Beloved Community of Christ, do not just speak and sing of Zion. Live, love, and share as Zion: those who strive to be visibly one in Christ, among whom there are no poor or oppressed.
[Adapted from “Living God’s Economy: Easter, Abundance, and the Call to Economic Justice” by Carla Long, Mar/Apr 2026 Herald, pp. 10–13]
“God’s economy is ‘meant for this world,’ to be embodied here and now, challenging those who believe that abundance is a promise meant only for the sweet hereafter” (Money and Faith, edited by Michael Schut, p. 19).
The message of Easter is not solely about a hoped-for future, but a “new community” breaking forth in the present!
In Community of Christ, we understand this as Zion—a place where all people feel worth, where all community is considered sacred, where generosity, justice, and compassion are what we wear every day. A place where God’s vision is real and tactile. It is a place we sing about in the hymn “Let Justice Roll like a River,” where all oppression is washed away, and swords are beaten into plows. This abundant life is not light-years away, but here in this moment.
In Perth, Western Australia, a congregation asked how assets could best serve mission. Rather than waiting, it acted. Since 2007, congregants have leased church-owned property to a childcare center to fund social ministry. They also have operated a food pantry since 2011, providing free food hampers, clothing, and household items every Wednesday.
Each year the congregation provides $45,000 (AUD) to pay for food and a part-time coordinator, partnering with supermarkets and even a bakery to ensure the community is fed. Congregants offer Christmas lunches, children’s toys, and a morning tea that creates sacred community for people in public housing, those recovering from addictions, and the isolated. For the 40 to 80 people assisted each week, the abundance of God is not a distant promise—it is a warm meal and a bag of groceries in Perth.
As we celebrate the Resurrection, the empty tomb becomes a call to action. Economic justice is the practical application of the peace of Jesus Christ. When we follow the patterns of God’s economy—imagining abundance, expanding our household, prioritizing the powerless, and embodying the kingdom now—we participate in the kingdom-building process.
This Easter, may we view our resources, our neighbors, and our global family through the lens of the Risen Christ, who invites us all to an abundant table, where there is always enough when people embody God’s extravagant generosity.
Prayer Phrase
“See, I am making all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
Weaving a Life
Hold, or imagine yourself holding, a piece of patterned cloth. Examine it carefully. Notice overlapping threads, mingling colors that form the design. Write a journal entry or meditate about the threads and patterns of your life. What design do you see? How does the life pattern you are weaving create justice and wholeness in God’s world? What new pattern is God calling you to weave?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.