Tag Archives: Justice

Divided We Fail

Ordinary Times

January 19, 2023

Scripture Reading:

1 Corinthians 1:10-18

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? –1 Corinthians 1:10-13

I have lived through these battles on various church related issues. The most outrageous one I remember was when I was a child. The board of my church determined that the chairs at the communion table were getting rickety and needed to be replaced. A committee was appointed, and they chose to purchase upholstered chairs instead of strictly chairs made of wood and the fight began. Scriptures were exchanged supporting all sides opinions. Some families left the church over this incident. I must admit it was a great learning experience for me as a child teaching me an important lesson regarding the hard work needed to be one in Christ.

Our faith groups inability to find oneness spills over into our government. The greatest challenge in our world today is seeking the Common Good. I wonder sometimes if there is such a thing. I just heard a report on a news program that there is a crisis across the US regarding how to feed our public-school children. Public education is the foundation of any democracy. Everyone learns better when they are not hungry. Approximately 50% of public school students in Oklahoma are eligible for free lunch (2023) * They are not the problem. The problem is our poverty rate is so out of date that the families whose incomes exceed the levels used to determine eligibility for these programs cannot afford them. Why are we not including funding the feeding all the children in public school? They are our future, and we want them all to be the very best adults they can be.

The idols of greed, lust for power, and bigotry blind us to what is right, what is just regarding our faith experiences and our search for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we get so caught up in being right, we become wrong. Amen.

*https://www.publicschoolreview.com/free-lunch-stats/oklahoma

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.

Ending Oppression–Sharing Love

Ordinary Time

January 17, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:1-4
But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
   have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
   on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
   you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
   as with joy at the harvest,
   as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
   and the bar across their shoulders,
   the rod of their oppressor,
   you have broken as on the day of Midian.

I am reading the book Horse by Geraldine Brooks. It is very good, and I highly recommend it. It is the story of a champion horse and his trainer, a young slave in the pre-Civil War south, interspersed with the perspective of current-day scientists looking back on that time. The young slave was the son of a well-respected slave who was a valued horse trainer, eventually gaining his freedom. The son was groomed to follow his father’s career and learned well, but he was born into slavery and remained a slave as the story begins. He experienced the rod of the oppressor and learned well the behavior necessary to survive, but survival was not his goal; freedom was.

As I read the above scripture, this young man’s quest for freedom and wholeness sprung to mind. He found the light of God in many places. He learned to read from a preacher who taught him using the Bible as his textbook. Teaching a slave to read was against the law. He learned to look for the helpers as Mr. Rogers recommended and found them along the way. But most importantly, so far as I have read, he cared about others. His owner had a big bet against another man’s horse that was to conclude after two races. The young man’s horse won the first race leaving the older horse well behind. After the first race, the young man saw that the competitor’s horse could not make the second race and tried to warn against that horse running again. No one listened; the horse was forced to run again, was beaten again, and died in the night after the race.

One of the greatest challenges of forming the kingdom of God, the Beloved Community, is understanding that God’s love is not just for some but for all. When we experience that love, we must also share it without distinction.

Prayer: Lord, as you guide us from any oppression we may experience, enrich our lives to love without judgment. 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.

Grace and Peace

Ordinary Time

January 12, 2023

Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-9

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. –1 Corinthians 1:1-3

The Greek word, charis*, translated as grace, is preeminently used of the Lord’s favor – freely extended to give Himself away to people. Grace is a very appropriate greeting in a letter reminding the recipient of God’s loving presence and blessing. The Greek word, eiréné**, translated here as peace, describes a sense of wholeness—when all essential parts are joined together.

I must confess that definition of peace surprised this introvert who, on occasion, longs for time alone and considers that to be peaceful. I had to remind myself that much of my alone time is tied to trying to discern wholeness in our fragmented world***. As a retiree who now devotes by choice time to advocacy work, I identify more with the phrase peace, peace, when there is no peace, which is found in Jeremiah 6:14 as well as Jeremiah 8:11. and in Ezekiel 13:10 and 16. However, we all must remember that wholeness, when all essential parts are joined together, is the goal or should be the goal of all advocacy. The greatest challenge in advocacy when a perceived wrong is trying to be corrected, is that first we understand that God is the final authority regarding justice and righteousness, I do not get to define it. In most instances, the people who are supporting their version of the issue believe as deeply as I do that the justice and righteousness they desire is of God.

Getting into I can out-scripture you fights never work. What worked for Jesus was listening to the stories of the ones he was trying to help. Walking beside them and helping even his very human disciples to recognize righteousness in their interactions. Sometimes when we are working to make systemic changes with all its paperwork and give and take, we probably need to seek peace among those we are trying to serve. We might even want to take someone with us from the other side of the issue and try to understand why we see the situation and solutions so differently. Who knows we might find common grounds for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, help us understand ourselves as we try to understand others. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/5485.htm**https://biblehub.com/greek/1515.htm

***Taken from the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) identity statement, We are Disciples of Christ, a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. As part of the one Body of Christ, we welcome all to the Lord’s Table as God has welcomed us. – Disciples of Christ Identity Statement

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.

