May 7 - Rachel Cries For Her Children

Rachel's Day is a Sunday set aside by the Women of the ELCA to focus on the needs of children all over the world. The intent is to lift up the plight of children who are starving, lacking health care or adequate housing, neglected or abused.

In the early 1990's, Bethel West Lutheran Church started Rachel's Day as an observance for it's members. By 1996, Rachel's Day had spread to the entire Metro Chicago Synod women's organization. Ultimately, the cause became a national emphasis.

The name, Rachel's Day, is taken from Jeremiah 31:15-17. Rachel of Old Testament fame was said to cry for her children (her descendants) who were suffering in exile.

The image of Rachel weeping for her children was taken over by the writer of Matthew to describe the grief experienced by mothers whose first born children were slain by Herod shortly after the birth of Jesus and the visit by the wisemen.

How well that image speaks for the mothers who must watch a child die of starvation in drought plagued Bengladesh, or kidnapped and forced to served in the militia in Darfur, or little girls mutilated in the Sudan or babies born with AIDS in Nigeria. Every sixty seconds twenty-three children die of malnutrition or preventable disease

Closer to home are the children whose bedtime lullaby is the sound of gunfire in the inner city of Chicago, or who are left to fend for themselves while parents are knocked out on dope in New York City or abused in Erie.

Let me say that again, the suffering of children knows no class, economic, educational, social, religious or geographic boundary.

When a celebrity takes up the plight of children forced to fight and kill in Darfur it becomes a cause and gets media attention. I discovered in researching information for this sermon though that this is happening all over Africa. Similarly, girls are mutilated in Asian as well as African countries.

And let's not fool ourselves, children go hungry, are at risk from criminal activity and are abused in Cambridge Springs, Edinboro and Venango. Children live in pain and terror in ghetto apartments, in backwoods shacks, in working class bungalows, in upscale condominiums and in country farmhouses.

We can push the “mute” button when a celebrity asks for financial support for “Save The Children” and we can insist that it's none of our business when we see signs of abuse on a neighbor child. But Rachel still weeps for her children and if we want to call ourselves Christians we must do our part to relieve suffering wherever we can.

The writer of 1John says it best, “How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's good and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses to help? Little children, let us love, not in word and speech, but in truth and action.”

It may seem like poor timing to be talking about our riches and how we should use them for others when gas prices are draining our pocketbooks and more jobs are being outsourced to other countries everyday. But, if these economic issues are threatening us, how much more are they affecting the poorer people of the world. Our streets still seem paved with gold to the Mexican family that can't find enough work to feed a family even one meal a day or the Indian village child whose parents can't buy medicine to treat diahrrea.

God expects us to show our Christian love, not just by saying what a shame it is that children must die in other countries from diseases our children don't even get anymore; but also by giving of our abundance to programs like Lutheran World Relief, CARE and Christian Children's Fund.

The needs seem overwhelming and what little we can give seems so tiny in comparison. But did you know that $300 can cover all the supplies needed for a year for an entire school in Peru. $8 a month can feed a child in India. Closer to home, we've all heard about the financial problems of the Erie City Mission that caused them to lose their utilities for a time and just about anyone can afford to buy one extra can of food each week to put in the basket out in the church entry. This is collected regularly for our local food pantries.

The action God would have us engage in is not limited to writing a check or leaving a can of food at church. We are also called to speak the truth in love. Our legislators and congressional leaders need to know that we want stiffer penalties for child abusers and others who hurt or neglect our most vulnerable sisters and brothers.

No child should grow up believing he or she is unloveable, stupid or ugly. In addition to offering or supporting programs in healthy parenting, we can individually befriend children around us. We can give warmth and caring especially to children we sense need a littleTLC. Every time we help a child experience love we help ease the flood of Rachel's tears.

You'll notice on the bookmarks in your bulletins two pictures. The top picture depicts a child in need of love. They represent children in various foreign countries and right here at home, children who are hungry, sick, abused and frightened.

The bottom picture shows Jesus caring for children. Our Gospel lesson tells of Jesus being the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. A good shepherd shows special care for the lambs – healing, protecting and guiding them.

Later in the book of John, when Jesus is about to return to His Father after the resurrection, He asks Peter, “Do you love me?” When Peter has respond three times with a “Yes, Lord.”, Jesus says, “Feed my lambs”. This command was given, not just to Peter, but to every person who has experienced Christ's love in life and who claims to love Jesus in return.

How will we feed Jesus' lambs? How will we reach out in love to children suffering in Asia, Africa, South America, around the US and in our own towns? What can we do to change the world so Rachel can stop weeping for her children? Amen