The inequality of our world has been highlighted yet again by the devastation in Burma, following the recent cyclone. I suspect that my house would have stood up to the cyclone with some confidence. But for hundreds of thousands of people in the Irrawaddy Delta region of Burma their homes offered no protection. It reminds me of the time when I lived in a poor village in southern India. I worked in a development organization that worked amongst outcaste people and their homes were very rarely as substantial as a garden shed. Their homes were fine when the sun shone – indeed they were ideal. But when the wind or the rain came they offered no protection.

It’s so easy for us to live as if our experience of the world is the norm. It isn’t. Far more people live in poverty than in the relative wealth that we experience. We therefore have to face the hard questions as to how we should live our lives in such a world of profound inequality.

Giving to third world charities is good but, let’s be honest, it’s also easy. Most of the time (and I am certainly speaking for myself here) we give money that we can do without. So what is the answer? I am sure that it includes giving to third world and relief charities and I am delighted to see the magnificent response to disaster relief organizations. But it surely cannot end there.

The reason there is such poverty in the world is because the world is a fundamentally unjust place. International trading arrangements favour richer countries making them richer still. And the poorest countries of the world are often the countries that have least natural advantages and the greatest vulnerability to natural disasters.

There is a fundamental imbalance in the way that the world works and so it is vital that wealthy countries like ours show generosity in giving money and resources to poorer countries. I believe that our politicians have a genuine desire to do more, but we need to watch them carefully and keep up the pressure on them. The Jublilee 2000, Drop the Debt and Make Poverty History campaigns have been stunning examples of what can happen when Christians unite to put pressure, with others, on the government. But we need to do more.

Amos tells us why we need to do more. This passionate Old Testament prophet urged his hearers to seek the Lord. The people were living in luxury. They were religious people and were clearly very pleased with themselves. They were convinced that their wealth was a sign of God’s affirmation but Amos pointed out painfully to them that their wealth was built upon the exploitation of the poor. The only answer was for the people to seek the Lord and, in the same breath, to seek justice.

There have been times when the church has sought to do the impossible – by seeking the Lord and neglecting justice. This simply cannot be done. For God is a God of justice and calls all who worship him to seek justice with all their hearts. God knows no other language. His vision is for justice to “roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.”