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“This is how you are to pray” (Matthew 6:8).
Isa 55:10-11; Matt 6:7-15
The central prayer said twice daily by all Jews is the Sh’ma, the recitation of the Great Commandment from Deuteronomy an.
He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Just as the Great Commandment requires us to actively love our neighbors, the Great Requirement commands us to further the cause of justice.
The first part of this requirement, “act justly,” obligates believers to take affirmative steps toward promoting justice. Like love, justice is more than merely the lack of injustice. Justice is substantive and active; it means we’re willing to give of ourselves for others. The political arena enables Christians to act justly in meaningful ways.
After 10 months of limited in-person gatherings or online programming, church congregants like the rest of society feel pandemic fatigue. We are hopeful that the availability of COVID-19 vaccines will allow our society and churches to return to normal. But a return to normalcy will take time.
Unfortunately, many of our Christian brothers and sisters living in low- and middle-income countries, where I have worked for more than 25 years to stop the spread of infectious diseases, will not receive vaccines until 2022 or later. In countries like the US where the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines began last December, experts predict it will be fall before vaccination coverage reaches 70–90 percent and herd immunity can hopefully be achieved. Only then can society begin to resume more normal activities. The next several months will be a transition period when vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals mingle in our communities, but it is not yet safe to return to normal life.
Ed Litton is the senior pastor of Redemption Church in Saraland, Ala. | Facebook/Redemption Church
The Southern Baptist Convention’s first and only black president, Fred Luter, has nominated Alabama Pastor Ed Litton to become the denomination’s next president, setting up a brewing ideological clash on race with prominent candidate and seminary head Albert Mohler.
“I have known Ed Litton for over 20 years. Our relationship started when we preached for each other as part of the SBC Racial Reconciliation Sunday during the month of February,” Luter told the Baptist Press.
“From there, our relationship developed to more than just colleagues to bring races together. We both shared the hope of drawing people closer to a relationship with Jesus Christ and then growing disciples for Christ. In both of our churches, our focus has been the same all of these years.