There was a church in Germany that sat next to a railroad track that was being used to transport Jews to the Nazi death camps. The members of the church would gather each Sunday morning to worship. During their time of worship they began to notice the sounds of the wheels rolling along the railway. As they listened closer they realized that the sounds they were hearing were the pleas and cries of those who filled the railway cars.
At first they attempted to ignore the screams each Sunday morning but their consciences would not let them rest. The minister devised a plan. When they began to hear the cries, he would motion the organist to begin to play and they would sing as loudly as they could. They drowned out the cries of the oppressed with songs of praise to God.
Can you imagine? What hypocrisy? Who would do such a thing in the name of Jesus? I might. I might go to church and study the scripture and sing out my praise and ignore the cries of the lost and the broken that are just beyond the doors of the sanctuary. I might know that $35 dollars would feed, house, cloth, and educate a child for a month in a third world country and yet leave worship and go to a nice restaraunt and spend $50 dollars on myself and my family for one meal. I have.
"God, help me not to try to soothe my mind with more worship when I know that what you require is my obedience to your mission. Amen"
"The Lord has put his Spirit in me, because he appointed me to tell the Good News to the poor. He has sent me to tell the captives they are free and to tell the blind that they can see again. God sent me to free those who have been treated unfairly and to announce the time when the Lord will show his kindness." Luke 4.18,19
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