Scripture was from Luke 16
- Are you your brother's keeper? YES
- Kin: is traditionally a relationship imbued by blood or marriage, but can extend far beyond our cultural "norms" how we define it is generally up to us.
- The "keeping" part is not simple. requires balance between blind service and control/ownership.
- Is Jesus a communist/socialist? This was a rhetorical question... but we aren't sure he would be a capitalist. When he was asked, he said render unto Caesar what is his.... studied this last week with separation of church & state ideas.
- Idea that we should use Jesus and Matthew 25 to support a socialist agenda really fired some folks up. We didn't really discuss this in depth, but it stirred a lot of passion.
- Closing thoughts: Discernment regarding actions and benevolence are individual choices, and the accountability is ours alone. We should listen to the prophets and read the bible, then decide for ourselves.
1. The price for our failure, and our brothers' failure has already been paid by Jesus on the cross. Our obligation/imperative is simply to love our "kin" and be God's light in the world.. sharing his love.
2. It is not our obligation to right the wrongs, solve the problems, nor to judge the wicked. We are here to journey together and love one another through good and bad. Sometimes we can help. We should always want to help. How to help, is ultimately the question.
That is what " keepin kin" is all about in my "neck of the woods".
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