Most of us call ourselves Christian, yet I get the distinct
impression we give little thought to what that means. We take from the Bible
what fits our ideology, and leave the rest. The Jewish people fled Egypt,
freeing themselves from the corruption of the Pharaoh and his system of
scarcity. (Little food, little family time, 18 hour work days, little justice).
The Jewish people fled to Sinai, the Promised Land, and received rules to be
guided by. (The Ten Commandments). They were to pay homage to God, be good
neighbors, and take a little time off from those 18 hour days. It was no longer
necessary for you to struggle to feed yourself and your family, God would
provide, which didn’t mean you were to sit by and pray for the best, but to
give thanks for the bounty that was possible through your hard work, devotion,
and commitment to community building. As it happened, Christ entered the
picture and challenged the hierarchy of the Jewish leaders, who he believed had
strayed away from the promise. Challenging those in power is never a good
thing, as we are finding out today. Anyway, Christ emphasized the common good,
being a good neighbor, and devotion to God, not man. As Christians, we were
moved from a place of bondage, scarcity, submission, and blind obedience, to a
place of abundance, hope, freedom, the common good, and the promise of
community and neighborhood. All we need to do is remember.
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