The prophet Ezekiel envisioned a future in which God himself would shepherd the people with fairness and justice. The leaders of ancient Israelite society had not practiced fairness and justice (Ezekiel 34:1-4, 11-12, 20-22).  It was a society in which the strong and influential forgot that the advocate for the poor, the weak,  and the vulnerable was none other than God!  Maybe it is not unlike our society!

Likewise, Jesus notes (Matthew 25:31-46) that fates are determined by “how we treat the ‘least of these.’”  God judges us not only for the wrong we have done but also for what we have failed to do.  This is not the things beyond our ability to do, but the things within our ability, that we have failed to do.  We are judged as individuals and as a nation by how we have treated the poor, the weak, and the vulnerable.  God has entrusted us with treasures so that through our actions the world can get a glimpse of God’s kingdom of care and love.

In ancient Israel, the proper worship of Yahweh entailed the fair and just treatment of everyone in society, especially the most vulnerable. The failure of the ancient Israelites led Zephaniah to call the day of the Lord a day of darkness and gloom (Zephaniah 1:7-18). Lest we become arrogant, think of our society’s reliance upon wealth over faithfulness.

As the sons and daughters of the light, we prepare ourselves for the day of the Lord by how we treat others and order society. May we bring brightness to the darkness around us (1 Thessalonians 5:1-11). In the midst of darkness and gloom, may we be the light that leads us to turn to our neighbors in kindness and fairness.