Monday, April 6, 2009

The First are First, until the Last become First

Confession: I'm a current events junkie. Between Democracy Now, the NYTimes, Washington Post and WSJ, I spend at least an hour a day digesting the news. Perhaps it's the Political Scientist undergrad in me. I would love to ween myself off of this habit, but then I do get theological insights such as this...

In the NYTimes today, there is an article about Brain Power and drug doses that help a person forget certain memories.

On the same day, there is an article in the Washington Post that speaks of how the stress of poverty affects memory retention.

The Irony? The FIRST persons, the poor, who may benefit from drug treatment to either forget or better remember things, will be the LAST to ever receive these drugs. In our system, the first are those with money and access, and the last are those who are poor and unable to access the markets, the benefits of what "money can buy."

Thankfully, we believe in a God who subverts this system, flipping it on its head and saying that NO, the First will be Last and the Last will be First, in the Kingdom of our God (Matt 19:30, 20:16; Mark 10:31; Luke 13:30). Those who are most needy shall be clothed, nourished and sheltered FIRST.

. Let us work hand-and-hand to make this vision a reality.

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