Tag Archives: Justice

Responding to Injustice

Living in the Spirit

August 24, 2020

Scripture Reading: Exodus 3:1-15

Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian; he led his flock beyond the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, ‘I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.’ When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ He said further, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. –Exodus 3:1-6

What calls us to commit? Moses had escaped Egypt after killing an Egyptian and wandered into the land of Midian. He found work, married, and seemed to be living what we might call a normal life. The plight of his people surely was still troubling his soul. People have been trying to explain the phenomenon of a burning bush, probably ever since the story began to be told. What happened was God lit aflame within Moses that he could not reject. He had to go back and do what he could to save his people from oppression.

We all face that decision when our eyes are opened, and we see injustice. As a society, we are very skilled in weaving injustice into the routines of life and often blame the oppressed for the problems that arise. The killing of George Floyd, which most of us witnessed on TV news, seems to have been a breaking point.

I have been struggling for some time with the question: Why must we think we are better than another to be a person of worth? Our society is grounded in that philosophy. I am in the process of reading the book Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, that explores that idea. Recognizing that the USA has its own caste system, she describes what caste is and compares our system to the system in India and the system Hitler unleashed on Germany. It is eerie how they match.

Evil divides, God unites. As children of God, we are all called to be uniters, too.

Prayer: Lord, open our hearts to receiving your love as all we need to establish our worth. Help us to love others as you love 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.

God’s Vision

Living in the Spirit

August 19, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 124
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side
   —let Israel now say—
if it had not been the Lord who was on our side,
   when our enemies attacked us,
then they would have swallowed us up alive,
   when their anger was kindled against us;
then the flood would have swept us away,
   the torrent would have gone over us;
then over us would have gone
   the raging waters.

Blessed be the Lord,
   who has not given us
   as prey to their teeth.
We have escaped like a bird
   from the snare of the fowlers;
the snare is broken,
   and we have escaped.

Our help is in the name of the Lord,
   who made heaven and earth.

God created the world and all that is in it and saw that it was good—good for our wellbeing. God prepared a place for us as parents create a nursery for an expected child. Humans were the last of God’s creations. Made in God’s image, we are tasked with caring for and using these resources wisely.

We are not provided information regarding the calamity from which God saved Israel. The New Interpreter’s Study Bible suggests that it might have been the attacks on Nehemiah and those who were trying to rebuild the Temple walls after their return from Babylon. The floods become a metaphor for the residents of the area who were angry about this intrusion in their lives. Of course, many stories could have been followed by this poem, even in our world today.

One of the things we miss when reading thanksgiving for God’s intervention is that the people involved were called to do a lot of work and face a lot of danger as a part of God’s salvation. The word help is critical. God expects us to utilize the resources provided and build a better world. When we are in sync with God’s vision of the possible, we are assured that the Lord helps us every step of the way.

Prayer: God of Mercy and Justice, we face a life-threatening virus, destructive storms, fires, and rampant racism in a divided nation that cannot find common ground for the Common Good. Forgive us for being overcome by gods of greed and lust for power. Help us find our way back to you. 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.

The Rock From which we are Carved

Living in the Spirit

August 18, 2020

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 51:1-6

Listen to me, you that pursue righteousness,
   you that seek the Lord.
Look to the rock from which you were hewn,
   and to the quarry from which you were dug.
Look to Abraham your father
   and to Sarah who bore you;
for he was but one when I called him,
   but I blessed him and made him many.
For the Lord will comfort Zion;
   he will comfort all her waste places,
and will make her wilderness like Eden,
   her desert like the garden of the Lord;
joy and gladness will be found in her,
   thanksgiving and the voice of song. –Isaiah 51:1-3

Michelangelo was a 26-year-old artist challenged to create a statue of the youth David from a massive piece of mediocre marble*. It had been tossed on the trash heap of discarded stones the worth of which others had not recognized. The artist decided not to depict David after he had defeated Goliath, but as he might have appeared before entering the field of battle. David holds the stone he chose to hurl near his shoulder in preparation. Not much was expected of the rock and not much was probably expected of David. He was the youngest son, the shepherd boy, known for his musical talents. He became the greatest king in Israel’s history.

In our scripture today, Isaiah is calling each of us to look to the Rock from which we were hewn as we pursue righteousness. What gifts have we received from our heritage and our life experience? Do we simply see them as a pile of worthless rocks, or can we envision the image of God imprinted into each of us at our creation?

