Tag Archives: Justice

Reciprocal Justice

Living In the Spirit

September 13, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 18:21-35

‘For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves. When he began the reckoning, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him; and, as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, and payment to be made. So the slave fell on his knees before him, saying, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him, the lord of that slave released him and forgave him the debt. But that same slave, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow-slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, “Pay what you owe.” Then his fellow-slave fell down and pleaded with him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” But he refused; then he went and threw him into prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow-slaves saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked slave! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. Should you not have had mercy on your fellow-slave, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger his lord handed him over to be tortured until he should pay his entire debt. So my heavenly Father will also do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother or sister from your heart.’ –Matthew 18:23-35

The servants were most likely fellow Israelites who had ventured into debt for some reason and had to work their way out. In the above instance, the one to whom they were bound no longer needed their services and wanted to recoup the remainder of the debt.

Within the history of the USA, we called the servants being described in this scripture indentured servants.The indenture was used routinely in the founding of the USA. My fifth Great Grandfather was indentured by his father at the age of 15 for seven years to a man to learn the trade of running a forge. I have a copy of the legal agreement. In return for working as an apprentice, he was to be taught to read, write, and cipher but was not paid. He completed the indenture and successfully worked on a forge until his old age. This was a voluntary indenture. Courts ordered involuntary indentures for repayment of debts and, in some instances, to work off time sentenced in prison for crimes committed.

Jesus uses this story to describe acts of mercy and the lack of reciprocal justice. Mercy was given by the first owner, allowing the servant more time to pay his debt. The servant was unwilling to treat the one who owed him money with mercy. Jesus also taught this lesson when he commanded us, ‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets. (Matthew 7:12)

Any type of bigotry in our world today is a lack of reciprocal justice, a failure to do to others as we would have them do to us. While such behavior may be accepted in society, it is not acceptable to God.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we do not reciprocate the justice to others that is grounded in your love for all your children. 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.

Justice Cries Out

Living in the Spirit

September 10, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 114

When Israel went out from Egypt,
   the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became God’s sanctuary,
   Israel his dominion.—Psalm 114:1-2

Who owns God? Which is God’s favorite sanctuary? Who follows God’s rules best? We, humans have a need to encapsulate God when God is boundless. Indeed, Judah did become God’s sanctuary and Israel God’s domain. But the God of love is boundless and inclusive, and no one or no group has sole ownership of God.

God’s grace is greater than anything we as humans alone can fulfill.  There is no magic formula that makes anyone or any specific group closer to God than another. God is fully capable of loving each person, and each group fully and completely. From the experience of our ancestors in faith, we learn that our reaction to God is not to prove that we are better following God’s rules or worshipping God. Our most excellent response is loving one another as we love God. When we love like God, chaos falls away, and order prevails.

We are living in the chaos of hate and division now. While it is not Christmas or even Advent, we might benefit from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s hymn I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Hymnals do not carry all its verses now, but it was written in 1863 during the Civil War shortly after Longfellow’s son enlisted in the Union Army. Here it is in its entirety

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
and wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And thought how, as the day had come,
The belfries of all Christendom
Had rolled along
The unbroken song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Till ringing, singing on its way,
The world revolved from night to day,
A voice, a chime,
A chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

Then from each black, accursed mouth
The cannon thundered in the South,
And with the sound
The carols drowned
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

It was as if an earthquake rent
The hearth-stones of a continent,
And made forlorn
The households born
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!

And in despair I bowed my head;
“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Prayer: Weave us together, Lord. Heal our divisiveness. Help us to turn hate into understanding and understanding into 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.

Self-righteous or Righteous

Living in the Spirit

September 9, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 103:(1-7), 8-13

The Lord works vindication
   and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
   his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
   slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
   nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
   nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
   so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
   so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
   so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him. –Psalm 103:9-13

I do not know how God works. My sense is God’s work is designed to deal with the issues of individuals within the much broader context of all people and how in consideration of all people, God can bring hope and love to each individual based on his or her unique needs. That is am exemplary leadership model.

