Sunday 23 February 2025
1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 11-13, 22-23. The Lord is kind and merciful – Psalm 102(103):1-4, 8, 10, 12-13. 1 Corinthians 15:45-49. Luke 6:27-38.
Lend without hope of return
I sometimes wonder if one of the main sources of our problems in today’s world is that we’ve turned over responsibility for so much of our community building to institutions. While institutions like banks, corporations and governments are of course made up of people, there’s often a large disconnect between those making decisions and the individuals and communities affected by those decisions. It’s too easy to justify decisions that will hurt people on the ground in favour of ‘bigger’ concerns such as investor dividends or other special interests.
Contrast that to what is outlined by Jesus in today’s readings, and try to imagine an institution that followed those instructions to the letter. How long would a CEO of a bank or corporation last if they were to ‘lend and expect nothing back’? That’s why, I think, we need to consider more strongly about how much of our lives we want controlled by institutions, and how we might better organise our communities such that we can all serve each other.
Email this Print This Page
