This one kind of stung me this morning during my quite time.
"For many of us who live active lives among the poor and marginalized, prayer doesn't make the top of the urgent-to-do list. After all, wouldn't God rather have us feed the masses, help a kid with homework, take a friend to detox, heal the broken or liberate the captive? Surely Amos tells the people of God to shut up with their songs and worship and feasts and festivals, and take care of the poor (Amos 5:21-24). Without justice for the poor, religious activities are little more than annoying noises in the ears of God, and the prayers that used to smell like incense to God become a nauseating stench when there is no flesh bringing those prayers to life."
- Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers by Shane Claiborne & Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove
Interesting that the scripture I pondered this morning was Amos 5! I really like the way it is in The Message:
ReplyDelete21-24 "I can't stand your religious meetings. I'm fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects, your pretentious slogans and goals. I'm sick of your fund-raising schemes, your public relations and image making. I've had all I can take of your noisy ego-music. When was the last time you sang to me? Do you know what I want? I want justice—oceans of it. I want fairness—rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want.
This was so good, I'm reading the whole book!