The Journey 66: Transformation in my community

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Read; Exodus 3
Key Verse: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, Le my people go so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness” [ Exodus 5:1]

There is a silent group of unknown people in my city of Philadelphia and they are “The homeless”. It is said that the number of this group is growing and what is alarming is that there are very few people who wants to stand up for their rights. It is under such a circumstances that a fresh hope of light has come. CBS news reported yesterday that an  advocacy group named “Project HOME” opened a new apartment building in Philadelphia’s Tioga section day before yesterday, so that they could provide homes to the growing number of  homeless men, women, and children. In the news that followed the inauguration, along with Mayor Michael Nutter, Sister Marcy Scullion of Project home said that “We are celebrating what it means to have a home,” and she described this project home as “the light that all follow” so that  Philadelphia can try to break the vicious cycle of homelessness and poverty.  The number of homeless people, people who have no voice of their own are growing. What happens because of that is, the powerful and the ones who can yell and shout are ruling when the so called silent ones are snubbed, consciously made silent and oppressed.  The silent ones are not there not only on the streets, but you can find them in many homes, church and in school. What is the response and responsibility of us as Christians to these silent people. 
                   This week we are meditating on the theme “ Transformation in our community” based on the life and times of Moses. Moses is asked by God to be His spokesperson to Pharaoh. The duty of Moses is two fold. He has to convey to Pharaoh, the mind and will of God and secondly He has to be a tool in the hands of God so that the process the liberation takes place. In today’s portion the first part of Moses duty takes place. Moses conveys to the Pharaoh what is the mind of God with respects to the suffering that the Israelites go through. Yesterday we learnt that God hears the cry of the suffering and today He communicates to Moses, that not only has He heard the cry of oppressed,  but He also wants to be the voice of the voiceless. The Israelites in this context are the people who suffer silently, there is no one to speak for them on their behalf to the Pharaoh and it is in such a context that God sends Moses to be their spokesperson.  Whenever I read this portion I feel greatly empowered in my ministry. This is one text in the Bible that gives us hope to move to the future in the midst of untold suffering and oppression which we may have to bear silently. A God who is ready to be the spokesperson for all those people who believe that they have no voices or they feel that their voices are often stifled. I believe we may encounter in our life,  people who do not have voices, or whose voices are stilled and stifled by others. This is a stark reality in home, church and society. The powerful and the ones who can yell, shout and scream, who has no feelings of their brothers and sisters are the ones who rule the world today. The world today is all about how loud you can shout and scream, a cacophony of noises. It is in the midst of the noises of suffering and silence, that God wants us to be the voice of the silent people, to stand up for those people who cannot stand up by themselves.
Can we the voice of the silent people in the midst of the cacophony of noise-
 
Let us Pray: O Lord you want us to be the voice of the silent people who are humiliated, snubbed and oppressed at every moment of their life. Give us your strength to be your channel of transformation. Amen

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