Call to Worship:
It is Monday,
and the tables turn.
We gather in the turning
of heads,
of heaven,
of religion,
of God.
Reading: Mark 11:15-19 – Jesus Cleanses the Temple
15 Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves, 16 and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written,
‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
But you have made it a den of robbers.”
18 And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him, for they were afraid of him because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching.
19 And when evening came, Jesus and his disciples went out of the city.
Reflection:
Welcome to the confrontational world of the activists.
Like Jesus’ “My house shall be called,
the house of prayer for all the nations,
but you have made it a den of thieves.”
They stood up for righteousness, in hostile places.
Truth-tellers.
Justice-carriers.
Risk-takers.
Torch-bearers.
Fighting endlessly and fearlessly for social justice.
Standing with the oppressed,
the marginalised and the hated,
often ostracised from the rest of the world.
Paying the price for their personal quest.
Florence Nightingale:
a lone female, social reformist voice,
using statistics to reduce human suffering
and to pioneer modern nursing care.
Dylan Alcott:
who advocates for the rights of people with a disability,
using his profile to set up a Foundation to give young Australians
more opportunities for involvement in sport and study.
Mother Tereasa:
who advocated for poor and homeless people,
to establish the Order of the Missionaries of Charity.
To name but a few …
Jesus confronted wrongdoings boldly,
and challenged the political
and religious system of the day.
As did many activists of past and present.
Prayer:
God of the holy places and the ordinary spaces,
we come and reflect on the story of this week,
as things begin to become complex.
Challenge us, as we contemplate Jesus’ actions,
to think about our own complacency
and lack of thought
for the repercussions of our own actions.
Disturb us, with a righteous anger,
at injustice carried out in our names.
Motivate us to do better with our own decision making.
Forgive us for our failings.
In the name of Jesus,
Amen.
Blessing:
May we find courage in God,
the truth in Jesus,
the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
starting with one small step forward,
sharing God’s heart of justice and righteousness.