27th November 2022
Amos 5:21-24
“I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies…Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever flowing stream”
God doesn’t care that you volunteered at Spring Harvest. God’s not interested in how pious you look as you serve communion. God doesn’t care that you lead worship, nor is God impressed with your virtuoso guitar performance of your favourite Matt Redman song.
Because while you’re doing all that, there’s a woman sitting in your church, wondering if she’ll be “for it” when she gets home, there’s a woman whose husband raped her this morning before they left for church, there’s a woman who has told her pastor that she’s scared of her husband and he’s told her that she needs to make sure she doesn’t nag him or incite him to violence. There may even be a woman who is realistically in fear for her life.
In the hour you spent praising God in church this morning 5 women worldwide have been killed by men, and God grieves for them. What are you doing about it?
Come on, tell me, practically what do you do? Because it’s not good enough to say “that’s someone else’s problem” or “It doesn’t happen in my church” (it does) or “well that’s a women’s issue” It’s not. If you are a follower of Jesus it’s YOUR issue. The bible tells us not just here, but throughout to defend those who cannot defend themselves, to seek justice, to use our power in the service of others. If you’re a man and a Christian the bible absolutely demands that you don’t just sit there, you don’t just stick your head in the sand and say “well I’m not one of the men who does that” but you stand up, speak out and call for justice to roll on like a river!
16days #16daysofactivism #orangetheworld
