Tag Archives: Justice

Righteousness vs Self-righteousness

Lent

March 7, 2021

Scripture Reading:
John 2:13-22
The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money-changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, he drove all of them out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, ‘Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a market-place!’ His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’ The Jews then said to him, ‘What sign can you show us for doing this?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’ The Jews then said, ‘This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?’ But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

Indignation– typically intense deep-felt resentment or anger aroused by annoyance at or displeasure with or scorn over something that actually is or is felt to be unjust or unworthy or mean. *

Jesus was righteously indignant when he entered the temple area and found the money changers, practicing their form of greed on Holy ground. I am struck by the fact that Jesus was not immediately arrested and removed from the scene. There were temple guards, and even the Romans had no tolerance for anything that might get out of hand. Jesus was well enough known, perhaps even feared, that the response of the Jews was: give us a sign prove yourself. The sign he gave harkened to his death and resurrection, which was understood in retrospect, if ever.

The Jewish response suggests that they knew in their hearts that taking advantage of people buying animals to sacrifice was wrong. Greed steals in through crevices of self-righteousness. One of the most significant challenges people of faith face today, probably always, is differentiating between righteousness and self-righteousness.

We are living in a plague of self-righteousness in our world today, where the loss of privilege is deemed oppression. Jesus’ concern regarded God’s righteousness is always inclusive, not exclusive, ruled by love, not hate, and filled with hope, not despair.

Prayer: God of love help us distinguish between self-righteousness and righteousness. Guide us in realizing your justice throughout the world. Amen.

*https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/indignation

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.

God’s Wisdom and Discernment

Lent

March 4, 2021

Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 1:18-25
For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written,

‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,

   and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.’

Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, God decided, through the foolishness of our proclamation, to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks desire wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

In the above scripture Paul is most likely quoting from Isaiah 29:14
So I will again do
   amazing things with this people,
   shocking and amazing.
The wisdom of their wise shall perish,
   and the discernment of the discerning shall be hidden.

Both scriptures fit our times well. Some think that wisdom is whatever they say, and discernment is what we choose to discern these days. Such ideas are derived from a worldview that reflects privilege or a caste system where wisdom and understanding are allocated to a chosen few. I walk inside my house for a few minutes every hour. I read somewhere that such exercise is good for retirees. I was walking and listening to a news program recently when I stopped in my track to assure myself that I had heard what I thought I had heard. A politician was being interviewed regarding his desire to make voting more difficult. When he was asked why such restrictions as he was backing were needed, he said something to the effect that if it were easy for everyone to vote, his party would never win.

God’s foolishness embodies putting God’s righteousness/justice first, including loving God and loving our neighbor as we love ourselves. God’s wisdom understands that the world God created offers enough to meet all people’s needs when we practice God’s righteousness.

Prayer: God who is love, heal our souls so that we recognize and practice your wisdom and discernment in our lives.  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.

Seeing Clearly

Lent

March 3, 2021

Scripture Reading: Psalm 19

The law of the Lord is perfect,
   reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
   making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
   rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
   enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
   enduring forever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
   and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
   even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
   and drippings of the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is your servant warned;
   in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can detect their errors?
   Clear me from hidden faults.
Keep back your servant also from the insolent;
   do not let them have dominion over me.   and innocent of great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
   be acceptable to you,
   O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. –Psalm 19:7-14

I am nearsighted, farsighted and have a bad astigmatism. I have not seen anything clearly without the help of contacts or glasses at least since I was eleven years old and failed the eye test given at my school. When I read the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; I know those laws would not be enlightening to my eyes without the aid of my glasses. God’s commandments are made clear only when they are understood through the lens of God’s love for all people, including me. For me that corrective vision is provided through the life, death, resurrection, and ultimately example of Jesus.

Further down in this scripture we read the words Clear me from hidden faults. Many of our hidden faults are caused by following the worldview of our times rather than the wisdom and love of God.

Prayer: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you,   O Lord, my rock and my redeemer 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.

What is Sin?

Lent

March 2, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Exodus 20:1-17

Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

You shall not murder. 

You shall not commit adultery.

You shall not steal.

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. –Exodus 20:12-17

As I read through these, I thought our society ignores most of these, even those who take great pride in identifying us as a Christian nation. My sense is we may do our best at honoring our parents, but the other sins listed here seem to be passe’ in the USA. For example,

Approximately 245,000 deaths in the United States in the year 2000 were attributable to low levels of education, 176,000 to racial segregation, 162,000 to low social support, 133,000 to individual-level poverty, 119,000 to income inequality, and 39,000 to area-level poverty*. These data are for 2019 pre-COVID. I wonder how many of these deaths would have been avoided had we responded to Jesus’ call to feed and clothe the poor. Are we murderers for not addressing these issues?