God’s actions are further complicated because of God’s great desire that God’s people be free to choose how we respond to God and to one another. The Bible reports varied results based on our choices. We learned those stories as children. The Exodus of people being freed from slavery is an example of God’s response to oppression. Yet, it was not long before those same people God saved were demanding food in the wilderness wanting to go back to Egypt. When Moses did not return from the mountain soon enough, those people worshiped a golden calf. God may not be slow to anger, but we are quick to forget God’s works on our behalf.

We people of privilege need to carefully read the words The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed. As California burns, the south and east coast of the USA faces hurricanes, and the Midwest is assailed by freak storms. As these catastrophes are reported, some comment near the end of the stories often identifies the cause as climate change. We choose to ignore the problem while we stubbornly hold on to our desire to have our carbon and clean air too. Being unwilling to reduce our carbon footprint to curb climate change is harmful to both ourselves and our neighbors. I do not think God necessarily sends pestilence on us. Still, God knows it will happen if we do not love ourselves and one another in all aspects of life. That includes reducing our carbon footprint. We see the same attitude toward wearing masks to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

Prayer: Lord, forgive when we insert self-righteousness for your righteousness and justice. 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.

Doing Unto Others

Living in the Spirit

September 8, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Exodus 15:1b-11, 20-21

The enemy said, “I will pursue, I will overtake,
   I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
   I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.”
You blew with your wind, the sea covered them;
   they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
‘Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
   Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
   awesome in splendor, doing wonders?

Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dancing. And Miriam sang to them:

‘Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;

horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.’ –Exodus 15:9-11, 20-21

There was a leader of Egypt identified as Pharaoh, who observed the worth of a talented Israelite slave named Joseph. This Pharaoh removed Joseph from bondage and engaged him as a major official in Egypt’s governance. Joseph did such a good job that when famine struck his homeland, the Pharaoh allowed Joseph to bring his large family to live in prospering Egypt. Fast forward several generations when Joseph’s contributions were mostly forgotten, the Egyptians seeing the worth of Joseph’s people still considered to be aliens, enslaved them for profit’s sake. And then came Moses.

After confronting the current Pharaoh, and with the power and might of God on his side, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt away from the pursuing Egyptian army across the Red Sea to safety. The Egyptian soldiers drowned in the waters from which God had saved the Israelites.

The Israelites’ response in our scripture today is complex, a mixture of acknowledging the work of God in their salvation and celebration of the destruction of their Egyptian enemy. Can we put ourselves in those Israelite’s place? Emotionally exhausted, hearts pounding, checking to make sure all family members are present and safe, I think we all can identify with praising God for being saved from slavery. I cannot tell you how I would have reacted to watching the Egyptians being washed away. I most likely would have been horrified at first, but after that initial response, would I have celebrated their deaths?

We are called to a higher standard in Luke 6:27-31, Jesus says, ‘But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

Perhaps the lesson from the Exodus story starts at its beginning when a Pharaoh observed the worth of a talented Israelite slave and engaged him as a significant official in Egypt’s governance. When we do to others as we would have them do to us, the whole world is blessed.

Prayer: Lord, enable our doing unto others as we would have others do to us. 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.

God’s Interventions

Living in the Spirit

September 7, 2020

Scripture Reading: Exodus 14:19-31

The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided. The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. At the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and cloud looked down upon the Egyptian army, and threw the Egyptian army into panic. He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, ‘Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.’ –Exodus 14:19-25

I lean toward the idea that God works through normal channels of our lives to effect changes needed to bring about God’s vision of our world. God has planted new insights in my thought patterns, opened my eyes to see a challenge differently, led me to speak when I was hesitant, and told me to keep my mouth shut when I should not intervene.  I also am aware of events for which I have no logical explanation except the intervention of God. The Battle of Dunkirk falls in that category as does the exodus from Egypt described in this scripture. I remember watching the scene as a child in the movie The Ten Commandments with wonder, and I have read theological studies trying to explain it away.

God created our world to be interdependent with sufficient resources for all. Thus, any time we break away from supporting that divine plan, we invite folly. Much of our weird and dangerous weather right now results from our failure to care for the earth resulting in climate change.  The Ebola outbreak may have been related to the loss of rain forests. We may be hearing something similar about COVID-19 in a few years. We do know that the availability of the oxygen we breathe is being impacted by deforestation along the Amazon. One out of every five children in Oklahoma is identified as food insecure. Many people across the USA do not earn enough to pay for housing in the wealthiest nation on earth. God’s sufficiently-resourced world was created so that everyone could have enough, requiring us to love one another enough to make that happen.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, open our hearts and minds to loving you by caring for the world you created and all that is within it. 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.

