Which of the following planet names does not fit with the others? Consider carefully.

Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
Jupiter
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
2003 UB313

Oh, come on, don't just guess the last one on the list. That's too easy.

But yes, the last one on the list, planet number 10 in our solar system, which was originally seen in 2003 and confirmed in early 2005 and just recently formally announced by astronomers in the United States, has a somewhat less poetic name than the others.

(How did computer geeks take over our Solar System Planet Naming Committee? Are these the same people who instead of "Wi-Fi" preferred "802.11x"? Instead of "Firewire" opted for "IEEE 1394"?)

IEEEEEE! Heaven help us.

The heavens God created, as it turns out, continue to humble us, with new surprises for humans on this little planet Earth.

This newly discovered planet is even bigger than Pluto; it's about 3,000km across. (For people who "don't do metric," this is approximately 59 million Big Macs stacked together in space where the near absence of gravity would eliminate the compression of each sandwich, which would otherwise have skewed the Big Mac as an accurate unit of measurement.)

Or, if you do miles, about 1,864 of them.

I find it interesting that after thousands of years of "civilization" (not reading today's international news may help make that word palatable) we are still discovering new planets within our own solar system, which we know is one of many solar systems, and we don't know what might exist beyond that scope, which we simply cannot fathom.

Is this not an opportune time to be reminded of our scope?

God told Abram in Genesis 15, "Look up at the heavens and count the stars-—if indeed you can count them."

A slightly rhetorical challenge, from creator to createe. There was no light pollution in Abram's day, and I'm sure he was aware that the number of stars was beyond his numeric capabilities. (I've checked with ancient nomads, and they confirm that by the time you counted half way it would be dawn and time to tend the sheep again; you'd have to start counting from scratch the next night, but with very sleepy eyes. Nobody got a good count.)

Then God said to Abram, "So shall your offspring be."

Point taken. A whole lot. Millions or even billions.

We certainly can't count the stars, and we don't appear to be able to count the planets. We're up to ten so far.

God is an amazing creator, and it is a staggering priviledge to be made "in God's image."

When we can't count, when we realize the limitations of our tools and our understanding, can we still BELIEVE, and is there integrity in believing something beyond your grasp? You bet.

"Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness." - Genesis 15:6

Wow. Simple, raw faith, even with the knowledge of our extreme finiteness, can be cashed at God's bank for righteousness - the equivalent legal state of not having committed an offense in the first place.

With God's laws and God's creativity, the sky's the limit.

And what about TRUTH? We have taught in our schools all around the world that the truth is there are nine planets in our solar system. These textbook pages have now become fine candidates for wrapping fried samosa snacks in Capetown and Calcutta..

Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, "...your Father in heaven ...causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."

Rain. The great equalizer. Jesus points out that it rains equally on the righteous and the not. Rain is a wonderful gift in healthy doses. Too much or too little of it can be disastrous.

Mumbay (Bombay) India got too much of it yesterday. 37 inches in one day too much. That's 3 standing feet of water, falling from the sky in one day. More rain than India has ever had in such a short time. Several hundred lives were lost due to the floods and mudslides that resulted.

It feels ironic to juxtapose these words of Jesus about rain (as a generally good thing) with yesterday's deadly downpour. I wonder if any Christians in Mumbay yesterday opened their Bibles to double-check the exact wording of God's promise to never send another flood like the one Noah saw. It probably felt similar to that day.

Rain. We have umbrellas and parkas to keep it off. We rain-proof our homes and vehicles. We create gutters and ditches and levees and channels to move it where we want it to go. We depend on it for our food and livelihood. We appreciate its cooling effect on a hot day. We appreciate the green it brings. In a fit of childlike spontaneity, we might run around in it, even as adults.

We like it in proper doses and in its proper places.

