Tis the Season
TIS THE SEASON?
Consumerism too often suffocates the true meaning of this time. A time when Peace on Earth and Good will toward all people can be lost.
As I reflect on this time of year, I often spend time with my children trying to instill in them a sense of what it is all about. Recently, we watched the film, ” A Christmas Carol” based on the novel by Dickens. During the film, which is one of my personal holiday favorites, there is a scene where representatives of a charity ask the main characted, Scrooge, if he would contribute to their charity and he states that he must be about his business of making money and tells them to go about their business. They then state that humanity is their business. As I reflect on that and what the Christian tradition teaches about Wealth and poverty and the meaning of this season, as well as what other faith traditions teach about Greed and power, I am reminded of the fact that all of us should be about the “business” of humanity. That we should be concerned with those struggling to make it. That their struggle is our struggle.
We must be concerned about those who continue to struggle to make in the times we live. With the high unemployment rate and the foreclosure rate, more and more are ending up on the streets. And, it seems that the power brokers in both Government and the Corporate world seem more and more removed and unconcerned.
It is in times like this that we must pull together. Dickens in his novel, “A Tale of Two Cities”, characterized the period in which the novel took place as, “ It was the best of Times, and the Worst of times”. We live in a time like that again. It is the best of times for those with money and power as they continue to exploit the poor, but it is the worst of times for those who are at the bottom, especially those in poverty or those who are struggling with homelessness.
We must be committed to one another and to a movement that seeks human rights for all. It must be a struggle from the bottom up. It must be informed and led by those affected by the struggle. We can no longer afford to allow solutions from the top down. Most of those who attempt to solve the problem from an “Ivory Tower” have no understanding of the struggle and therefore have no vested interest in solving the problem. We can and we must work together to create a just and cooperative society. A society where those who struggle are counted and looked to for leadership. It is something that must be done. If it is not sooner or later the people must stand up and demand that it be so. We can no longer afford to allow the Rich to be bailed out at the expense of the poor and the working people of this country.
As a minister of the Gospel, I am told to preach the Gospel of the Good News to the poor (Isaiah 61). I therefore have a call towards justice for the poor. All people of Faith must commit themselves to this call. The one we call the Prince of Peace demands this. And, states in Matthew 25 that those who are part or not part of God’s Beloved Community, Dr. King called it, are judged by what they do with or for those who are oppressed in society. Dr. King stated that “the arch of history bends towards justice”. If that is true, then may we work toward that end.
By Rev. Bruce Wright MA, DMin., CPAC, MAC
