Grass Roots
James is the only apostle whose martyrdom is reported in the New Testament, and today is the day we remember him.
At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius. The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea; this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.) - Acts 11:27-12:3
Why was James killed and Peter arrested?
It could be that they and the other members of the new church were making Claudius look bad. Famine had come to the land and the only relief for the people was coming from the work of the church.
So, rather than embrace it, Herod sought to stop it.
There may be a lesson here for us. No government can solve all the problems. Poverty, financial inequality, injustice will survive and even thrive in any society. But those in power who recognize the work of the social ministries and are not afraid to let them do what they do will probably fair better than those who seek to stop them.
What we choose to do as individuals and groups working together than makes the most difference.
No system is perfect, but some offer more opportunities for individuals to thrive than others. That creates hope and hope can move mountains.
Those of us who choose to help those who need more than we do help balance out the situation. These are the acts of love Jesus taught.
Love one another. Do for one another.
So while we choose to protest what is wrong with our focus as a society, we should not stop being a part of the solution ourselves. It may make us targets, as it did for the apostles, but it is the right thing to do.
More to come...