pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au

What does faith look like? How does faith connect to power and wealth? What part do we play as we seek to trust in God? These are some of the questions that are evoked by the Lectionary readings for this week. They challenge our alliances, our use of our resources, our care for the most vulnerable in our world, and the extent to which we are willing to “gamble” all on God’s Reign. May we discover  a deep, practical, generous, and compassionate trust in God as we worship this week.

READINGS:
Ruth 3:1-5, 4:13-17: Naomi instructs Ruth to approach Boaz, which she does. Boaz takes Ruth to be his wife, and she bears a son called Obed – David’s grandfather.
OR 1 Kings 17:8-16: God instructs Elijah to go and stay with a widow from Zarepath and her son. When he asks her for food, she says she only has a little oil and flour, which she and her son will eat before they die. Elijah assures her that, if she makes him a small loaf first, the oil and flour will not run out. She does what he asks, and their food does not run out.

Psalm 127: A psalm celebrating God’s protection and provision, and the gift of children.
Or Psalm 146: A psalm encouraging praise and trust in God’s care, justice, and rule, and warning against trust in human leadership.

Hebrews 9:24-28: Christ entered into heaven, offering himself once as the sacrifice for human sin. Then, he will appear a second time to save those who wait for him.

Mark 12:38-44: Jesus warns against the legal experts who seek honour, and who cheat poor widows and show off with long prayers. Then he comments on a poor widow who places a small offering in the collection box, saying that she has put in more than anyone else, because she has given out of her poverty.
(Summaries by John van de Laar, Sacredise)

One of the ‘Five Marks of Mission’ includes the commitment to Christian mission, “To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” Care for the environment continues to be a core part of what it means to be a Christian. As we approach the COP26 international climate summit being held in Glasgow in November 2021 the following may guide congregations, ministers and worship leaders:

• The urgency and gravity of the situation, as highlighted by the recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which was described as a ‘code red for humanity‘, and the acknowledgement that the climate and biodiversity crisis not only represent a failure of our stewardship of God’s creation but that the precipitous decline in global ecosystems threatens the wellbeing of billions of lives dependent upon them
• The role of faith, communal worship and prayer in helping to shape our attitudes and behaviours, including to continue to have hope even (or especially) when a situation is difficult, and in particular to have the chance to remember the situation of sisters and brothers all over the world suffering from the impact of global heating
• The practical decisions the Church has taken for itself, including to disinvest from fossil fuel companies and setting the church on a pathway to Net Zero carbon emissions by the year 2030
• The importance of decisions by governments from countries around the world to set more ambitious carbon reductions targets, for rich countries to be generous in the sharing of wealth to support poorer nations affected by loss and damage caused by the changing climate, and for an end to government subsidies and investment in fossil fuel businesses
• How to support young people within and beyond the Church to let their voices be heard

Suggestions for hymns around the theme of care for creation and COP26

Not much introduction is needed for this week’s Lectionary. It’s all about love for God and love for neighbour. Whether we explore this through Jesus’ conversation with the legal expert or through Ruth’s commitment to Naomi, the message remains the same: if we’re seeking life, we must go by the way of love. May our worship lead us deeper into love this week.

READINGS:
Ruth 1:1-18: Naomi, who had settled in Moab with her husband, returns to her homeland after her husband and sons die, leaving her with only her daughters-in-law. Though she instructs the two women to return to their parents’ homes, Ruth insists on staying with Naomi and returning with her to Israel.
OR Deuteronomy 6:1-9: In order to enjoy a long and prosperous life, Moses instructs the people of Israel to follow God’s laws faithfully. In particular, the great commandment to love God with heart, soul and strength must be taught and included in every facet of life.

Psalm 146: A psalm of praise celebrating God’s protection and provision for those who trust in God, the Creator and redeemer of all, and encouraging them not to place their trust in human leaders.
OR Psalm 119:1-8: Thanksgiving for the joy that God’s decrees bring, confession of weakness in following God’s ways, and a prayer for God’s help in being obedient.

Hebrews 9:11-14: Christ, the high priest entered God’s holy place with his own blood as a sacrifice for our deliverance, which is much more effective than the blood of bulls and goats.

