Kingdom Building

November 19, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 23:1-6

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ –Jeremiah 23:5-6

Jeremiah projects a vision of a righteous branch stemming from the ancestry of David who shall execute justice and righteousness. Christ followers interpret this Branch as a description of Jesus.

Jeremiah equates justice with being safe. What does it mean to live in safety and how does that relate to justice? In our history much of justice was born from sacrifice and violence. As I write this today hundreds of Chinese justice protesters are barricaded in Hong Kong threatened with violent removal. The United States of American was formed in similar manner.

Children or spouses hiding from a drunken outburst of hurting anything in sight do not know either safety or justice. School children required to participate in shooter drills no longer know safety. Even governmental witness in Congressional hearings received veiled or not so veiled threats for their wellbeing.

When Jesus was nailed to the cross, he was way past even thinking about safety. Resigned might be the better descriptor. At that point his followers hope for justice including safety was being killed.

As a child I was taught that I could never be alone because God was always with me and we were safe in the arms of Jesus. The older I get the more I return to those concepts. I realize now that being called to do justice is a call to, at the least, step into the unknown and certainly may evoke dangerous responses from the oppressors of justice. Safety is part of Christ vision for all and it is worth working toward whatever the costs.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, guard us with your abiding love as we work for a just world. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.