Sunday, December 11
Amos 9:11-15
The scripture we read speaks of repair, raise, and rebuild. Repairing. Raising up. Rebuilding. This is what we are about. Yesterday, we celebrated Human Rights Day. So often, our world celebrates “days.” We have days for youth, women, earth, indigenous rights, water, food, HIV/AIDS and so many other days, weeks and months. These days bring our attention to issues of critical need in our communities and around the world. Water is vital, but so many are thirsty. We believe that all God’s children are created equal, but youth and women are all too often left out of the decision-making process. We believe that all deserve to have enough that they are able to live, yet so many go hungry. We recognize the days, the issues, the work we must continue. We recognize in these days that we all fall short of the likeness and image of God.
As we look back on Human Rights Day, let us look forward to ways in which we can work to improve human rights. Let us together work for the day when, as our scripture reminds us, “the one who ploughs shall overtake the one who reaps, and the treader of grapes the one who sows the seed; the mountains shall drip sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.”
PRAYER
God of wonder, we pray that the human rights of all of your children are realized yesterday, today and forevermore. We pray for your blessing on all your children everywhere. Amen.
Ryan Smith, Presbyterian representative to the United Nations, Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, PC(USA)
New York, New York