We live in a world where what is right and what is just has lost definition. Righteousness lies in the junk pile of stones tossed aside as counter to our cultural values. Justice is measured in dollars, not what is right and good for all God’s children. We are better than that. We are the creation of the living God who breathed the breath of life in us and planted the seeds of God’s love in every fiber of our being. The time has come for us to draw out our ability to love, and with God’s help, be a part of the re-creation of a righteous and just society.

Prayer: Lord, today, help me to see your image in myself so that in days to come, I can see your image in all your children as I work for a just and righteous world. Amen.

*https://www.britannica.com/story/how-a-rejected-block-of-marble-became-the-worlds-most-famous-statue

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.

Systemic Injustice

Living in the Spirit

August 17, 2020

Scripture Reading: Exodus 1:8-2:10

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, ‘Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.’

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him for three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. ‘This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,’ she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?’ Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Yes.’ So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, ‘Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.’ So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses, ‘because’, she said, ‘I drew him out of the water.’ –Exodus 1:22-2:10

Women held higher status in Egypt in antiquity than was true among most of its neighbors. Six women served as Pharaoh or queen. In some instances, they ruled as regents for minor sons who inherited the throne, but in other cases like Cleopatra, they claimed their rule. Thus, the daughter of Pharaoh probably had the authority to adopt a child from among the slaves. I have always thought that the Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses’s mother, and his sister all knew precisely what was going on as they played out this scene. When the Pharaoh’s daughter saw the child in the basket, she knew he was Hebrew. She probably also knew that Moses’s mother became his wet nurse. The story never mentions whether Pharaoh’s daughter had other children. She had the desire to save one child. I wonder whether she attempted to save the others.

We see this same thing happen in our times. A very sick and appealing child appears on the evening news in need of some expensive health care. The public works diligently to make sure the child gets the attention needed without regard to the thousands of children just like this child who required the same treatment. I am glad the one child received appropriate care. I wish all such children received the justice they deserved. I guess the adult Moses felt the same way as he led the Israelites out of Egypt, out of slavery. Perhaps his Hebrew mother planted the seed of righteousness in his heart. Perhaps his adopted mother enabled him to do what she could not. I guess we will never know.

What we do know is that we are all called to do justice. Oppression of many types awaits our attention throughout our world.

Prayer: Lord, help us see and care for the oppressed one before us, and to end the systemic oppression that caused the problem in the first place. 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.

Developing and Sustaining God’s Rule

Living in the Spirit

August 15, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Matthew 15:10-20

Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, ‘Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.’ Then the disciples approached and said to him, ‘Do you know that the Pharisees took offence when they heard what you said?’ He answered, ‘Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Explain this parable to us.’ Then he said, ‘Are you also still without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach, and goes out into the sewer? But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.’

I am already tired of campaign ads, and it is going to get worse. During the last election, I started hitting the TV mute button every time any ad played that was not publicly approved by the candidate or party it was supporting or did not indicate who was paying for the announcement. I also generally do not listen to anything that is only critical of the opposing candidate. I do not care about one candidate’s opinion of the other. Manipulating people with hot button issues that will never be a significant part of the work required in the office being sought is also counterproductive to electing qualified officials. I care about the values and principles of the one running for office and what legislation, regulations, or solutions they will pursue to support their ideas regarding providing for the whole Common Good.

In the scripture above, Jesus is stressing the importance of what we say and how we say it in fostering the development of a kingdom ruled by love. Developing and sustaining such a world was and still is his prime directive. In a Christ-follower’s life, this principle exceeds all others. As citizens in a democracy, we are called to discern what candidate is best qualified to move our society toward a world ruled by wanting God’s best for all God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, guard our tongues as we venture through the thicket of politics this election year. Plant in our hearts the words to say or not to say. Help us study each candidate objectively as we discern how to vote. 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.

Singing a New Song

Living in the Spirit

August 14, 2020

Scripture Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 29-32

I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel? for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Just as you were once disobedient to God but have now received mercy because of their disobedience, so they have now been disobedient in order that, by the mercy shown to you, they too may now receive mercy. For God has imprisoned all in disobedience so that he may be merciful to all.