If WE were god (hypothetically, of course) wouldn't we set up the protocol differently? Perhaps we'd have it rain too-much-or-too-little on the unrighteous, and just-right on the righteous. Localized, proportionate rain. Maybe we'd widen the definition of righteous or use a more inclusive term for all of us arguably not-entirely-unrighteous folks.

Jesus' point in Matthew 5:45 (the middle of the Sermon on the Mount) was in the context of his challenge for us to love, rather than hate, our enemies. He added the point about the Father's willingness to send sun and rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If God doesn't distinguish between who deserves the life-giving gifts of sun and rain, we should not distinguish between who deserves our acts and attitude of love; we are called to love everyone God puts in our path, and even to go out of the way to love others, friend or foe, not on the basis of deserving.

Too much of a good thing. Nobody deserves 3 feet of rain in one day. (There are a growing number of Christians who are coming to believe that many of our changing severe weather patterns and environmental degradation appear to be the result of cumulative selfish, sinful, choices by many generations all over the world, without regard for nor awareness at the time of the full consequences that might be reaped. But that's a topic for another day.)

As we think about rain and its recipients, and especially today about those in India and many other places in the world who are so susceptible to the life changing, life threatening forces of floods, let us remember the grieving family members and friends who lost several hundred precious lives yesterday. Pray for God's peace and comfort to touch these aching hearts.

And let us remember that we are to love indiscriminately, like the rain.

Delegates from ten member nations of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet this week in Laos at their annual summit to discuss a variety of issues including terrorism (especially in light of the recent bombings in London and Egypt) and agreements on sharing intelligence.

This year's summit will also call for improved emergency preparedness following last December's tsunami. ASEAN members Indonesia and Thailand were among the nations worst hit by the disaster. One of the highlights is expected to be Australia's signing of a non-aggression deal with the group.

Pray for these meetings! Pray for open mindedness to one another, healthy accountability, and for God to give wisdom that will influence the deliberations of these leaders.

The ten member nations are Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. Participants from neighboring nations of China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia and Mongolia will also attend the meetings.

Did you know that in every one of these nations there is a national group of Christian college and university students (most are official members of the IFES) who seek to know and follow Jesus as Lord? And there is an indigenous church in every one of these countries. Pray for these Christians as they proclaim and demonstrate their faith in Jesus.

The ASEAN Community is based on three pillars:
- ASEAN Security Community (ASC)
- ASEAN Economic Community (AEC)
- ASEAN Socio-Cultural community (ASCC)

These seem to be good values for people made in God's image to pursue, wouldn't you agree? To live in a peaceable and secure environment (and to agree to resolve conflicts by peaceful means); to engage in economic exchanges that are responsible and beneficial to all; and to foster social interaction and the celebration of diverse cultural expressions.

The dynamic of a regional group of nations, meeting to address problems together and cautiously willing to provide for each other a certain level of accountability, is a powerful thing. Imagine if ALL nations in the world, from the most powerful to the tiniest, were to surround themselves with this type of accountability and collaboration with nearby nations.

One of the telling signs of healthy influence within the group is that Burma (Myanmar) which was due to take the next seat as ASEAN chair by alphabetical rotation of all the nations, has bowed out of this rotation because of pressure from other member nations and the international community on some of its internal issues such as a national reconciliation process, including hundreds of political prisoners who are still held. A majority of the ASEAN member nations broke with their usual stance of non-interference to send a clear message to Burma that it must begin the real work of democratic reform. The Philippines will chair the group for the next year.

Provocative headlines aside, hear me out.

1) "Al Qaeda" is Arabic, two words which are usually translated as "the foundation" or "the base". It can refer to supporting columns or pillars, and can mean in a more general sense a universal rule or canon.

If you're familiar with the Christian faith, does this notion of an underlying foundation ring a bell?

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone." - Psalm 118:22

"You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." - Ephesians 2:19-22

Paul also writes in I Corinthians 3:10-11,

"By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ."

It's an interesting comparison, of foundations, but there's another.