Loving God by Loving Others

Living in the Spirit

September 5, 2020

Scripture Reading: Romans 13:8-14
Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet’; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone; the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

Paul assumes we owe a debt and that debt is owed to God. We are to love one another on God’s behalf. The best way we can show our love for God is to love one another. The commandments are just a list of examples that demonstrate what it means to love another. We in the USA are struggling mightily with this concept. Almost every news program I watch starts with reports on disasters, instances of violence, murders, possible police brutality, and political shenanigans. I am particularly dismayed watching people refusing to wear masks to prevent the spread of the COVID 19 virus because it restricts there Constitutional Rights. No one has the right to cause the death of another person through recklessness. I think reporters and anchors must get weary of reporting bad news. Most have started adding a human interest story showing that there is still goodness in our world.

We owe everything to God. When we love God deeply and ultimately, we are empowered to love all others even when we have been carefully taught that some do not deserve our love. Giving up preconceived notions about others is hard, particularly ideas that were past to us from people we cherish. Thinking someone else’s life is less important than our own is an affront to God in whose image we all were created.

I did not know my great great grandfather. From all reports, he was a good Christian gentleman. He also owned slaves, left them by name to his children in his will. Owning slaves was just the standard way to do business during the 1840s in the USA. That legacy remains with us today. We have to wonder what such “usual ways of doing business” are we passing on to the next generations that are not based on loving God and loving like Jesus. More importantly, what are we doing to change such behavior?

Prayer: God of Hope and Love, show us the ways we can love you better by loving each other better. 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.

God’s Ways or Cultural Norms?

Living in the Spirit

September 4, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 119:33-40

Teach me, O Lord, the way of your statutes,
   and I will observe it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law
   and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments,
   for I delight in it.
Turn my heart to your decrees,
   and not to selfish gain.
Turn my eyes from looking at vanities;
   give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise,
   which is for those who fear you.
Turn away the disgrace that I dread,
   for your ordinances are good.
See, I have longed for your precepts;
   in your righteousness give me life.

The Psalm above describes our encounters with God, the teacher, who guides us through our spiritual and ethical development, enabling us to discern what is just and righteous and what is not. Our first encounters with God are usually filtered through human teachers. Few people report burning bush or road to Damascus experiences. Parents and any other type of teacher understand that they have an awesome responsibility to train up a child in the right way and when old, they will not stray. (Proverbs 22:6)

We all carry some of the wisdom or folly from our ancestors. We all pass either, or more likely both to the next generations. Thus, continuously evaluating our understandings of what is just and what is right is necessary. We must seek a clearer understanding of cultural norms that drive justice today.

The idea of race as a defining trait of humans did not exist before the 16h century. Yet by 1619, slaves were being imported to and sold in the colonies that became the United States. Race was being used to de-humanize people to sustain a better economic outcome for the colonizers. The practice was adopted as a religious tenet without regard to scripture, which clearly indicated that all people were made in the image of God. The whole scientific finding of race has since been debunked, but we continue to scar our world with its design.

Prayer: God of Justice, Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. 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.

Sing a New Song

Living in the Spirit

September 3, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 149
Praise the Lord!
Sing to the Lord a new song,
   his praise in the assembly of the faithful.
Let Israel be glad in its Maker;
   let the children of Zion rejoice in their King.
Let them praise his name with dancing,
   making melody to him with tambourine and lyre.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people;
   he adorns the humble with victory.
Let the faithful exult in glory;
   let them sing for joy on their couches.
Let the high praises of God be in their throats
   and two-edged swords in their hands,
to execute vengeance on the nations
   and punishment on the peoples,
to bind their kings with fetters
   and their nobles with chains of iron,
to execute on them the judgement decreed.
   This is glory for all his faithful ones.
Praise the Lord!

I learned the chorus Sing to the Lord a New Song, many years ago, when I attended a Children’s Defense Fund retreat for advocates of faith. I loved that song and still do. What I am discovering is that we are challenged to sing a new song to the Lord continuously. As we grew in faith maturity and as the world changes all around us, we must sing new songs. Even ten years ago, I would never have envisioned sitting in my recliner with a laptop attending not just routine meetings but things like the Poor Peoples March on June 20 with 1.5 million of my best friends.

