Astonishing

Now the Lord is about to lay waste the earth and make it desolate. And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the creditor, so with the debtor. – Isaiah 24:1-3, excerpts (NRSV)

Of all the miracles God has promised to work, this would be the most astonishing.

When the flood waters rise, the rich climb into their powerful vehicles and get to higher ground. The poor climb onto the roof, and hope.

When the fires destroy everything, the rich use their money, or their insurance, or their contacts, to rebuild. The poor move in with their relatives, if they’re lucky.

When the accident befalls, the rich go to the private clinic, the lengthy rehab, the plastic surgeon. The poor go to the ER, and then disability.

When the pandemic rages, the rich go to their vacation homes and order in. The poor go to their essential jobs and hope the kids are OK distance-learning at home.

When death comes, the rich have it all set so that the people they care about are taken care of. The poor inherit memories.

Bumps, shocks, reverses are part of every human life. But a pothole feels different in a late-model Escalade than it does in a 30-year-old Taurus. From a private jet, you don’t even know it’s there.

So I’m just saying that if God found some way to make both the rich and the poor experience some disaster equally, that would be truly astonishing.

Prayer
God, I’m not quite ready to say that it would be worth it to experience a tragedy big enough to experience this kind of equality. But I’m right on the edge. Help us find another way to achieve a miracle like this before it’s too late. Amen.

About the Author
Quinn G. Caldwell is Chaplain of the Protestant Cooperative Ministry at Cornell University. His most recent book is a series of daily reflections for Advent and Christmas called All I Really Want: Readings for a Modern Christmas. Learn more about it and find him on Facebook at Quinn G. Caldwell.