2) "Al" means "the" and "Qaeda" comes from the root Arabic word "qa-'a-da" -- to sit down, remain, stay, abide.

Remain.

Stay.

Abide.

Do these words bring to mind the same association for you? Remember Jesus' teaching in John 15.

"Abide in me, and I in you." Other English translations of this passage use the words "remain in me," "dwell in me," "stay joined to me," "live in me."

The metaphor in John 15 is branches, bearing fruit only when they remain connected to the vine, the foundation for life and nourishment.

And Christ has several promises in that passage, for those who abide or remain in him:

• You will bear fruit.
• You will be pruned (so you can bear more fruit).
• Ask whatever you wish and it will be given to you (if you remain in me AND "if my words remain in you" - no small feat).
• My joy will be in you and your joy will be complete.
• I will call you my friend, not my servant, because unlike a servant you know what I am thinking and planning.
• I chose you for the purpose of bearing fruit - fruit that will last.
• The father will give you whatever you ask in my name.

I don't know the nuances of the original word used by Jesus for "abide" or "remain" but it does seem to have a strong connotation of lasting, persevering, continuing, sticking with it, hanging in there. Not just plugging into an electrical socket, but staying connected to the vine.

So sit down, remain, stay, abide; but in this case, not with a canon of hatred and misdirected, indiscriminate violence; but rather with encouragement from Jesus to love sacrificially, to stick with it, and with a promise of fruitful outcome.

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard." - Isaiah 58:6-8 (NIV)

Last year's swarm of locusts which ate almost everything green in Niger and some other African countries, coupled with rains that have not come, mean that 3.6 million people in Niger do not have enough food and many are in danger of dying from starvation. Infants and children are dying in increasing numbers the past few weeks because of severe malnutrition and related complications.

Calls for early intervention which would have prevented the severity of the current situation, were apparently unheeded.

CNN's article on this says, "In common with many other crises in Africa, U.N. officials say the late response in Niger shows how the rich world often misses chances to avoid worse disasters by reacting only when situations reach critical, headline-grabbing proportions." 

According to Jan Egeland, the head of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), a few weeks ago it would have cost $1 a day to prevent malnutrition among children if the world had responded immediately. Now it costs some $80 to save a malnourished child's life.

Regardless of the reasons for a lack of initial response, the current situation is now a crisis and warrants the international community to respond with urgency.

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 176 out of 177 nations listed in the 2004 UN Human Development Report. Every year an estimated 166,000 children in Niger die from preventable diseases and almost 70 percent of the country's 12 million people do not have access to health services. 

Here are my thoughts right now, in no particular order:

• As a Christian (and perhaps for many people who aren't Christians but respond out of the compassion that comes from being made in God's image) I don't believe that it is an option for me to not respond, personally, in some tangible way. I do think that is what I often do, out of passive or active ignorance -- not knowing or not going out of my way to find out about needs that I would appropriately feel compelled to respond to if I were aware.
• It is easy for me to be overwhelmed by the scope of world crises like this, and the complex and far-bigger-than-me dynamics of world politics, corruption, rich-nations versus poor-nations, logistical challenges, and powerful forces of globalization, all of which lend themselves to situations too numerous to keep tabs on. But that is not an excuse to stay ignorant nor avoid personal responsibility and action, within the scope of doing at least something that I can do as one person.
• I just phoned a takeout lunch order with a couple of my colleagues. I will still eat lunch today, but with a different mindset. I have no idea what it is like to be hungry for days or weeks on end. Before I eat lunch, which on most days is a privilege taken for granted, I decided to send a donation to one of the agencies providing emergency famine relief. That is something I can do. I could probably even do it on a sustained, regular basis.
• Lastly, we should care about the spiritual nourishment of these people in Niger just as we care about their physical nourishment. They are created and loved by God with the full spectrum of human needs. Pray for Christians who are in contact with them, to extend spiritual hope as they extend help in Jesus' name. Pray for the spirit to work in their hearts, drawing them into communion with and dependence on God.
  

