Friday, July 31, 2020

Resources

You've spent 40 days LEARNing about and PRAYing over the places in the Bible God urges us to ACT!  

Connect to these organizations or movements:

Civic Engagement
Bring the experiences and values of our faith into decisions about our nation’s public policy:
The Episcopal Public Policy Network advocates on behalf of the people of God to our elected officials.  

Global Partnerships
A compassionate response to human suffering in the world:
Episcopal Relief and Development provides relief in times of disaster and promotes sustainable development by identifying and addressing the root causes of suffering.

Live a Year of Service:
International:  Young Adult Service Corps

Stewardship of Creation

Racial Reconciliation
The Episcopal Church's long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice.

Here are ways you can improve the lives of those you encounter:

(from the Social Justice Bible Challenge edited by Marek Zabriskie)

  • "live in 'right relationship' with God and others
    • examine each relationship and all of our conduct, ensuring that we act at all times with fairness and equity in our daily transactions".  -Marek P. Zabriskie, Rector of St. Thomas, Fort Washington, PA
  • engage
  • contribute
  • pay attention
  • "share our gifts and knowledge with one another so that we become agents of God's care" -Mary M. and Jim Higbee, Episcopal Missionaries, South Sudan
  • "you shall be called repairers of the breach; the restorer of streets to live in
    • empty our own pantries to others may have enough to eat" -Robert W. Radtke, ERD, New York, New York
  • "remind those in authority that they should neither neglect nor forget those under them who placed them in positions of leadership" -The Rev. Canon Vicentia Kgabe, College of Transfiguration, Grahamstown, South Africa
  • if we are related to God, we have to care about the things God cares about
  • do justice, love kindness, walk humbly
  • "offer help indiscriminately, no matter what someone 'deserves'" - Sara Miles, St. Gregory of Nyssa, San Francisco, CA
  • all people have something to offer 
  • maintain a child-like spirit on your journey
  • do not fear

Here is inspiration to keep up your energy:




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Day 40 - 1John 4:1-21

4Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. And this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming; and now it is already in the world.

4Little children, you are from God, and have conquered them; for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5They are from the world; therefore what they say is from the world, and the world listens to them. 6We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us, and whoever is not from God does not listen to us. From this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

7Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. 10In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. 12No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. 13By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit.

14And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. 15God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. 16So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

17Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. 18There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. 19We love because he first loved us. 20Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. 21The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

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Thursday, July 30, 2020

Day 39 - James 1:19-2:17

19You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. 21Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. 22But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves. 23For if any are hearers of the word and not doers, they are like those who look at themselves in a mirror; 24for they look at themselves and, on going away, immediately forget what they were like. 25But those who look into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and persevere, being not hearers who forget but doers who act—they will be blessed in their doing. 26If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

2My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? 2For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, 3and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” 4have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? 6But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? 7Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?

8You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 9But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. 11For the one who said, “You shall not commit adultery,” also said, “You shall not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but if you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

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