Beginning again with "A Passion for the Possible" by William Sloane Coffin.
And old saying holds that religion and politics don't mix. Probably it was first said by Pharaoh when he turned down Moses' plea to "let my people go." Generally what it means is, "Your religion doesn't mix with my politics." When the right-wing press of Latin America, for example, accused the progressive Brazilian bishop F. Helda Camara of mixing religion and politics, he replied, " When the Roman Catholic Church was everywhere in bed with military juntas, you never accused us of mixing religion with politics."
On issues of justice...that is, justice for all, we (religious folk) are definitely to be a political people. Political in the sense that we will not stop holding up the way of justice for all even when it means that we may lose something of our own as we stand alongside others. Presently in our country, the religious powers that are so aligned with the government are after their own well being. I was just invited to a clergy caucus that has to do with a House Bill that will deal with some sort of "house of worship" issues. It is so odd that Christians have become so inward looking that they have lost their sense of care for the outsider and the least among us. In fact, I think that much of what is seen as Christian interests in this country are so turned-in-on-self that it is embarrassing.
Connection: Never lose that ability to hear the voice of those in need. And then...continue to develop the heart that moves us all to respond to those voices.
Compassionate God, make us a charitable people but also ones who work for justice so that those who are least among the powers of our lives will never be forgotten and will always have a place at the table of life with us. Amen.
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