by Elizabeth Langton
‘The King will reply, "I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'
Matthew 25:40-43
As Christians, we have a God given responsibility to care for those who are less fortunate then us. We have a responsibly to speak up for those who don’t have a voice. We have a responsibility to provide for those who need provision. We have a responsibility that needs recognition. We need to understand the power of our voice, the power of a Godly community. Robert Wennberg, in Readings in Christian Ethics wrote, "Our culture does not understand the biblical ideal of a community of people who willingly give up their own rights to serve others." God is calling us to stand up and speak in order to truly serve those who need our help.
Mr Kevin Rudd, in his address at the Australian Christian Heritage Forum said, "Our challenge is to respond to the great ethical challenges of our age - consistent with the dictates of a properly informed human and Christian conscience." Isn’t that what Christian ethics is all about? Maybe its time we started responding accordingly. After all, Jesus told us in Matthew 5:13-14, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." The responsibility is in your hands - what will you do with it?
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