Daily Worship

Caring for the needy and vulnerable

October 28, 2016 0 0

Isa 58: 7 – 10

Is it not to share your food with the hungry
    and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
    and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
    and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
    and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
    you will cry for help, and he will say: here am I.

‘If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
    with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves on behalf of the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
    and your night will become like the noonday.

The words of the prophet, calling to people to true repentance, draw on the teachings of the Mosaic laws which provided support systems for a wide range of social and medical needs in Israel. At the time these words were spoken, the system was failing the most vulnerable and needy. Whilst there are no exact parallels to today’s society, principles of care for those in need do not change. We have a responsibility to ensure health and social care is well funded, and those providing it appropriately paid, not just by our taxes but by calling the systems to account, and by our own social caring.

God, your Son shows us
that in caring for the needy and vulnerable we encounter him;
help us to build a society where the sick,
the elderly frail, those with mental health issues
and all in need receive the best possible care.
Guide those who make the laws,
those who make difficult decisions about resources
and those who deliver care for others in our society;
enable us to play our part as tax payers, voters,
and active members of society,
that the quality of our communal life may reflect something of the divine compassion for our world.  

Small acts of care and concern for others are witnesses to the kingdom of God