Nehemiah 5:6-11

Nehemiah 5:6-11
English Standard Version (ESV)

  We'll get back to Acts shortly, but given everything that has gone on over the weekend, this is a worthwhile diversion.
  I'd recommend going back and reading the whole chapter/book, but in summary, the rich in Nehemiah's time are oppressing the poor, forcing them to sell off everything (including their children) in order to pay the punitive amount required for grain in a time of famine.  The country is divided, and strong leadership is needed.
  Here, Nehemiah steps up.  He recognizes the evil that is at work, the way that some people are caring for themselves over the needs of their neighbors, and he clearly declares the evil in their actions.  But he goes a step beyond simply talking about it -- he leads the way into a solution.  He gives what he doesn't need, and he invites others to dine at his table in his own expense.  He forgoes his salary.  The people react beautifully -- they admit their sin and change their ways, and the community is able to heal.
  This weekend has revealed some open wounds in this country.  Our communities are often divided, and it's easy to live in blissful ignorance of this if we are not directly affected by it.  In such a time as this, God often uses events to open our eyes to see the pain of our neighbors and friends.  Having opened our eyes, we are then called to be agents of reconciliation.  We are called to be a people who love selflessly, who sacrifice willingly, who reach out to the stranger and the enemy so that they might come to know what boundless love looks like.
  I don't have easy solutions to the cauldron of fear and hatred that can drive people to certain actions.  I don't know what it takes to bring the country together and work through the many things that divide us, but I believe in my heart that the church is called to stand in the gap and love each and every person in this world, to not only tell them that there is grace for them but to show them the same love that compelled Christ to die for the unworthy.  And since the church is called to this, you and I are called to it, because it's not someone else's job -- it's the job of every churchmember, to love the people around us and to go to those who have not yet heard the Good News.  I am often so very comfortable that I don't breach the corners of the world in which I live, but I pray for the wisdom to allow God to send me and use me so that I might somehow do my small part to promote peace and grace in times of pain and heartache.