Daily Reading: 16 September

(from www.christianaid.org.uk)

Wisdom cries out in the street. 

Something to read

Wisdom cries out in the street; in the squares she raises her voice. At the busiest corner she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks.

- Proverbs 1:20-21 from full reading Proverbs 1:20-33.

Something to think about

In this stirring passage from Proverbs, Wisdom is personified and she speaks with a female voice. She calls out her prophetic message; will people listen, or will they turn away?

Today, powerful male voices still get more attention than female voices. The wisdom of women, particularly women in the global South, is often ignored. How much wisdom do we miss when we fail to listen?

This Autumn, we stand together with our global neighbours in Nicaragua. Angela is one such woman who is bringing her wisdom to the cooperative set up by Christian Aid partner, Soppexcca.

Like others in her community she is experiencing the crisis of climate change. Her income from coffee growing has fallen drastically. Through the support of the cooperative she has moved from growing coffee to growing and selling cocoa.Angela's life has been transformed.

They are one of many examples of how community helps to overcome the chaos caused by crisis. 

Something to do

Angela's story features in this year's Autumn appeal. Find out how you can get involved.

Something to pray

Gracious God,
give us ears to listen
to the wisdom of those ignored by the world.
We thank you for the women we know
who have been a shining light in our lives.
We ask your blessing on Kasthuri and her friends,
and pray for the success of this year’s Harvest Appeal.
In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.

Today’s contribution was updated from an original contribution by Tim Burdon, Christian Aid’s Regional Coordinator for County Durham and Redcar and Cleveland at the time of writing.