The readings this week remind us of what God actually want from us. Many of us in the areas of social justice easily and glibly quote: James 1:27 2 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.
But this is not so simple! Once again, I was struck by the way John van de Laar writes about these texts on Sacredise.
If you have time I would like to encourage you to read his whole reflection on the text.
For me, the most striking was the following prayer, which I would like to invite you to pray with me:
The Song Of Deeds
Written by John van de Laar
There is no question in our minds, God
that you deserve all the devotion and adoration
that we can give;
Which means that we will sing with our music,
but we will also sing through every action we perform.
As we sing of your greatness and majesty,
we will also sing by refusing to bow to the idols
of nationalism and materialism.
As we sing of your generosity and extravagant blessing,
we will also sing by giving
of our time,
our resources,
our abilities,
to those who know the sharp ache of need.
As we sing of your goodness and love,
we will also sing by treating each person we encounter
with respect and dignity,
with understanding and compassion.
As we sing our songs of joy and praise,
as our music rises to express the devotion of our hearts,
so our lives will sing the Song of Deeds –
actions filled with the intention
to love and honour you,
in every person and creature and place;
because this is the only way our praise can even begin
adequately to express Your worth.
Amen.