Aha! Moments

Epiphany

January 6, 2023

Scripture Reading: Acts 10:34-43
Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

The Aha! moments in life are awakenings to what was there all along, but we could not comprehend. I have not a clue what Jesus’s followers saw or heard or understood after his death and resurrection. It was even hard for them to explain. The image of the temple curtain being torn opening the Holy of Holies to everyone at the moment of Jesus’s death is a good example.

Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. –Matthew 27: 50-51

Paul’s Aha! Moment came on the road to Damascus. John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace who was active in the slave trading business, had his Aha! Moment in a storm at sea when his death seemed imminent. Most Christ-followers probably do not experience their Aha! Moments in events so dramatic movies are made about them. We have small, but meaningful Aha! Moments when our eyes are opened to injustices, and we finally have the guts to say what we experienced was not right and share our concerns with others correcting the actions in whatever way we could including asking our legislators or members of Congress to make it right.

I was involved in a survey of why people did not vote in Oklahoma. One of the results we received was “My polling place is in a church that does not allow people like me in their worship service. Thus, I do not feel welcomed in their building to vote.” I cried when I read that. My church provides voting space for two precincts and serves refreshments to people particularly when the lines are long. I pray that no one thinks they could not worship with us. My Aha! Moment came realizing I needed to work harder to make sure others know we are a welcoming community of faith but also working to assure that everyone knows they can vote by mail and how important voting by mail is.

Prayer: Thank you Lord, for providing us with those Aha! Moments that open our hearts and minds to serving you more nearly. 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.

Divine Approval

Christmastide

January 5, 2023

Scripture Reading: Acts 10:34-43
Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

We who call ourselves Christian do not own God; we are called to follow God and do so through the guidance of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. The first sentence in the above scripture delivers that message well. Anyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God. What is right is also not defined by us. Justice is not what feels good to us. The Greek word translated justice is dikaiosýnē  and means(“divine approval”) is the regular NT term used for righteousness (“God’s judicial approval”). 1343 /dikaiosýnē (“the approval of God”) refers to what is deemed right by the Lord (after His examination), i.e. what is approved in His eyes*.

The challenge is to discern what God’s divine approval is when we live in varying cultures that have established what is right in their judgment and passed it on to descendants who accept it as having divine approval. We must have the courage to hold our culturally driven values up to the test of God’s righteousness and reform our behaviors if we come to understand that our culture, at some point, missed the mark and still holds on to the systems that resulted. Slavery is an excellent example of that.  The first mention of slaves in the Bible is in Genesis 9:25. The fact that it existed in the culture of our ancestors in faith does not mean it had divine approval. Slavery was deemed a wise way to develop wealth. Thus, it was rendered acceptable by religious groups, and we still pay the price for being wrong in that discernment.

As we study the Bible in our quest to discover God’s divine approval, we must also become vigilant at identifying cultural realities of Biblical times that are reported in the scriptures but do not necessarily have divine approval.

Prayer: Lord, help us grow in understanding of your divine approval. Amen.

* https://biblehub.com/greek/1343.htm

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.

Judgment

Christmastide

January 2, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
   my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
   he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
   or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
   and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
   he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
   until he has established justice in the earth;
   and the coastlands wait for his teaching. –Isaiah 42:1-4

The word translated as justice in this scripture is the Hebrew word for judgment*. Justice is also used in English translations for doing the right thing or what is fair. Here we have this Servant, the One who is to come, being charged with the responsibility of rendering judgment, measuring whether God’s people, that is all of us, are doing the right thing and being fair.  John 5:22 tell us that Jesus Christ understood that rendering of ultimate judgment was one of his duties, not ours; The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son. I fear we devote more time to the role of judging rather than fulfilling the roles of doing the right thing or being fair. We are sometimes murky about understanding what is right and what is fair.

On November 13, 2022, the bodies of four white college students were found in Idaho. National news has followed the story since that time. On November 20, 2022, four Chinese nationals’ bodies were found on a marijuana farm in Oklahoma. I have never heard any reports regarding these murders on national news. I wondered what the difference was between these two stories. The police in both cases have pursued and captured suspects. Here, I want to focus on how We, the People, make justice judgments regularly that eventually impact how we pursue the Common Good in a democracy. Are white college students worth more than Chinese nationals, who were probably undocumented, perhaps here against their own will to do hard labor to produce marijuana on the ever expanding Chinese-owned and operated farms in Oklahoma? Do We, the People, drive the content of the news, or does the news define our civic understanding? How much does greed drive our judgments and, thus, our public policies? What is fair, what is right?

