Friday, December 26, 2003

"He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. Luke 1:51-53

Lisa Rahman is nineteen years old. She is a Disney sweatshop worker in Bangladesh. She works at the Shah Makhdum factory. Lisa was not allowed to speak to her co-workers. Her trips to the bathroom during her workday were timed. If she questioned her working conditions or her wages, she ran the risk of being fired or beaten. Yet Lisa did not let fear paralyze her. Lisa and her co-workers began to advocate for changes at her workplace. And they won.

In the summer of 2003, the United Methodist Women's Social Action Network invited United Methodist Women to write letters to Disney, Hasbro, Mattel and other toy manufacturers. These big corporations contract with companies in Bangladesh and elsewhere to produce the shirts, toys and games for the children in the U.S. to enjoy. Often the workers who make these products labor in unsafe conditions for very little money. The companies where Disney's products are manufactured employ many young women. Women like Lisa Rahman.

According to the National Labor Committee, for eight years young teenage women sewed Disney shirts and were forced to work 14-15 hours a day, seven days a week. They were paid just 5 cents for each $17.99 shirt they made. When the workers banded together to improve their working conditions, Disney responded by pulling their work from the factory. Improvements were made in the working conditions. United Methodist Women were encouraged to write to Disney, urging them to return to the factory and this time respect the rights of the workers.

Lisa Rahman is a modern day Mary. "He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. (Luke 1:52-53). Like Mary, Lisa knows that often for justice to be done, the rich must be sent away empty and the hungry must be filled with good things. Mary's song in Luke 1:47 and following magnifies God's greatness. It is a song of trust in our God who is an advocate of the powerless. Mary had trust in that kind of a God. Do we?

Who are the "Marys" of our day? Which poor, young, unknown women has God chosen today, to help bring the kingdom a bit closer? Who are the ones in our world today -- men and women -- who have the courage to trust in the God who sends the rich away empty and fills the hungry with good things?

These are the ones who are truly blessed.

Marianne Cotter

All contents copyright 2003 by the Wisconsin Chapter of the Methodist Federation for Social Action. Permission is granted to United Methodist congregations, individuals and groups to reproduce and distribute this devotional without charge. All other use requires the advance permission of the editor.