“Little ones to Him belong.  They are weak but He is Strong”  (“Jesus Loves Me, by Anna Bartlett Warner”)

Then they came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”  But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them, and taking it in his arms he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.” (Mark 9: 33-37)

If any of you cause one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42)

Twitter this week has been a journey into the most evil parts of society.  Yes, I know that I can choose at anytime simply to not read it.  Honestly, though, I’m pretty compelled.  I’m horrified but I’m compelled.

You see, Twitter this week has been peppered with stories of Sean (Diddy) Coombs arrest for racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution. A judge denied him bail and he is currently in custody.  For those of you who don’t recognize this name, Sean (Diddy) is a an American rapper, record producer and record executive. He is credited with the discovery and cultivation of artists such as the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Usher.  He’s one of the ‘who’s who’ of the recording industry and has been famous (now infamous) for throwing lavish and extravagant multi-day parties for pretty much every celebrity in North America.  It turns out that these parties became muti-day trips to hell for many people, including adolescent children, because of the drug use and abuse, and the sexual assault and exploitation.

The thing is, though, that the evidence is showing that this all happened right in front of our eyes.  And no one did anything about it.

Many many celebrities have attended Coombs’s parties, apparently named ‘Freak Offs’; where sex trade workers were flown in and Coombs repeatedly physically, emotionally, and sexually abused women and others, then would assault or threaten to assault those who were witness to the abuse.  Many many celebrities have appeared to be willing participants in this whole evil; or if not willing participants then complicit with their tacit approval.

And people stayed silent.

These parties have gone on for years.  And people stayed silent.

Until finally, a former girlfriend of Coombs, bravely came forward and told her story.

The whole situation; the horrifying abuse, the drug use, the exploitation of people, the assaults, and then the terrifying silence, all speak to the state of our celebrity culture and the North American sanctification of wealth and privilege.  Sean Coombs did what he did, because he could.  Because we believe that ‘making it big’ is far better than caring for those who are vulnerable.  Because we have cut our teeth on power and privilege being the best parts of life; especially if it comes with mansions, record deals and well….stuff.

We stay silent as a society when people with wealth corrupt and abuse people that are deemed ‘the least of these’, right?  Women.  Children.  Sex Workers.  Drug Addicts.  None of these people are worthy of protection or care.  All that matters is wealth and accumulation.

I think that I’m most disturbed by the silence.  I’m most disturbed because, well, a lot of society stands by silently as our ‘little ones’ continue to be abused.

This same week, Doug Ford said in a press conference that all the unhoused people who were ‘able-bodied’ needed to get off their A** and get to work.  Yes.  Out loud.  At a press conference.  The most marginalized of our society; those who don’t even have a place to sleep at night are being blamed and harassed for circumstances that they didn’t choose.  We have declared people without housing our contemporary society’s lepers, and have cast them out of our villages.

The least of these.

And this week Israel bombed Lebanon.  The CBC reported yesterday that over 500 people have already been killed.  And Palestine continues to be under siege.  And Sudan.  And And And

And into all of this, we, as people of faith, are compelled by God to use our voices.  To speak up.  To say that all of this.  All of this marginalization and victimization of the most vulnerable of our society is not only wrong.

Its sin.

The wages of sin is death, and we are socially dying.  And its not o.k.

So my dear Bethel friends, lets use our voices to speak against this evil.  Our collective voice might be small, but I’ve got a couple o’ hundred followers of my blog so we can start there.  And we can stand up with our neighbours who are unhoused, or our children who are abused, or anyone that is living lives where they are victims of exploitation and violence in the name of materialism.

Because our Christian story calls us to Resurrection; Live beyond death.

Blessing today, and remember you are Loved,

~Rev. Lynne