Does God desire prayer over serving others?

I’m not going to be able to write much about this video… mostly because it makes me so incredibly angry.  It’s not because someone doesn’t like President Obama, and it’s  not because someone is to the right of me politically.   It’s because of the arrogant way that this person degrades the idea of serving others.

It is a response to President Obama’s call to Americans to serve others on 9/11 to honor those servants that gave of themselves 10 years ago.  The person who edited the video feels that this is a huge waste of time… maybe even anti-Christian.  He feels that we should simply come together and pray for our country and those who have lost lives.

I agree with the poster- this should be a time of prayer and remembrance.  However, the vitriol that he displays for serving your neighbor is downright sickening.  I wonder if this advocate for prayer is familiar with the Jesus of Scripture at all.  Has he read the Sermon on the Mount?  Has he read the prophets of old who warned Israel about the consequences of ignoring social justice issues in their nation?

By all means, pray.  Let us not pretend that prayer and religious trappings is what God desires above all.  I’ll leave you with these words of Christ from the ninth chapter of Matthew, and let you decide which is more desirable to God… religious motions or loving our neighbor.

Go and learn what this means, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.”