Good news to the poor – 22 February 2010
Several thousand verses in the Bible mention poverty or the dangers of riches. In the Old Testament it is the second most prominent theme, after idolatry. In the New Testament one in every sixteen verses is to do with wealth or poverty.
Jesus quoted Isaiah at the beginning of his ministry,
The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." Luke 4:17-19 [NIV]
It’s all too easy to ignore the word poor. Who would Jesus spend his time with if he came to Rugby? No one would deny that there are millions of poor people in the world, but how many are there on our doorstep?
A few weeks ago I listened to John Kirby, the founder of Christians Against Poverty (CAP) talk at the launch of the Rugby branch of CAP. He spoke powerfully about the many people in our towns, who might look fine on the surface, but who are crippled with debt and living under a cloud of shame and fear. CAP offers very practical help and hope.
Dear Lord, open my eyes to the poverty around me and fill me with your compassion. Bless the work of CAP in Rugby; help them to make contact with those in need. Amen.
Christians Against Poverty
| 