We approach the season of rain in a dry social climate

Adversity comes upon a people as they become more interested in money to run systems and to gain personal prosperity than their interest in the lives of fellow citizens and their well being for the common good of all.

The Rev. Sieon Roberts, pastor of the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Gary, recently spoke to the annual Indiana Black Legislative Caucus and the Ecumenical Religious Leadership breakfast, which I attended in a hotel across from the State House in Indianapolis.

I was impressed by Roberts' passionate preaching to the more than 600 early risers present including many State Senators and Representatives. He used Deuteronomy 11:11-20 as his text which speaks to the ancient Israelites' rewards for obedience. In verses 13 and 14, God says, "If you will only heed my every commandment that I command you today - loving the Lord your God, and serving him with all your heart and with all your soul - then I will give the rain for your land in its season, the early rain and the later rain, and you will gather in your grain, your wine and your oil."

Roberts went on to point out that rain in the Hebrew Scriptures is the symbol of blessings from God. If one lives in a drier climate like Israel, this text even becomes more vivid. I remember well during one hot-dry summer that I lived in Texas, we went without rain for six weeks. Everything green turned brown. Leaves fell from trees. Lawns were burnt with dry heat. When the rains came, I stood out on my driveway and let the cool rain shower pour over me until I was soaking wet. I understood and felt the blessing and refreshment rain can bring.

Soon we will experience the spring rains here in Indiana, which mark the end of winter, the end of Lent and the beginning of the growing season. And, like the ancient Israelites, we will seek the early rain to nourish the soil and open the seeds, and the later rains to provide for the corn, soybeans and vegetables as they grow.

In a spiritual sense, the rain, that is the blessings, only come as we are obedient to God's words. I believe that to mean we need to be faithful to our call as we walk in the way of the Lord; we do no harm to anyone; and we live lifestyles loyal to God.

I found Roberts' words at a legislative breakfast refreshing for putting our call as Christians in juxtaposition with the actions of the General Assembly. I believe Christians, especially United Methodist Christians, need to be active in their government's voice. We are part and parcel of our own government by the degree we engage with the legislators in transforming our future as a people.

If we are obedient to God as citizens then we need to be involved in the everyday social issues of our state, including eliminating the use of tobacco, especially by teens, containing and reversing the expansion of legalized gambling, providing health care for lower-income Hoosiers who work, the divestment of state funds in Sudan to prevent that nation from terrorizing its indigenous populations of Darfurians, and proper care of children under state supervision to mention but a few pieces of legislation. All of these could be like rain to our state's culture.

God also warns us in Deuteronomy 11:16-17, "Take care, or you will be seduced into turning away, serving other gods and worshipping them, for then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you and God will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain."

Many of the publicized issues before the Indiana General Assembly and State Gaming Commission include the expansion of legalized gambling with slot machines at horse-race tracks (HB1835), the privatization of the state lottery (SB577), casinos expanding their operations, the divestment of funds to Sudan (HB1484) and a hike in tobacco taxes to discourage teens from using tobacco (HB1008).

These are some of the social issues that will be on the table for discussion when our Bishop Mike Coyner and other leaders of mainline denominations in Indiana meet March 26 with Governor Mitch Daniels. Their interest is for the common good of Indiana. They will be looking for rain on a different kind of Mission Monday to quench the thirst of souls.

Welcome:

We approach the season of rain in a dry social climate