World Vision Emergency Food Program for Niger

Or find another agency you'd prefer to give to, and do it today according to how God enables you.

"Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me." - John 15:20-21

Christianity Today has a news bulletin about the persecution of Evangelical Christians in Eritrea.

Eritrea is a country I had to look up to see where in Africa it is. It's on the Red Sea, sandwiched between Sudan and Ethiopia. Find out more on the Lonely Planet page for Eritrea or allafrica.com.

Officially there is freedom of religion in Eritrea, but that is not the current reality. Christians are being detained and held without charge, without outside contact, and in some cases are being tortured in attempts to get them to change their religion.

In May 2002, the Eritrean government banned all churches except three approved denominations (Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Evangelical Lutheran). Meanwhile, the government officially makes false statements such as "...no groups or persons are persecuted in Eritrea for their beliefs or religion."

In September 2004 the U.S. State Department for the first time named Eritrea a "country of particular concern" (CPC) for severe violations of religious freedom. "There were numerous reports of physical torture and attempts at forced recantations," the State Department reported." [Church] closures, the government's refusal to authorize any registrations, and the restriction on holding religious meetings continued." The designation of Eritrea as a CPC required the Bush administration to take specific policy action by March 15, 2005, which for whatever reason did not happen. 

Personal action on the part of thousands of Christians around the world could make a difference.

Here's what you can do:

• Learn more about the situation, search Google News for Eritrea Christians, and check sites like Release Eritrea.
  
• Write congressional representatives and the U.S. State Department urging the administration to quickly take action: Condoleezza Rice, U.S. Department of State, 2201 C Street NW, Washington, D.C., 20520.
• Pray for the Christians there who are incarcerated and those who are not -- for perseverance, faith, and a love given by God toward those who are treating them unjustly.
• Pray for the leaders of Eritrea, that God will convict their hearts to do justice.
  
• Write a letter to leaders of Eritrea, politely expressing your deep concern about the harsh treatment of Christians there, and citing Article 19 of the Eritrean constitution which allows for freedom of religion and assembly. Also point out that Article 17 of the Eritrean constitution stipulates the right to a fair and public trial and the presumption of innocence.
  
  His Excellency Mr. Girma Asmerom
  Embassy of Eritrea
  1708 New Hampshire Ave. NW
  Washington, D.C., 20009
  202.319.1991
  Fax: 202.319.1304
  E-mail: veronica@embassyeritrea.org
  
  Mr. Isaias Afwerki
  President of Eritrea
  P.O. Box 257
  Asmara, Eritrea
  

 Related Stories:

• 80 Christian High School Students Arrested in Eritrea
• August 5 Day of Prayer and Fasting for Eritrean Christians

"When I talk to people here about what I'm doing to prepare for disengagement, their attitude is 'yeah, right'." - Diana Butu, spokeswoman for the Palestinians' disengagement office

After so many years of disappointments -- lip service, failed talks, standoffs, broken promises, brutal violence from both sides -- it can be difficult to believe that Israel will actually begin to pull out (BBC News) as planned, in just a few weeks, from the Gaza strip and the northern West Bank, which they have occupied since 1967.

It's difficult to believe that Jewish settlers will actually leave their homes and turn over these small pieces of land to Palestinians. Difficult to believe that Israel would let the Palestinians conduct trade and travel and commerce in the Gaza strip. Difficult to believe that the transition could happen peacefully.

I find myself wanting and trying to pray that this could happen, will happen, and will be a significant unprecedented step toward better days for Israelis and Palestinians, as most of them do desire a peaceful cohabitation. But I find that my prayers for Palestine and Israel are weary. Often they are not prayers of bold faith but rather "if-only" wishes.

The fragile ceasefire for the past five months has been broken occasionally by both sides, and last week after a relatively quiet time, a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 5 and injured 18 in the Israeli beach town of Netanya. Israel responded within hours by sending troops into a Palestinian town 10 miles away and killing three suspected Palestinian terrorists, and staying in occupation of the town, a suspected haven for PIJ militants.

