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Good morning.  It has been said that:  ‘The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.’

I think that those words might describe the life of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, American social activist and campaigner, who died on this day in 1902.  Married and the mother of seven children, Stanton was a fierce supporter of women’s rights, particularly the claim to education. In 1848, she gave a speech which called for a new world order in which all people would know freedom, justice and equality.

As I think of her pursuit for fairness, I am reminded of words from the Book of Isaiah which say: Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

The words are a reminder to me that we are to stand for the rights of those who often have no way of speaking up for themselves, regardless of race, creed, or gender. Fortunately there are people even today who are doing just that.

Not long ago I read an autobiography entitled I am Malala.  It was the story of Malala Yousafzai  a young woman from Pakistan who was shot because she advocated female education.  She survived the attack, and as the youngest ever Nobel Prize winner, she continues to speak out for others. In a speech to the United Nations she called on world leaders to provide free education for every child in the world.  ‘Let us pick up our books and our pens’, she said. ‘They are our most powerful weapons. One child, one teacher, one book and pen can change the world.’

Lord, Increase our desire to make a difference in our communities as we work for justice, freedom and equality for all.  Amen.