Day 33—Friday, April 11, 2025

Zechariah 7:9-10

Thus has the Lord of hosts said, dispense true JUSTICE and practice kindness and compassion to his BROTHER and do not oppress the WIDOW or the ORPHAN, the STRANGER, or the POOR and do not devise evil in your hearts against one another.

The words justice, brother, widow, orphan, stranger, and the poor immediately caught my mind’s eye as I read this scripture. John 1:3:1-2 tells us our heavenly Father, through his boundless love, has brought all of us into the family of God. Created in the image of God, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. This rebuke in Zachariah tells us to expand our concept of family to include the widow, the orphan, the poor, and the stranger, the most vulnerable and forgotten members of God’s family.

What is God’s justice?  God’s justice means treating all of God’s children with dignity and fairness so that everyone has a place at the family table. This means access to food, clothing, decent affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, medical care, and good schools. These basic necessities we take for granted are often missing for the disabled, the working- class poor, people of color, and immigrant workers.

How far does our concept of God’s family go? We live in a nation deeply divided on many issues: race/ethnicity, red/ blue, gender identification, religion, citizenship status, class, socio-economic status, divisions within Christian churches, etc. Demonizing, blame, and hatred have become acceptable responses to our fellow citizens. God reminds us that our perceived enemies are our brothers and sisters in Christ. I believe God calls us to break down the barriers that divide us, to form relationships, to listen, to share, to find commonalities and to respect differences. God goes further and instructs us to treat our perceived enemies with kindness and compassion.

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for your grace and faithfulness. Thank you for guiding us gently, steadily, lovingly toward the creation of your kingdom on earth. Sometimes we need a strong rebuke. Open our eyes to see the opportunities before us to move across barriers and show your love, kindness, compassion, and justice to all people, especially to the most vulnerable. Forgive us when we fail. Help us to join hands with people who are different as we build the inclusive, beloved family you have called us to be. Amen

-Maureen Guelzow