The Journey 65: Transformation in my community

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Read : Exodus 5
Key Verse: “ The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles” [ Psalms 34: 17]

The common man in US is getting a slight pinch of one thing– Gas. The gas prices were shooting up till yesterday. According to the motorist organization AAA, it is for the first time today in the morning of Tuesday March 6th, that the nationwide average for gasoline prices eased a little, thus showing the first decline after 27 straight days of price increase in gas. In the morning today the average price of regular unleaded gasoline is $3.76 a gallon. The nationwide average was $3.48 a gallon a month ago and $3.72 a week ago. Last year at this time, the average price stood at $3.51 a gallon. News  analyst have put forth a number of reasons for the soaring oil prices. One of the reasons that they assume is because of the escalating tensions between US and Iran over nuclear build up, which may build up to an all out war, thus disrupting  the oil supplies is one of the immediate reason.  There are also other political figures from the Republican sides who are trying to score points by attacking President Obama for his inability to check the rising gas prices. In between all these, lots of organizations and people who want America to go green have come up with educative programmes whereby people who drive can use certain techniques while driving so as to preserve and save gas. But then there is stark reality behind these oil prices soaring up. The demand for cars and also to travel alone has increased tenfold. Even when a car could be shared at least on certain occasions by the family members, we all tend to ignore that and then use our individual vehicles. Then there are the people who run these gas companies whose motive is only greed and making more and more profits, even if it means to skin the nation dry. It is here that we as Christians need to rethink about our role as citizens in this country. Do we have a commitment to our society, to our next generation, whereby we can leave them a good example to follow, a good witness to be shared?. Only when that happens can we truly bring in transformation in our community.
                   This week we are meditating on how we can bring transformation in our community, by meditating on the life and ministry of Moses. In the portion that we read now [ Exodus 5 ], we find some sadistic attitudes of the rulers of Egypt, the Pharaohs. When Moses and Aaron come to the presence of the Pharaoh, to demand that their people should be set free, the Pharaoh brands the Israelites as lazy people [ Exodus 5: 6-9]. Then he orders the slave drivers and foremen to stop supply of straw that are meant to be used to make bricks, and ask them to make Israelites to find and gather their own straw and also with another stringent condition that they need to  make the same amount of bricks before. This was shocking to the Israelites, because the oppressors were now becoming more and more sadistic. The pain and the pleas of the common man goes to the deaf ears of the rulers. It is here that we see the contrast. God hears the cry of the people, but the rulers of the world turns deaf to the cry of the common man. For them more than the pain of the common man what they interested is gain, or even when others suffer, I want to make a fast buck. The attitude of Pharaoh is prevalent today in many of our life. Even when others suffer, there are people who are more interested in their personal welfare only, and also going the extra way to make fast  money at the cost of the suffering of the common man. Then there are huge oil companies who also behave like Pharaoh's whose sole interest is profit, no matter what happens to ones nation or how it affects common man.
                   It is here that we as Christians need to seriously think on our role on how we can be responsible citizens in our nation, whereby we show our commitment to our Lord in the way we responsibly live in this nation, being careful on the way we spend the resources that God has given to us and also living in such a way that we make our world a better place not only for us but for our future generations too.
 Let us Pray: Dear Lord we often are more interested in only our welfare not bothered to think about how our actions and deeds affect others and our nation. Help us to live more responsibly so that we show others what our true commitment is . Amen

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