Greed, envy, and lying are norms to some. Stealing is OK if you do not get caught, whether shoplifting a candy bar or cheating people on the stock market.

We tend to pick on actions as sins that do not remotely relate to anything we might do while we strongly condemn others for being involved in them.

During Lent we might want to take a hard look at these Ten Commandments and see where we are guilty directly or indirectly.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and eyes tote broadened meaning of these commandments. Forgive us from following our culture rather than yours. Guide us to your path.  Amen.

*https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/how-many-us-deaths-are-caused-poverty-lack-education-and-other-social-factors

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.

Putting God First

Lent

March 1, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Exodus 20:1-17

Then God spoke all these words:
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

You shall not make wrongful use of the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not acquit anyone who misuses his name.

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy….For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it. –Exodus 20:1-8, 11

The first part of the above scripture, we now call the Ten Commandments, deals with our relationship with God. It stresses there is only one God, and anything we put before God is an idol. I notice that I write a lot about idols, particularly greed and lust for power. We may revert to our Hebrew Bible training, where idols were often associated with little and big statues that people could stand before and worship. Today or idols are more abstract and perhaps more dangerous. Our quest for wealth and power is always fulfilled at the expense of others.

That leads us to the next commandment, not making wrongful use of the name of the Lord. As a child, I thought that meant we were not supposed to use God’s name as a swear word, which is still good advice. I was also raised reading the King James Version of the Bible that reads, Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain. I am not sure I understood what in vain meant. It is apparently a hard Hebrew word to translate. It means* not to use God’s name for a bad purpose. In our world today, God gets credited with many bad purposes that do not relate to God at all. The prosperity Gospel comes to mind.

The commandments about our relationship with God all boil down to maintaining a relationship with God. Taking the time to worship God, pray, meditate, serve others in God’s name, and love like God. The sabbath is a day dedicated to remembering our relationship with God, which continues into every minute of our lives.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we fail to keep our hearts and minds set on you, letting your ways guide our days. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7723.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.

Reading the Gospels Again for the First Time

Lent

February 27, 2021

Scripture Reading: Mark 8:31-38
Then he began to teach them that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, ‘Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

The Greek word, epaischunomai,translated above as being ashamed of, in this case, Jesus means, they misplaced their confidence or support (“believed the big lie”)* Reading that definition had a chilling impact on me. In preparing for a Bible study, I realized that the phrase, What would Jesus do? is no longer used much anymore. In our culture, catchphrases come and go. What would Jesus do?  has perhaps completed its cycle. I wonder if it lost its appeal because our society does not relate well to shaping our way of being after that of Jesus. Are people who call themselves Christians ashamed of Jesus who loves everyone, turns the other cheek, heals the sick, feeds the hungry, welcomes the stranger—a leader who teaches justice and mercy.

I love Marcus Borg’s book title, Reading the Bible Again For the First Time. (The book was good too). During this Lenten season, we might do well to read the gospels again for the first time and seek the characteristics of the One we are called to serve and emulate him in our service.

Prayer: Enable us to live in such a way that our lives reflect your love and that we never cause you to be ashamed of us. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/1870.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.

Faith’s Bottomline

Lent

February 26, 2021

Scripture Reading: Romans 4:13-25

Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. –Romans 4:18-25

The word reckon means to find the bottom line*. This scripture is saying that Abraham’s faith was the bottom line of his righteousness.  Doing right, doing justice is often measured by how well we obey laws or treat others equitably. Paul is challenging us to see the source of our actions. Our trust in God enables everything we are or do. Our faith defines who we are. The drawing of that bottom line occurred when God’s image was implanted in us at our creation. Thus, we came equipped with the ability to have faith. Abraham chose to live his faith. We must decide what is our bottom line, too.

Remembering this truth is essential when so many people feel lost in the mainstream of life.  I watched the videos of angry, even hate-filled people storm our nation’s Capital on January 6, wondering what happened to them to make them so lost in that chaos. How have we as Christ-followers failed our neighbors who feel disenfranchised? Are we storing God’s love in silos of worldviews that limit the spread of God’s Kingdom to all people? Have we lost our bottom line as we substitute worldly idols for faith in the one true living God? Have we lost our connection to righteousness and justice?

