God and Rambo - UMM Devotion 09.14.08

I try to see God in everything but I never thought I would see God in a Rambo movie!

Rambo movies are not the kind of movies I normally watch, too much blood and gore. However, this week I did watch the new Rambo movie on DVD. I had seen a behind the scenes special on the movie and that got me interested. Sylvester Stallone was talking about the situation in Burma, where the new movie is set. He chose the setting because he wanted to bring attention to the problems of Burma. Basically, the story is about a group of Christian aid workers getting captured and Rambo trying to rescue them.

The movie prompted me to do some of my own research. Burma has been ruled by a brutal and oppressive military government since 1962. The National League for Democracy won a landslide victory over the military government in 1990 but the was never allowed to take power. The Burmese people are going through an economic crisis and just buying food is a challenge for many. Add to that Cyclone Nargis which hit the country earlier this year. Some have estimated the number killed by the cyclone at over 100,000.

Just when you think things could not get worse, add a plague of rats. "The disaster, known in Burma as maudam, is caused by a cruel twist of nature. Once every 50 years or so the region's bamboo flowers, producing a fruit. The fruit attracts hordes of rats, which feed on its seeds. Some believe the rich nutrients in the seeds cause the rodents to multiply quickly, creating an infestation. After devouring the seeds, the rats turn on the villagers' crops, destroying rice and corn. In a country once known as the rice bowl of Asia, thousands of villagers are on the brink of starvation." (from The Guardian)

A very large number of the Burmese people are poor, abused, taken advantage of by their government, and struggling to survive. On the Rambo DVD commentary one person remarked, "The poor in the world, without justice, are but shadows." Nowhere is this more true than in Burma.

How do we respond to poverty and injustice in Burma and elsewhere? I think the scriptural commandments are clear.

Leviticus 23:22 When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the Lord your God.

Deuteronomy 15:11 Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, "Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land."

Psalms 41:1 Happy are those who consider the poor; the Lord delivers them in the day of trouble.

Proverbs 31:9 Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy.

Luke 14:13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.

It seems to me there is probably no work more Godly than caring for the poor, the exploited, and the abused. I am very proud of our local church and its food pantry ministry. Each year the food pantry provides food and financial assistance to hundreds of needy families in the county. I am also very proud of the United Methodist Church that works to feed the hungry around the world.

That being said, I have to examine how I can be more involved in poverty and social justice issues. The challenge for all of us to acknowledge the hunger and injustice in this world and acknowledge the abundance and freedom we have in our lives. Then, through prayer, study, and meditation, decide how we can can be part of the solution and minister to God's people.

For more information
Free Burma Rangers
US Campaign for Burma