But I believe it is also true that when we gather in our places of worship we are segregating ourselves from the rest of society. The Christians huddle together within the walls of the church while the rest of society struggles along with the problems of life.
As part of the ceremony to join the United Methodist Church members are asked to respond to the question – “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?” The expected answer is “yes.”
But do we? Do we sit in our church and pray and worship and find contentment in our relationship with Jesus Christ, and then fail to go outside the walls of our church and resist evil and oppression in its various forms?
When we think of evil we may have an image of a horned demon or Satan himself. When we hear the word “oppression” we may think of slavery. But evil and oppression take many forms in our society. It is a form of evil and a form of oppression to allow young people in our society to make destructive decisions over and over again. It is a form of oppression to turn a blind eye to the harmful and errant behavior of those who are taking drugs, drinking too much and driving recklessly.
The prophet Amos tells us what we are to do. What should we do? What will be the result?
We must be like Paul and recognize the evil and oppression that is being perpetuated in a society that is content with the way things have always been. We must seek good and hate evil, and in so doing call for changes that will disrupt society, but also leads it into a healthier, holier and more just way of existing. When we are willing to rock the boat for the purpose of bringing good to a suffering world then the Lord will be with us.
DAILY CHALLENGE: Can you identify the evil and oppression going on in your society right now?