Now is the time to reclaim our source of righteousness and let it flow out of us to enable faith as a bottom line for all people.

Prayer: Christ, your death on the cross was the ultimate sign of your love for all people. Empower our faith through your love to reckon our righteousness.  Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/3049.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.

Justification

Lent

February 26, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Romans 4:13-25

Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become ‘the father of many nations’, according to what was said, ‘So numerous shall your descendants be.’ He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore his faith ‘was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now the words, ‘it was reckoned to him’, were written not for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be reckoned to us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification. –Romans 4:18-25

Have you ever had to justify some behavior? We all have, I am sure. I love the Family Circle cartoon with the little ghost character named Not Me. When I read the word justification, I consider it in terms of explaining myself. Paul uses justification in a reactive sense. Jesus died for our sins but was raised for our justification. Now, why would Jesus do that if our sins have been forgiven and no longer hang over our heads?

Jesus could have died on the cross for our sins, and they would have been forgiven, and he would still be dead. Think of the soldier who throws himself on a land mine to save his fellow soldiers. We may give him a metal and honor his grave on Memorial Day, but the sacrifice is permanent. Jesus was raised to empower us to continue his work, and justification is the means of recognizing our worth in carrying out such an incredible task. Such justification is an act of grace based on faith.

I am a basketball fan and love hearing the coach’s and players’ interviews after the game. If they lose, they express remorse and begin the conversation about what they need to do better. If they win, coaches and players alike say, we were just doing our jobs. Any player recognized for outstanding effort usually says something to the effect that their teammates made their success happen. Once we made Jesus’ team, we are expected to work hard, grow in spirit and truth, and practice quality teamwork with our fellow Christ-followers.

Prayer: God of Mercy, thank you for calling us to your service and justifying our right to serve you. Strengthen our faith for this journey. 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.

Advocacy

Lent

February 23, 2021

Scripture Reading:

Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless. And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will make you exceedingly numerous.’ Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, ‘As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.

God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall give rise to nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.’

Jesus talked about being brothers and sisters in his name, Mark 3:35, Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.’ My pursuit of genealogy has assured me that we are at least all cousins. Now, I know that families feud and can be as dysfunctional together as any group. I do not understand why we as humans seem to need to create hierarchies of worth among people. The story of creation attests to the idea that all people are made in the image of God. The story of Abraham describes the covenant God made through him to the nations of the world. Jesus calls all his followers to be one in him.

As an advocate volunteer, I tracked both federal and state legislation to keep citizens, particularly people of faith, informed on pending legislation. It would break your heart if you saw all the bills that are designed to discriminate against people. Many of those bills were requested by people who identify as Christian. You will not see the word “discriminate” in the bill’s language, but that is the essence of creating new law or changing existing law.  The LGBTQ population seems to be targeted this legislative session.

As Christ-followers, we need to invest time and energy in discerning what is of God and what is not as we strive to fulfill our civic duty. I do not know a single scripture where God indicated any group of people that we should not consider our neighbors and thus love them no matter what. Jesus was also clear that he was the ultimate judge of humans. None of us humans drew that assignment.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we fail to recognize that all your children are our siblings and deserve our loving concern and care. 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.

Having a Good Conscience

Lent

February 19, 2021

Scripture Reading:
1 Peter 3:18-22
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the Ark, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

People invest much time and energy in our outward appearance and behavior. How much do we deal with our inner being, body, and soul? In reviewing Adam Hamilton’s new book, The Walk, I discovered a postscript that deals with physical exercise. The book centers on spiritual disciplines, which are crucial to our spiritual wellbeing. Caring for our bodies is supportive of caring for our souls. I read the scripture used each day in these devotions to discern what I will write. My walking usually follows that reading. I am amazed at times at what insights come to me in those short walks. Fresh views of very familiar scriptures arise. Often, I gain insight into how these ancient words relate to issues of our times.

My goal is to take ten-thousand steps each day in ten-minute intervals each hour. I must switch some of those walks around because of a meeting or some other conflict. I miss those walks if they are interrupted. Our spiritual disciplines, too, can become primary parts of each day. Peter advises us to appeal to God for a good conscience. We do not talk much about having a conscience today, much less a good one. We must examine ourselves regularly to know whether we have a clear conscience or not and take whatever actions are necessary to maintain a good conscience. That can only be achieved by being in tune with God’s plan for what is right.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for sharing time with each of us so that we may have clear consciences as we do our part as workers in your Kingdom. 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.