Sermons
From the Pastor’s Desk……..
“Let justice role on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24) NIV
The Bible speaks of social justice and human rights. God warned the Israelites to do justice to the poor. Here are some references. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another”. (Zechariah 7:9-10) “Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place”. (Jeremiah 22:3) The Book of Psalms is another place where we read about God’s call to His people to do justice. “Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. The book of Amos is a classic example where God demands justice from his people. If one is wealthy he/she has no reason to boast but has a responsibility to care for the underprivileged. The same sentiment is echoed in the teachings of Jesus Christ. “The Nazareth Manifesto” in Luke 4:16- clearly defines the mission of Christ. Jesus in His ministry always was with the poor. He did not care for the teachers of the Law who time and again tried to stop His work.
Hence the mission of Christ should be our mission too. The churches around the globe are involved in social justice ministry. We also see individuals protesting against the corrupt practices. Whether it is against the Wall Street, anti-war, social and political system which supports the rich, these protests tell us that all things in our system is not correct and some need to be changed.
God promised His people that He would be their God and they would be His people.
In Leviticus 26:12 God says, “You will be my people and I will be your God”. If that has to be a reality in our lives, we need to practice social justice in all walks of our life.
May God give us courage to do justice, and to stand with the poor and the oppressed.
May God be with you all!
Sudhama
(Dr. Sudhama Ananda)
“Let justice role on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5:24) NIV
The Bible speaks of social justice and human rights. God warned the Israelites to do justice to the poor. Here are some references. “Thus says the Lord of hosts: Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another; do not oppress the widow, the orphan, the alien, or the poor; and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another”. (Zechariah 7:9-10) “Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place”. (Jeremiah 22:3) The Book of Psalms is another place where we read about God’s call to His people to do justice. “Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute. The book of Amos is a classic example where God demands justice from his people. If one is wealthy he/she has no reason to boast but has a responsibility to care for the underprivileged. The same sentiment is echoed in the teachings of Jesus Christ. “The Nazareth Manifesto” in Luke 4:16- clearly defines the mission of Christ. Jesus in His ministry always was with the poor. He did not care for the teachers of the Law who time and again tried to stop His work.
Hence the mission of Christ should be our mission too. The churches around the globe are involved in social justice ministry. We also see individuals protesting against the corrupt practices. Whether it is against the Wall Street, anti-war, social and political system which supports the rich, these protests tell us that all things in our system is not correct and some need to be changed.
God promised His people that He would be their God and they would be His people.
In Leviticus 26:12 God says, “You will be my people and I will be your God”. If that has to be a reality in our lives, we need to practice social justice in all walks of our life.
May God give us courage to do justice, and to stand with the poor and the oppressed.
May God be with you all!
Sudhama
(Dr. Sudhama Ananda)