One step forward, one step back.

But what gives me the most hope is when I very occasionally hear or read about the average Palestinian or Israeli on the street -- the mother, father, son, daughter, student-- who deeply desires longterm peace and security, not political triumph over the adversary at any cost. These stories are rarely deemed as newsworthy as stories about the conflict. But when I do hear them, I realize that God is at work in the hearts of ordinary people, in the face of incredible odds, to dream of plowshares instead of swords.

Holy God, we are complicit in hatred and strife. Please forgive our incompetence for getting along with one another. Forgive our impatience, anger, selfishness, indignation, retaliation, and penchant for revenge when we find ourselves in prolonged times of conflict. We. Us. Me. Not just them, over there, not just some other group in another place. All of us. And as you forgive us, give us the strength and character to seek your face first, so that all these other things, like peaceful living with our neighbors, might be added.

There are hundreds of thousands of people in the midst of this scene who try each day to follow Jesus. Pray for them. They are the hands and feet of Jesus in tangible daily ways. They could set the tone. They are at risk. They are tempted to hate and retaliate when they experience personal loss or injustice. They are tempted to shun compromise. Their faith is challenged in ways most of us cannot know. But we can pray for courage and wisdom for them. We can fast and pray for God's intervention into this mess. When God intervenes it is a powerful thing.

Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the people of the world revere him.
For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
The LORD foils the plans of the nations;
he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever,
the purposes of his heart through all generations.
Psalm 33:8-11 (NIV)

"There is no difference between speaking out in support of something or remaining silent, if both allow genocide to occur... We have an obligation to speak out for those who can't speak for themselves."
Rep. Steve Israel (D-New York)

In Sudan, since the Darfur genocide began in 2003, up to 400,000 people have lost their lives, and more than two and a half million people have been displaced, their livelihoods and villages destroyed or burned. Tens of thousands of women and girls are believed to have been raped.

The conflict stems from a history of bitter ethnic division between Arab Sudanese in the north and Black African Sudanese in the south. The ethnic tension goes back at least to colonial days when Sudan's borders were drawn to artificially lump disparate ethnic groups together as an independent nation in 1956.

African Sudanese, the majority population, feel certain that the Arab Sudanese simply want to expel them to bordering African nations. This appears to be what is happening, successfully. 

The escalating violence has led to destruction of entire villages, mass rape, and what the world has come to officially recognize as genocide. In some cases government forces, and in most cases roving Janjawid militias, who have the government's tacit support, are widely believed to have done the dirty work.

Genocide is not a new phenomenon; sometimes the world community has intervened more quickly, and sometimes the world community has stood by until it was too late, as was the case in Rwanda in 1994 where a million people were slaughtered in a few weeks time. After Rwanda the world promised "Never Again." But it is happening again.

It is not OK for this to happen on our watch. It is easy to feel helpless from afar, but faith communities around the world can help end the genocide and quell the humanitarian crisis that has come in its wake. We need to make our voices heard. LOUDLY. It must stop, soon. There is no other acceptable alternative.

Here are some things you can do, as a follower of Jesus.

• Take time to pray for Darfur, the 2.5 million people in this and nearby areas in the south who have been displaced and whose lives have been shattered.
• Pray for the survivors, who have lost loved ones, homes, livelihood, and whose human dignity has been taken away. Pray that God will take away their bitterness, hatred, and defeat, and will replace it with a spirit of love, humility, forgiveness, boldness, and hope.
• Set aside a day of fasting to bring this before God and ask for God to intervene and move the hearts of leaders to repentance and reconciliation.
• Pray for the 2 million Christians in Sudan, most of whom live in the south, and some in the capital city of Khartoum. Pray for the Sudanese church to grow as a result of this tragedy, and to shine as a light in this nation. Pray for Christian students to know God's wisdom, love and truth.
• Pray for the African Union peacekeeping forces, to be prudent, restrained but effective in enforcing peace and preventing further persecution. Pray for additional forces from other African nations so that they can be more effective.
  