Any change evolves in chaos. We are now living in a time of multiple transformations:

  • Shedding white privilege and racism
  • Striving to develop a world where everyone has enough
  • Seeking peace and justice non-violently both locally and worldwide
  • Addressing the impacts of climate change

We often feel as if everything is spinning out of control. It is not. God is in control whenever we are working toward God’s vision of a world ruled by love. When we are in sync with God, we are continually spiraling up to a new plateau of attaining that vision. While we may take a Sabbath for a while, eventually, we will see that we are called to another new song until we reach that perfection Paul envisioned.

Prayer: Lord, grant us both the impatience that identifies the need for change and the patience to make change a reality. 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.

Do Not Let Hate Win

Living in the Spirit

August 29, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 16:21-28

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, ‘God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling-block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.’ –Matthew 16:21-23

When are our minds set on divine or human things? We had another police shooting of a black man—this time in Wisconsin. The black man survived but was shot seven times and is most likely paralyzed from the waist down. It was ironic to hear that he is handcuffed to his bed. I doubt he is going anywhere soon. Everybody involved is now trying to get their stories straight. The police had been called to a domestic violence report. The black man’s friends said he was trying to intervene in the dispute. Apparently, the authorities thought he was involved. They followed him as he returned to his car and then shot him seven times in the back as he attempted to enter the vehicle. I have seen the videos of the event several times, but nothing is clear. What is clear is it reflects a human construct, not divine.

Later in the hubbub, as the local white militia was gathering, a seventeen-year-old participant carrying an automatic rifle tangled with some adults trying to stop him from killing others, and he ended up killing two men. A woman tried to save one of the men shot. Afterword, in an interview with the press, she is quoted as saying, “I never run toward trouble, but it’s worth getting shot for somebody else*.” That is divine.

All of us need to transition from the human to the divine and stop being stumbling-blocks to others, especially youth who obviously are encouraged or allowed to get caught up in hate. Bigotry and killing must stop. None of us wants to live in a world where we are all afraid of the other. God created all people in God’s image. Jesus died on the cross because of “human things.” His death on the cross freed us from evils grip. Our call is to accept the gift of God’s love and let it empower us to love one another.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for being complacent and sometimes complicit in allowing hate to win. Amen.

*https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/26/jacob-blake-kenosha-police-protests/

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.

Doing the Word

Living in the Spirit

August 28, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Romans 12:9-21

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

We probably all should attach a copy of the above scripture to our bathroom mirror and read it each morning as our marching orders for the day. Our society seems to be spinning backward from these instructions. We often say the right things but do not mean them or live them. We celebrate evil, care only about ourselves and those who mirror our ways. If we are honest, we probably do not want to change anything unless it interferes with our comfort level.

Recently, I have been surprised several times by recognizing how privileged I am. My heat and air thermostat just went out, having exceeded its five-year warrantee by three years. I spent an evening of the temperature getting up to 80 degrees wondering why it was getting so hot when I discovered my thermostat was dead. I slept under a ceiling fan, called the heat and air service I use, and by 10:00 am the next morning had a new thermostat before my house had had time to take on the heat of a new day. I had funds in the bank to cover the cost. I did not have to decide between eating or a cool house. A local nonprofit announced a few weeks ago that they had a new stock of fans for particularly the elderly who, with no air conditioning, was subject to heatstroke.

We justify inequities in our system by denigrating people by the strangest of measures like the color of their skin or their gender or the type of work they do. I worked in a restaurant and nursing homes when I was in high school and college at minimum wage and even less when tips were supposed to make up the difference between what I was paid and the minimum wage. I enjoyed both jobs and probably learned more about dealing with people in these experiences than I did in any college course I took. You cannot tell me that people doing these types of work are lazy or do not know how to work. Even though I was young and healthy, I was exhausted by the end of the day, and I did not have to go home to care for a family.

Prayer: Lord, I am so weary of waking up to another instance of blatant bigotry. Make me and all your followers be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive ourselves*. Amen.

*See James 1:22

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.