In her later years, my mother went to the early service at her church because it was the “traditional” service. She still said to me once that she liked the new songs, but she did wish that they would sing some of the old songs occasionally. I went to a memorial service at my church yesterday, where the congregation was led in singing The Little Brown Church in the Vale. It was one of my favorite songs as a child, and I doubt that I have heard it since my childhood. The song is more sentimental than theological. I googled it and discovered it had a verse I do not remember ever singing, and we did not sing that verse at the service, but I think it was meant to be consoling comfort for her family and friends.

There, close by the church in the valley
Lies one that I loved so well
She sleeps, sweetly sleeps, ‘neath the willow
Disturb not her rest in the vale

Progress in faith is as vital as it is in all aspects of life. We do need to work toward growing in wisdom and truth. Paul talks about maturing, like children. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, (1 Corinthians 3.2) Paul, in the scripture above, assures the descendants of Abraham that God has not rejected them. If we review all of chapter 11, we learn that Paul is making a case for the inclusion of Gentiles in the faith just as they are. Remember that Christ’s followers, during Paul’s ministry, were another sect of the Jewish religion. I cannot imagine the challenge of dealing with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus had on dedicated members of the Jewish faith, much less expecting them to accept people they basically considered unclean.

Who do we identify in our world today as unclean, although we would never use that word to describe them? How much of that do we justify by our faith? I, too, love to sing the old songs, but now is a time to learn a new song, of love and acceptance of all of God’s people.

O sing to the Lord a new song;
   sing to the Lord, all the earth. Psalm 96:1

Prayer: Lord, help us all lift every voice and sing* in support of justice and mercy for all as we grow in the wisdom and truth of your love. Amen.

*From Lift Every Voice and Sing by J. Rosamond Johnson anf James Johnson

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.

Inclusion

Living in the Spirit

August 11, 2020

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 56:1, 6-8
Thus says the Lord:   Maintain justice, and do what is right,
for soon my salvation will come,
   and my deliverance be revealed.

And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord,
   to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord,
   and to be his servants,
all who keep the sabbath, and do not profane it,
   and hold fast my covenant—
these I will bring to my holy mountain,
   and make them joyful in my house of prayer;
their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices
   will be accepted on my altar;
for my house shall be called a house of prayer
   for all peoples.
Thus says the Lord God,
   who gathers the outcasts of Israel,
I will gather others to them
   besides those already gathered.

The first two verses above remind me of the instructions my mother left us, three children, when she went to summer school to maintain her teaching credentials. Our dad farmed, and he was nearby most of the time. We each had our assigned tasks to complete on each day while she was in class. The Lord is instructing us that we are to maintain justice until his salvation comes.

Part of maintaining justice in Jesus’s words is to welcome the stranger (See Matthew 25). Do you think he derived that instruction from Isaiah’s words to include the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord. Curious, I checked statistics and found that approximately 88% of Latin Americans identify as Christian*.  In the USA, 65% of the population indicated they were Christians**. We perhaps need to learn something from our neighbors to the south.

While I do actively support the church being inclusive to all God’s children, one can also read this scripture instructing us to pray for all people wherever they might be.

Prayer: Lord, today, we particularly lift up the needs of the people of Beirut, Lebanon, who have been devastated by a massive explosion. We also pray that you open our hearts and minds to the needs of our sister and brothers in Christ, who are being held at our southern border that we can welcome them as you welcome them. Amen

*https://www.pewforum.org/2014/11/13/religion-in-latin-america/

**https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/

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.

Faithfulness and Righteousness

Living in the Spirit

August 6, 2020

Scripture Reading: Psalm 85:8-13

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
   for he will speak peace to his people,
   to his faithful, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
   that his glory may dwell in our land.

Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
   righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
   and righteousness will look down from the sky.
The Lord will give what is good,
   and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
   and will make a path for his steps.

This Psalmist longs to hear and see God among the people. God will be recognized when steadfast love and faithfulness meet and when righteousness and peace are joined. Love is the driving force of faithfulness* as righteousness** is of peace. These words we read are the Word we are to live. Our living the Word is the glory of God.

I think of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter as excellent examples of steadfast love and faithfulness. God calls us to love one another with that degree of fidelity. Faithfulness is not limited to marriage. We are called to love our neighbors as we love ourselves faithfully.

Righteousness equals justice, and justice does indeed lead to peace. We live in a time of fear and mistrust dealing with a pandemic amid acts of violence, both disproportionately impacting persons of color.