• Call your government representatives and urge them to apply significant pressure on the government of Sudan.
• Be creative about what else you can do from far away to end the genocide and human suffering taking place in Sudan -- put up a poster or sign to remind you and others of the people of Darfur; talk to people around you about it, and help those who don't know about the situation to learn more and to take some action, even if it is small; learn more about the history and culture of Sudan on the web to inform your prayers; find a Sudanese student or family and get to know them and ask for their perspective on this conflict and what they believe the solutions should be.
• Write a short summary of the situation and email your friends and church members.
• Start a small group in your church to gather weekly, pray and learn and take action together.
• Give money to organizations working in Sudan to help meet the needs of refugees and provide emergency food, shelter, and clothing.
• Insist that your own nation, in collaboration with the world community, quickly bring the genocide to an end, leaving no alternative for the Sudanese government.
  
• Pray for the long process of truth and reconciliation and justice in Sudan, which must follow once the genocide is stopped.

From July 8 - 21 people of faith around the U.S. are gathering to pray, bear political witness, and speak truth to power. Find a group near you, or organize your own group and invite others to join you.

 

The nations have fallen into the pit they dug for others. They have been caught in their own trap. The LORD is known for his justice. The wicked have trapped themselves in their own snares. The wicked will go down to the grave. This is the fate of all the nations who ignore God. For the needy will not be forgotten forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.

Arise, O LORD! Do not let mere mortals defy you! Let the nations be judged in your presence! Make them tremble in fear, O LORD. Let them know they are merely human.

(Psalm 9:15-20, NLT)

Today's terror attack in London conjures memories of several other times when innocent civilians have become the targets and victims of misdirected grievance.

The perpetrators don't always convey a clear reason (to others than themselves) for why they have acted, nor why their action was directed at civilians. (Maybe that's why we call it "terrorism".)

I don't know about you but my responses can include the following:

• anger
• confusion
• fear
• grief
• regret
• helplessness

Presumably, every one of these is among the desired responses that a terrorist might hope for.

Let's not give it to them. Let's persevere and overcome the human impulses (hatred, revenge, anger, vengeance) that contradict what God teaches.

While a terrorist, like any criminal, will hopefully be brought to justice through a legitimate process, our response to injustice and evil should come out of hearts that are increasingly mature in Christ. The Bible doesn't offer much help for how to track down and bring perpetrators to justice, but it does offer many principles for how we might respond internally and externally, as followers of Jesus. Here are just a few:

Pray continuously. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
Praying continuously is a constant mindset and attitude of prayer, such that no sooner do we hear of news like this than our thoughts and attitudes are already tuning into God, who is already aware and concerned. Pray for specific groups of people involved: leaders, victims, family members, neighbors, terrorists, citizens.

Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)
Jesus never retracted nor qualified this. It's not ambiguous. While it doesn't nullify the place of a judicial system in society, this is not about the forest but about the trees. It is personal: love your enemies. Have an attitude toward them that is characterized by love. This is hard stuff.

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:31)
Let's look for ways to demonstrate love with our time, money, talent, words, and actions, as if it happened to me or my family; or as if a terrorist were also my neighbor.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21)
Easier said than done. Just a few chapters earlier, Paul comments in Romans 7:21, "So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me." Evil is not just out there in the other person, in the enemy, in the terrorist. It lingers also in me, in my community, my church, my city, my nation. If I ask God to help me see and remove the log in my own eye (probably not just a one-time need) God will certainly do that; and then will enable me to respond more appropriately to the evil "out there."

Live at peace.
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." Romans 12:17-19

Lastly, when we feel vulnerable and helpless, remember Jesus' words in Revelation 1:17. Fear not; I am the first and the last. This is the one through whom all things were made, and through whom all things that are broken will eventually be made whole.