Mark 12:28-34: When a legal expert asks Jesus what the greatest commandment is, Jesus replies that it is to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind and strength. Then he adds that the second is like it, and is to love one’s neighbour as oneself. The expert replies that Jesus has spoken well, and Jesus tells him that he not far from God’s Reign.
(Bible summaries by John van de Laar, Sacredise)
Continue reading →

https://www.un.org/en/observances/day-for-eradicating-poverty

The 2025 theme for the UN Day for the Eradication of Poverty is “Ending social and institutional maltreatment by ensuring respect and effective support for families living in poverty”. This overarching theme is part of the 2024-2025 umbrella theme “Ending social and institutional maltreatment” and focuses on changing systems to be less punitive and more supportive of families, recognizing that poverty is a systemic, not personal, failure. Read more here.

There are 836 million people in the world living in extreme poverty and almost half of those are children under 18. For these children and families, every day is a struggle to survive. The COVID-19 pandemic, the housing crisis and cost of living have resulted in reversing decades of progress in the fight against poverty and extreme poverty.

In 2025, an estimated 808 million people live in extreme poverty, which is approximately 1 in 10 people worldwide. This figure represents an increase from earlier estimates, largely due to an updated international poverty line of $3 per day, which reflects inflation and revisions in national poverty lines. The majority of the new extreme poor are found in South Asian and Sub-Saharan countries where poverty rates are already high. These ‘new poor’ will join the ranks of the 1.3+ billion people already living in multidimensional and persistent poverty who saw their pre-existing deprivations aggravated during the global pandemic.

Implementation of the 3rd Decade of the UN Elimination of Poverty strategy

October 16th is World Food Day proclaimed in 1979 by the Conference of the Food and Agriculture Organization (F.A.O.) of the United Nations, to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and strengthen solidarity in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition and poverty, as well as an understanding that everyone should have access healthy food regardless if you’re rich or poor.

#WorldFoodDay 2021 will be marked a second time while countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a time to look into the future we need to build together.

As a global community, we each have the power to change how our food is grown and distributed. We need everyone – from government officials who are in charge of policy-making decisions about land use or subsidies for farmers’ incomes; private companies that design products with ingredients sourced responsibly (and not just cheap fats); even individual consumers can make an impact by demanding corporations operate ethically! Together we can empower each and every element of our agri-food systems to collaborate more fairly, sustainably and inclusively from farm to table, and beyond.

World Food Day aims at transforming agri-food systems so that everyone will have access to enough, safe nutritious food without discrimination or oppression based on where they live.

World Food Waste (UN report)

2021 theme:  ‘Our Future is at Hand – Let’s Move Forward Together’. The theme highlights the learnings from the past year which have emphasised the need for collective action and universal hand hygiene.

Global Handwashing Day was founded by the Global Handwashing Partnership, a coalition of international stakeholders who work explicitly to promote handwashing with soap. The day is celebrated every year on October 15 with an aim to educate people that handwashing with soap is an easy, effective, and affordable way to prevent diseases and it saves lives.

The first Global Handwashing Day was held in 2008, when over 120 million children around the world washed their hands with soap in more than 70 countries. Since then, Global Handwashing Day has continued to grow. Global Handwashing Day is endorsed by governments, schools, international institutions, civil society organizations, NGOs, private companies, individuals, and more.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that hands are the main pathways of germ transmission and thus handwashing is the single most important measure to avoid the spread of infections and keep people healthy. According to UNICEF, the simple act of handwashing after going to the toilet or before eating can reduce the risk of children getting diarrhoea by more than 40%. In COVID-19 times, handwashing is likely to reduce the chances of COVID-19 infection by 36%.

Most of us have been washing our hands rather frequently in this COVID time. Washing our hands could be a personal reflection to remember our Baptism or it could be a time to pray over a situation in which we ask God for forgiveness. What may seem like a meaningless task can be turned into an intentional one. This could be a practice that not only cleans our hands but can open our hearts up to receive or give forgiveness through the Holy Spirit.

Colossians 3:13

The Bible says that only those with clean hands and a pure heart can stand in God’s holy place Psalm 24:4

https://fb.watch/8Eh0wmRpkD/

A 20 second prayer during handwashing
As I take up my hands
to wash them and
reassure my heart,
I pray for healing and wholeness
for the whole world.
I remember that every life
is unique and of infinite value:
from those living
on the most remote part of the globe
to those in our cities
to our neighbors and family members.
Let me use my hands for good
to help bring love
and compassion to others.
“Let us lift up our hearts and hands to the Eternal.” (Lam 3:41)