February 2, 2025
Shay Nelson (they/them)
Nonprofit and Small Business Lawyer
Queer Christian
“This is the kind of fast day I’m after: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the workplace, free the oppressed, cancel debts. What I’m interested in seeing you do is: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the homeless poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families” (Isaiah 58:6-9, The Message Translation).
As we begin Black History Month, it is easy to pat ourselves on the back and say, “look how far we’ve come.” Mega stores set up their annual displays of t-shirts and trinkets. Social media influencers dust off their favorite (and least challenging) MLK quotes. But as Christians, we are called to do more than just put on a show for February. Here, Isaiah reminds us that there is more work to be done. One need only read the news to realize that the chains of injustice have yet to be broken. In our workplaces, the gap between the haves and the have nots is ever growing. Household debt is skyrocketing as more people than ever live paycheck to paycheck. In the richest nation on earth, people still go hungry and without shelter. Even in our own families, we can find relatives that need help, but family strife has made it difficult for us to offer that help. Yes, this is a month for celebrating progress, but it’s also a month for digging deeper and doing more. As long as we have breath in our lungs, our work is not yet finished.
Reflection and Action
This month, what can you do to make the world just a little bit better? A little freer? A little more hopeful?
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