If the world's wealthiest eight nations were meeting (which they are, this week) to discuss what they consider to be the most important global issues of our day, do you think you could break through to send them an important message?

On your own, perhaps not, but how about over 26 million text messages, sent from as many individuals around the world to the phones of the G8 participants, urging these powerful nations to cancel the debts of the world's poorest nations? This was organized by the folks (including Irish rockers Bob Geldof and U2's Bono) behind the Live 8 concerts on Saturday, July 2, reportedly watched in person and online by over a billion people.

Here is the message to the G8:

50,000 people are dying, needlessly, every day of extreme poverty.

At this year's G8 summit meeting, it is within your power to put an end to this tragedy. It is an extraordinary opportunity which it would be shameful to ignore. We urge you to take these 3 steps to make extreme poverty history...

1. double the aid sent to the world's poorest countries,
2. fully cancel their debts,
3. change the trade laws so that they can build their own future.

Not all 26 million textmessengers nor the billion plus concertwatchers can be assumed to share this particular motivation, but you can't get much more Biblical than canceling the debt of the poor.

Read the Isaiah 61: 1-3 account, which speaks of both the proclamation and demonstration of the Good News. This is what Jesus quoted verbatum when he stood to speak in the temple.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

"The year of the Lord's favor" refers to the Year of Jubilee, where every 7 years and especially every 50 years (the year after 7 cycles of 7 years, or 49 + 1) was decreed to be a special of time of returning home, and returning property to its former owners (canceling debt). Each fiftieth year was to be celebrated as a jubilee year, and at this season every household should recover its absent members, land should be returned to its former owners, the slaves should be set free, and debts should be cancelled.

Read more (not easy reading) about this in Leviticus 25. The verse which shouts out to me is, "Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God."

And another thought provoking sentence in Leviticus 25, especially living in the age of terrorism, is verse 18: "Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land." What do you make of the if-then proposition behind this? Pray for God to give you new insight and understanding about the relationship between obedience to God (or not) and living safely in the land (or not).

As we think about extreme poverty and consider debt cancellation for the world's poorest countries, the thought of the richest countries (by a factor of thousands of times) NOT cancelling the debt of the poorest countries (if they were to decline this request) but rather charging interest, well, this would have the ring of taking advantage.

Here's one simple example:

Nigeria has borrowed $5 billion, has paid $16 billion to date, and now still owes $32 billion.
(source: Jubilee USA Network)

Globalization is no simple matter, but  for the extreme richest to not forgive the debt of the extreme poorest (who simply cannot repay the debt nor even its annual interest) is simply not OK by any standard of justice. It doesn't take a Christian steeped in scripture to recognize this. Most people simply made in God's image can see it.

There is a thoughtful and thought provoking article on sojo.net about "The biblical vision of Sabbath economics". "God's people are instructed to dismantle, on a regular basis, the fundamental patterns and structures of stratified wealth and power, so that there is 'enough for everyone.'"

Sites like JubileeUSA and Jubilee Research have more on the subject of Jubilee and the current landscape of global poverty.

These are interesting days for the internet and how it can mobilize, inform, and be a loud mouthpiece for messages of justice and obedience to God.

Live8 headliners include Madonna, U2, the Who, Coldplay, Sarah McLachlan, Maroon 5, Dave Matthews Band, Elton John, Pink Floyd and R.E.M. It's near impossible to sort out the myriad motivations that may be in play, from genuine concern for the poor to a great photo opp with a warm fuzzy PR feel. Some of these artists address justice and  faith and responsibility themes out of season as well.

Lest we think this is all about "them" (those rich leaders of rich nations) and not about "us"... anyone reading this blog is in the top 15% of the world's wealthiest people; and if you have broadband, you're among the top 5% wealthiest and you can watch the concerts here for the next 12 weeks.

II Corinthians 8:9:

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.