Worship and Justice: Isaiah 58

Check out this site: ififtyeight.com
A group of teens from the southern US territory are working together to teach others about injustice in their area and the world.

Fighting injustices is more than just a good thing to do, it is our duty as Christians. Jesus calls us to the poor and the oppressed. How does God justify their cause and lift them up, if not for the helping hand of their christian brothers/sisters? Where are the oppressed in your neighborhood? Or do you count yourself as one of them? No matter what you've been through, or what kind of family background you come from, you have something to offer to your community and to the kingdom of God. If you still feel like you're the bottom of the feeding pool of your community, take a look at the global perspective:

75% of the worlds' population (Africa, China, Russia, Packistan, Iran, Iraq) vs. 75% of the worlds' financial resources. (USA, Canada, Australia, England, Japan)


Here in Bangor, you can get two meals a day, no questions asked.
You can apply for food stamps, and have medical coverage, and have your gas paid by the state of Maine. You can get baby diapers to tide you over until your next check comes in, and free bread. There's also a lady in town who's been able to get her hands on a mostly-paid-for motorized wheelchair, even though she can still walk. Even our jails spend money on keeping libraries and weight rooms stocked for their prisoners.


In Uganda children are taken from their families and forced to become soldiers. They watch their parents die in front of them. They are told to kill the farmers, or else they themselves will be killed.
In Thailand the living situation is so bad that families will actually sell their children to men and women who promise to give their daughters and sons paid work....that work being sex with strangers. They have no option to 'quit' or go home, because the generous amount of money their parents received for them immediately becomes the debt they have to pay off.
In Laos the only way to get a meal in prison is if someone in your family brings it to you. If you die, you die. You are a prisoner. Forget about reading material, or using your time 'productively' in a weight room....you need to save your energy and focus on simply staying alive one more day.


This can hardly be considered Just. If you don't know what to do, simply try SOMEthing. SOMEthing is always better than NOthing, yeah? And if that fails, try SOMEthing else. Adjust your strategy. Ask someone's advice. Find out where the need is, and do that. Volunteer at a shelter a hospital, an old folk's home, a call-in hotline. Call someone you think might be lonely. Stop by at someone's house when they're sick. Offer to babysit someone's kid for free, or take them out 'just because'.

Or, here's an idea. Join the "ififtyeight" group. Young people from 16 states and one province are getting together to spread the word and inform the masses about injustices in the world. The first step is to get informed. The second is to spread the word (through posters/pamphlets/presentations). Every month is a different focus. This month is invisible children. Check it out. Get informed. DO SOMETHING!