about the poor for your mission on this earth. For them this statement was not a resignation to the inevitable. Rather, it was a declaration that because there are poor and hungry people, they should be fed. And certainly Jesus' commendation of extravagance this one time did not negate our ongoing responsibility for the poor and needy.
Reflections
Prayer: (in unison)
All-nourishing God, your children cry for help against the violence of our world –
Where children starve for bread and feed on weapons;
Starve for vision and feed on drugs;
Starve for love and feed on videos;
Starve for peace and die murdered in our streets.
Abiding God, loving renewer of the human spirit, unfold our violent fists into peaceful hands.
Stretch our sense of family to include our neighbors.
Stretch our sense of neighbor to include our enemies,
Until our response to you finally respects and embraces
All creation as precious sacraments of your presence.
Hear the prayer of all your starving children. Amen
(From Prayer for a New Society)
Song:
"Freedom is Coming"
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A Letter to Jesus About the Poor
Dear Jesus,
Taking issue with you is probably irreverent, but why didn't you quote Deuteronomy 15:11 in its entirety when you said, "You'll always have the poor with you?"
Three of the Gospel writers record the extravaganza anointing incident (Matt. 26:1-13, Mark 14:1-9, and John 12:1-8) so it must have been important. Besides, you were about to be killed, so this episode takes on even more significance -- loyalty vs betrayal and denial, you might say.
Furthermore, it even sounds like your inaugural mandate back in Luke 4:18: "anointed to bring good news to the poor." I'm confused. Did you or did you not call for systemic change by the rich and powerful so that the poor could live? Or did you mean that only giving token relief was necessary -- not trying to change the unjust structures like the military-industrial complex and the World Bank.
OK, if your statement on the poor was descriptive rather than prescriptive, maybe we should not proof text this one, but look at the whole of your teachings and life. I know you'd not condone having millions of hungry people in our world. And we do have Matt 25 too. I am beginning to see the story of this woman's spontaneous act of love was to show her dedication to you. And furthermore, your disciples knew the whole Old Testament passage, that because there are needy people they should be cared for...
Ah ha...I get it now. Thanks for listening. I'll try to listen and obey: "Since there will never cease to be some need on the earth, I therefore command you, ‘Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.'"