In April, 2014, Pope Francis tweeted, “Inequality is the root of all social evil.”  This tweet came months after publishing his 84 page “Evangelii Gaudium”, in which he called unfettered capitalism “the new tyranny”.  “As long as the problems of the poor are not radically resolved by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation and by attacking the structural causes of inequality, no solution will be found for the world’s problems or, for that matter, to any problems.”   

Luke 7:1-10

At first, this doesn’t seem like a passage about work. However, it IS about a worker—the servant—and his boss, the Centurion. List all the actions of the Centurion while his servant is sick. Would you say that he is a good boss? Why? How do his actions give dignity to the lowly servant? Why do you think Jesus is so impressed by this boss? On a scale from 1 to 10, how much dignity do you think most low-wage workers receive? How could the “dignity meter” be raised?

It depends on who you talk to.  Ron Sider says, “Yes!”  “Not so fast,” say J. E. Dyer.  Two Christians, two perspectives.  What do you think?

Luke 10:25-37

The familiar story has become known as the parable of the Good Samaritan. This is a story Jesus told to answer the lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?” And the answer is: The one who is injured and abused by thieves. What does it look like to BE a neighbor? What actions of the Samaritan represent “neighborliness”?

Think of this story in the context of our global economy and the labor market. Who are our neighbors? Who are currently being injured and abused by the global economy? What would “helping them” look like?

Help is costly. When have you avoided helping your oppressed neighbor because you wanted to save your resources?

There is no devotional for Sunday, March 22, 2015

If you have some time, HERE is a fascinating look at the way that income distribution has changed in the past 100 years.  In 2013, the top 1% of households (households making more than $367,100) took home over 20% of all income!  And the average income for the top 10% of households was $272,515, while the average income for the bottom 90% of households was $31,652.  Compare that to 1973, when the average income of the top 10% was $162,467 (in 2013 dollars) while the bottom 90% made an average of $36,105.   This is the growing income inequality in the US.

2 Corinthians 8:9; 1 John 3:16-18

How is Jesus a model of love? How does a redistribution of resources mirror Jesus? John makes the bold claim that a refusal to distribute resources is an indication that God’s love is not active in a person’s life. If you were to evaluate yourself on this basis, how active is God’s love in you? If you were to evaluate your faith community on this basis, how active is God’s love in you all? What does an active love life look like in relationship to low-wage workers?

Here is the reality of wealth inequality in the United States in an eye opening video.

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

The Apostle Paul uses example of Jesus, the story of the manna and the generosity of poor Christians in Macedonia to encourage the Christians in Corinth to participate in an offering for the poor believers in Jerusalem.   What is Paul’s hope? What is Paul’s goal?

Paul also seems to anticipate a common sentiment in verse 13 that argues, “If I give my resources away, then I won’t have enough for myself.” What fears and mindsets are expressed in that statement? What answer would you give to the person who expresses their concern about not having enough? How might we move collectively toward a fair distribution of resources so that everyone would have their needs met?

In the past, workers produced and workers consumed which created a self-sustaining circle of benefits.  We are now living in an economy where workers are no longer required for production.  So, according to Robert Reich, we need a new economic model for the new reality.  Check out his most recent blog post at www.robertreich.org

Exodus 16:1-21

God’s instructions were clear. Everyone was to gather 1 omer of the manna per person per day. Yet some insisted on collecting more. What motivates people to hoard or collect as much as they can? Today, we see unprecedented income inequality. Some have more than they can ever spend while others barely survive. What do you think God would say to those who have more than they need? (see James 5:1-3 for a suggestion.)