Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Proverbs 31:8-9
This world is full of people who are in the margins of society, those who are “in a position of outer or lower limits of importance, influence, or power”. As I think about it, there almost seems to be more marginalized people in this world than those that are a part of the “in-crowd”. As I mentioned on Sunday, these are people with addictions, suffering from mental health problems, disabilities, the elderly, the poor, the unborn, racial minorities, immigrants, those with criminal records, etc. Some of these categories of marginalized people can be attributed to a person’s decisions, but more often than not, their circumstances are out of their control…but they are not out of God’s sovereign Hand and control. So if we believe…
- God is Sovereign – He is in full control and authority
- Each Person Has Value – They were created in the image of God
- God Has a Purpose for Everything – There are no accidents
Then each person who is marginalized by society is not of lesser importance or an outcast to God. Jesus was called a friend of sinners. He did not hang out with the social elite or those in power, unless they came to Jesus to try and undermine His ministry. In fact, Jesus came to tear down the dividing walls and UNITE all people to Himself. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
We should do 2 things…
- Pray: For the marginalized in this world. God has a heart for them, and in Luke 18:1-8 Jesus tells us the Father answers those prayers.
- Reflect: Does the Church marginalize people? Do I marginalize people? Do I insist a person fit into the “box” of how a person should talk, look, behave, etc. If they don’t fit the box, do I deem them (perhaps subconsciously) as a person of lower importance?
