Public theologian and activist, Shane Claiborne, says, “…the prophets really cry out that our worship and our holy days and feasts for God are detestable in God’s sight if the poor aren’t cared for. Amos cries out that we should shut up with our singing and our worship if justice doesn’t roll out like a mighty water to the poor…if there isn’t justice for the poor, our incense is stench in God’s nose and our songs are noise in God’s ears; that God cares about who our worship works itself out for the most vulnerable people in the land.
“Let’s start to reimagine some of these ancient and beautiful ideas because the patterns of the Gospel have a whole lot to offer the world that we live in right now.”
This morning’s first scripture reading comes from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 6 verse 11 from the New Revised Standard Version of the bible:
Give us this day our daily bread.
Today’s second reading comes from Proverbs chapter 30 verses 8 and 9, also from the NRSV:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
    give me neither poverty nor riches;
    feed me with the food that I need,
or I shall be full, and deny you,
    and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or I shall be poor, and steal,
    and profane the name of my God.
For the Word of God in scripture, for the Word of God among us, and for the Word of God within us we say…Thanks be to God.