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Bible Readings for Friday January 28th, 2011 – The 4th Week of Epiphany *Click on each bible passage to expand the text. Psalm 15 1. [A Psalm of David.] O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Who may dwell on your holy hill?

2. Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right, and speak the truth from their heart;

3. who do not slander with their tongue, and do no evil to their friends, nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;

4. in whose eyes the wicked are despised, but who honor those who fear the LORD; who stand by their oath even to their hurt;

5. who do not lend money at interest, and do not take a bribe against the innocent. Those who do these things shall never be moved. Deuteronomy 24:17—25:4 17. You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge.

18. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.

19. When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it; it shall be left for the alien, the orphan, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings.

20. When you beat your olive trees, do not strip what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.

21. When you gather the grapes of your vineyard, do not glean what is left; it shall be for the alien, the orphan, and the widow.

22. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I am commanding you to do this.

1. Suppose two persons have a dispute and enter into litigation, and the judges decide between them, declaring one to be in the right and the other to be in the wrong.

2. If the one in the wrong deserves to be flogged, the judge shall make that person lie down and be beaten in his presence with the number of lashes proportionate to the offense.

3. Forty lashes may be given but not more; if more lashes than these are given, your neighbor will be degraded in your sight.

4. You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. 1 Timothy 5:17-24 17. Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching;

18. for the scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves to be paid.”

19. Never accept any accusation against an elder except on the evidence of two or three witnesses.

20. As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear.

21. In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I warn you to keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality.

22. Do not ordain anyone hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.

23. No longer drink only water, but take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.

24. The sins of some people are conspicuous and precede them to judgment, while the sins of others follow them there.

When you reap your harvest… (a sheaf) shall be left for the alien (immigrant), the orphan, and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all your undertakings. – Deuteronomy 24:19

… for the scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves to be paid.” – 1 Timothy 5:18

Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the LORD your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this. – Deuteronomy 24:18

We are to provide for the resident alien? The orphan? The widow? Hmmmmmm…

The least among us. God has a particular passion for justice for the little ones, the immigrant stranger, the poor, the downtrodden, the helpless. We are called to share our harvest with those who have none.

And the religious right wants America to think “social justice” isn’t biblical. Ha! The Ayn Rand lovers want us to think God wants us only to strive and thrive for our own righteousness, our own salvation. Ha!

Atlas Shrugged… and God cried.

Why have we become so hardened of heart that we can no longer see the divine imperative to help those less fortunate than ourselves? Has a life of relative luxury and abundance made us numb to the realities of extreme poverty? Has the American Dream rotted out our souls? Objectivism and individualism have become the new religion of the selfish American Christian. We have all abandoned God for the worship of Mammon.

God did not die on the cross in order that a chosen few (yes, hundreds of millions of us are still “few” compared with the rest of the world) might experience a embarrassment of riches. Jesus suffered and shed his blood to demonstrate to what ends unconditional love will go to protect and support the object of that devotion. God is asking us to do the same for his little ones, for each other.

Love one another as you would love yourself. Look after my beloved little ones, the alien, the orphan and the widow. Share in the abundance of your harvest and I will bless you.

Social justice. The real Passion of the Christ.