Prayer: Lord, guide us as you send us out like sheep into the midst of wolves; [to] be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16). Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/interlinear/isaiah/42-1.htm

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.

Loving the World’s Outcasts

Christmastide

December 31, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Matthew 25:31-46
‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’

This is probably one of the most ignored scriptures in the Bible, but it is Jesus’s final word to us in Matthew and may be the most important. I got very tired of people running for office who often begin and end their ad identifying as a Christian, but their ad was full of making fun of others and winning votes for their antics. Can you find one instance in the scriptures where Jesus ever made fun of anyone? He spent much of his time with the outcasts of his day, letting them know that God loves all the people God created.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we turn our back on your example to follow the world’s wisdom. Turn us around, recharge our love. 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.

New Things

Christmastide

December 30, 2022

Scripture Reading: Revelation 21:1-6a
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
‘See, the home of God is among mortals.
He will dwell with them;
they will be his peoples,
and God himself will be with them;
he will wipe every tear from their eyes.
Death will be no more;
mourning and crying and pain will be no more,
for the first things have passed away.’

And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life.

One of my favorite choruses is I Will Do a New Thing in You based on Isaiah 43:19:

I am about to do a new thing;
   now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
I will make a way in the wilderness
   and rivers in the desert.

The chorus makes it more personal, but it is also copyrighted, so I cannot share the words, but the title says what moves me and hopefully moves all of us to action. We need to do new things, most of which are as old as time. Loving your neighbor is first commanded in Lev. 19:18. Doing Justice is described in Micah 6:8. Matthew 25:31-46 spells out precisely how Christ will judge us individually and as a nation, remember for I was hungry and you gave me food… Living in a democracy, we do not have a monarch or dictator to blame for our failures to provide for the Common Good, the purpose of government. We, the people, select those who represent us and who are supposed to support our biding. Maybe the new thing Christ is trying to do with us wakes us up to our responsibilities in providing for the Common Good.

Prayer: Lord, help us see the new/old things you expect from us and give us the courage to do them. 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.

Fully Divine Fully Human

Christmas Eve

December 24, 2022

Scripture: John 1:1-14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.

He was in the world, and the world came into being through him; yet the world did not know him. He came to what was his own, and his own people did not accept him. But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

While I do think it is important to acknowledge that Jesus was fully human, I an glad that the book of John was written and including in the Bible following the birth stories because it brings us fully back the understanding that the one who came to dwell among us as God with Us was also truly divine. Using more abstract words like the Word and light, John confronts the mystery of One who supersedes anything we can even imagine while sharing the experiences of those who interacted with this Word, this light as we would any other human. God is not only with us, God knows how it feels to be human.

The book of Genesis tells us that God created each of us in God’s image. I think that means we are all fully capable of loving like God as was modeled by Jesus in his sojourn on earth. Throughout the Bible we see testimony of God’s desire for justice and mercy among all God’s creation. Just like all children, as children of God we sometimes stumble and miss the mark, but God’s love sustains us and will guide us into God’s light when we seek to restore our relationship with God striving to become fully the individuals and the people God created us to be.

Prayer: That you Lord, for dwelling among us and showing by your actions the way to fulfill our calling in building your beloved community. 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.

Giving Up

Advent

December 14, 2022

Scripture Reading: Psalm 80:1-7, 17-19

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
   you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
   before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
   and come to save us!
Restore us, O God;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved.

O Lord God of hosts,
   how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
You have fed them with the bread of tears,
   and given them tears to drink in full measure.
You make us the scorn of our neighbors;
   our enemies laugh among themselves.

Restore us, O God of hosts;
   let your face shine, that we may be saved. –Psalm 80:1-7

This was an interesting scripture to read after spending time trying to analyze the mid-term election results. Several non-partisan groups worked hard to encourage Oklahomans to vote. We did not tell them how to vote but to study issues and the candidates, make their own decisions, and vote. Yet we had fewer people turn out to vote in the 2022 mid-term elections than in 2018. Oklahoma has one of the lowest voter turnout rates in the United States. This sounds to me like people who have given up on themselves.

As I read the Psalm quoted above, it too sounds like a people who had given up on themselves. Perhaps they had given up on God. When I read something like this, I wonder if these people are aware of a wrongdoing for which they believe they are paying penitence. Or are they people caught in the wrongdoings of others and cannot understand what they have done to deserve their dilemma? Probably a little of both. For example, do the poor of the world choose to be poor, or is their poverty necessary to support the greed of others? It certainly was a question for the Israelites and their descendants. whether the oppressors were outside their group or inside. What Paul would later write about as the principalities and powers (King James translation).  

This same scripture, Ephesians 6:12, in the NRSV, describes it as

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

In this scripture, Paul invites us to struggle against the systemic patterns in our world that result in poverty and its many manifestations, among other negative outcomes. In a democracy, voting is a good place to start.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen us to stand up to the present darkness in our world so that everyone at least has enough. 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.