Imago Dei, Healthcare, and What the Lord Requires of Us

This meditation was written by Reverend Jim Darby.

I was asked to write about how my faith compels me to be concerned for the health and well-being of my neighbors in Kansas. My first thought was, “What about my faith would not cause me to be so compelled?”. Where in my Holy Scripture or in Hebrew Scripture or in Islamic Scripture would there be anything against both caring for our neighbors and expanding the understanding of who our neighbors are?

“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8)

“For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place…” (Jeremiah 7:5–6)

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

“Simon, son of John, do you love me?” “Yes Lord. You know I love you.” “Tend my sheep.” (John 21:16)

“Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream!” (Amos 5:24)

On and on goes the scriptural testimony to personal faith and social justice. It’s not that there are pieces here and there. It’s all about the interrelationship of those two realities.

My faith also proclaims, both by scripture (Genesis 1:27) and tradition, that we are all Imago Dei: created in the image of God. We are, therefore, imprinted with sacred worth not by our action, status or merit, but by the gracious act of God. You are Imago Dei. I am Imago Dei. The despised man down the street is Imago Dei. The woman to whom no one listens is Imago Dei. The person unable to afford health care for themselves or their children is Imago Dei.

“Beloved, we love because God first loved us.” (1st John 4:19)

Does my faith compel me to be concerned for the health and well-being of my neighbors in Kansas? Yes. And your’s does too. Liberal or conservative, charismatic or quiet, rural or urban: In this context none of that matters.

We are all Imago Dei and we know what the Lord requires of us.

(Scripture references from The New Revised Standard Version of the Bible: Copyright 2003 by Abington Press)

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