The following Bible passage, reflection, prayer and action are taken from Surefish's Daily Readings, which can be found here

Arise! Shine!

The righteous judge

Something to read

He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist, and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
Isaiah 11:3b-5 (NRSV)

Something to think about

Isaiah tells us more about the Messiah, the one he anticipated being anointed as leader of the Jewish people. He focusses not on the identity of the ruler, but on the quality of life he would bring to his people - stability, uncorrupted judgments, decisions which would improve the conditions of poor people. He was not going to achieve this by military power or by wealth - it would be the sheer goodness of what he said (‘the breath of his lips’) that would achieve it. Surely it is no surprise that many who met Jesus were convinced that he was the one. These words describe him unmistakably.

This description of leadership is a profound challenge to the women and men who lead the world today. It is in support of these standards of integrity, compassion and commitment to the most vulnerable in society that we should be praying, voting, campaigning, or perhaps even standing for election. But it is not only the leaders of government who are required to live by such standards; it is also the leaders of industry. Decisions which pamper to the logos that ‘eyes see’ or the music that ‘ears hear’, but do not give justice to the poor people whose labour creates the products that consumers want, are lamentably short of the standards God demands.

Something to do

Play a trivial game with a serious point. Quiz yourself or the rest of the team on how many of the world’s political leaders you can name. Can you name one from each continent? Two? Three? You can find answers to this quiz here. Can you go on to name any chief executives of huge transnational corporations, some of whom wield as much power as the leaders of countries in the game?

Something to pray

In a wordless prayer, come into God’s presence and picture the faces of world leaders who come to mind. Then see in your mind’s eye the names of countries whose leaders you cannot (but perhaps should be able to) identify. And lastly picture the logos and labels of corporations the leaders of which are faceless to millions of people whose lives are touched by them. God grant them righteousness and faithfulness.

Today in history

Today in 1563, the Council of Trent confirmed that Purgatory was still a going concern, whatever you might have heard from Protestants.

Mary Baker Eddy died today in 1910. She invented Christian Science in 1866. Having been plagued with illness (though not the actual plague) for years, she read the Bible in bed and suddenly realised how Jesus healed people, and tried it successfully on herself. She taught others how to do it: the physical universe is an illusion, so the way to be cured of diseases is to realise they don’t exist.

Image of the day

Aqos, Portia and Perpetual. Maize farmers in Ghana.
Christian Aid/Penny Tweedie

Advent Calendar: December 3

Manufacturing, marketing and shipping Christmas presents does make a big impact on your carefully nurtured carbon footprint. To soften the blow, you could buy ethical and Fairtrade Christmas presents this year – if you are anywhere near London today, visit the Fair Christmas Fayre, Oxford Street's first ethical Christmas marketplace.

Advent tip of the day:
Tree for less

Thinking about the environment and want to make the cash last? Why not buy a real tree with roots.

After Christmas you can re-plant it in your garden (remember to keep in the pot) and instead of buying a new tree next year you can just dig the old one up.

If you don’t have a garden why not buy your tree at the last minute, buy a few days before Christmas and it’ll cost you next to nothing. And if you’re really stuck you could always decorate your large plant instead.

Present Aid gift idea – a bicycle for £63

Present Aid – gifts that count. Remember getting a bike for Christmas? In countries like Malawi, cars are rare – give a gift of a bicycle to allow volunteer outreach workers to get to outlying villages and provide help in people’s homes or deliver medicines. If you want to hand over a gift on Christmas Day, add in a Christian Aid Calendar (or get one free if you spend over £40). Use the link to go to the Present Aid site and then search for the gift you want to give.

Amazon gift idea – The Christmas Book: A Treasury of Festive Facts

Everything you ever wanted to know about Christmas is in The Christmas Book: A Treasury of Festive Facts. Use the link to buy the gift and raise money for Christian Aid as well.

Eco gift idea – Moctezuma spiral dinner set

For someone who likes fine dining – this beautiful Moctezuma spiral dinner set is hand made from recycled glass. Use the link to buy the gift and raise money for Christian Aid as well.