What do we think the world would be like if we genuinely wanted the absolute best for each person and all people? I saw a story on the news recently of a neighborhood that at one time was primarily populated with people of color. In recent years more and more white people have relocated there. Because of the recent shootings of black people, one of the black residents who once ran every day in the neighborhood became concerned for his safety. Upon establishing positive relationships among a growing group of white and black people, he was joined on his run by a diversity of his neighbors, turning love into faithfulness and righteousness into peace.

Prayer: Faithful and Righteous God, help us reflect your glory in our everyday lives. Amen.

*Faithful–true and constant in affection or allegiance see at https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/faithful

*Righteous– characterized by uprightness or justice see at https://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/righteous

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.

Idols of our Own Making

Living in the Spirit

August 4, 2020

Scripture Reading: Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28

The man said, ‘They have gone away, for I heard them say, “Let us go to Dothan.” ’ So Joseph went after his brothers, and found them at Dothan. They saw him from a distance, and before he came near to them, they conspired to kill him. They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer. Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits; then we shall say that a wild animal has devoured him, and we shall see what will become of his dreams.’ But when Reuben heard it, he delivered him out of their hands, saying, ‘Let us not take his life.’ Reuben said to them, ‘Shed no blood; throw him into this pit here in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him’—that he might rescue him out of their hand and restore him to his father. So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe, the long robe with sleeves that he wore; and they took him and threw him into a pit. The pit was empty; there was no water in it.

Then they sat down to eat; and looking up they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead, with their camels carrying gum, balm, and resin, on their way to carry it down to Egypt. Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers agreed. When some Midianite traders passed by, they drew Joseph up, lifting him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt. Genesis 37:17-28

Being born into a family results in having to deal with one another, whether we like each other, or we do not. Clearly, Joseph’s brothers were not fond of the one they saw as their father’s pet. Their reaction took them to the extreme, selling him into slavery. I guess that was better than killing him. I am a member of a family, have worked with troubled families, and have observed all manner of families as they interacted. My father’s family was a yours, mine, and our family as were most of the families in the time of Jacob. In that case, they had the same father but several different mothers. The thing about families is that their intrinsic connectedness can never be changed. We must learn to co-exist in love or face the consequences.

The Greek language has at least three descriptions of love: eros, which is erotic love, Philadelphia –sibling love (also the source word of philanthropy), and agape—divine love, which is Godlike love goodwill for all.  Agape love is what Jesus calls us to practices, which I believe is woven into every kind of love when we accept the ways of Christ. It requires us to invest ourselves in learning to love our spouses, siblings, and our neighbors as God loves us. That requires an investment of time and energy and self-examination, helping us to understand our relationships and ourselves better. Once we can love ourselves as God loves us, we can more easily learn to love others.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to love like you as we work to build a world ruled by your 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.

Being the Body of Christ

Living in the Spirit

August 2, 2020

Scripture Reading: Matthew 14:13-21
Now when Jesus heard this, he withdrew from there in a boat to a deserted place by himself. But when the crowds heard it, they followed him on foot from the towns. When he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them and cured their sick. When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, ‘This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves.’ Jesus said to them, ‘They need not go away; you give them something to eat.’ They replied, ‘We have nothing here but five loaves and two fish.’ And he said, ‘Bring them here to me.’ Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all ate and were filled; and they took up what was left over of the broken pieces, twelve baskets full. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.

What had Jesus just heard that resulted in his withdrawing in a boat to a deserted place by himself? He had just heard the horrible report of John the Baptist’s being beheaded. Apparently, Jesus never got to spend much time alone with God as, in this instance, the people followed him and were waiting on him when he went ashore. His response was to venture forth among them and cure the sick, followed by feeding all of them. There is a lesson in that for all of us.

We have a lot of craziness going on in our world today, people even senselessly being killed. While some people are dying of a virus, others are claiming their rights are being violated if they are required to wear a mask to protect themselves, or others, from getting the virus. Many are out of work, and our economy is in trouble. Yet our leaders cannot find common ground for the Common Good targeted at addressing the virus and its side effects.

The story of the feeding of the 5,000 is a story for our times. Amid great tragedy and personal sorrow, Jesus calmly in love went about the business of restoring health, feeding the hungry, and nurturing souls. We, the Body of Christ in the world today, are called to do the same in direct service and in advocacy for justice.

Prayer: God of Love strengthen our drooping hands and weak knees, show us the path toward our actions so our people and our land can be healed*. Amen.

*Derived from Hebrews 12:12-13.

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.