Tag Archives: Justice

Despising the Wicked

Epiphany

January 29, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Psalm 15
O Lord, who may abide in your tent?
   Who may dwell on your holy hill?

Those who walk blamelessly, and do what is right,
   and speak the truth from their heart;
who do not slander with their tongue,
   and do no evil to their friends,
   nor take up a reproach against their neighbors;
in whose eyes the wicked are despised,
   but who honor those who fear the Lord;
who stand by their oath even to their hurt;
who do not lend money at interest,
   and do not take a bribe against the innocent.

Those who do these things shall never be moved.

Psalm 15 continues the theme that the priority of God’s people who hold God in the highest esteem is to love our neighbors and to do what is right, which is the same Hebrew word as justice.

What does it mean in this scripture to despise the wicked? God commands us to love one another, and surely that includes those we deem wicked. Who are we to deem anyone wicked? Jesus got the assignment to judge others. (John 5:22)  Despise means to consider oneself better than another. How does considering oneself better than another help anything? I do not think the act of despising fits the definition of love.

Much of what we know about God’s presumed reaction to evil is filtered through the eyes of the reporter before we read it. For example, I cannot imagine the God that is love ordering all innocent people killed (See 1 Samuel 15:2-3) in a raid.  This I know, I do despise the behavior of certain people because I disapprove of their actions. I guess that means I think my way is indeed better than their way. One of the challenges of doing justice in our world today is to call attention to and try to dismantle the injustice practiced by others and do it while walking humbly with God. Rightness is not self-righteous. All of us called to do justice must do it in the framework of equality of all God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, hold me accountable for any behavior of mine that does not reflect your love even when I disagree and am working to change the behavior of another. 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 How

Epiphany

January 28, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Micah 6:1-8

‘With what shall I come before the Lord,
   and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings,
   with calves a year old?
Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
   with tens of thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression,
   the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?’
He has told you, O mortal, what is good;
   and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
   and to walk humbly with your God? –Micah 6:6-8

God’s priorities do not rest in our offerings, no matter how great, or our acts of repentance, even though we must face the consequences of our sins and seek forgiveness. These are included respectively in the prosperity gospel, which recognizes monetary wealth as a measure of our status with God, and the hellfire and damnation belief system bent on judging others. I often notice when religious groups identify sins, the behaviors they identify as the worst sins are often things related to others, not them.

Micah 6:8 is the seminal scripture for my life’s work as a child of God and a follower of Christ. Jesus provided the vision, the “what” elements when he commanded us to love God and love our neighbors as we love ourselves*.  Micah describes the “how.” I guess one could see that the other way around, but they are definitely interrelated.

God seems to be more concerned with how we treat one another than our personal salvation. Personal salvation is just the starting gate, not the finish line. That is a hard thing for those of us raised on massive doses of personal salvation to understand,. The finish line or more appropriately a new beginning is when God’s love is the norm for everyone throughout the earth.

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, instill in us the drive we need to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you. Amen.

*Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:30-31 derived from Deut. 6:4,5 and Lev. 19:18

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.

Plunder

Epiphany

January 21, 2020

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 must admit describing rejoicing as how people exult when dividing plunder would not have been my pick as a metaphor. It probably does describe well jumping with joy when unexpectedly gaining something desired or even needed. It does not deal with that something being taken is the spoils of war.

A lot of novels have been published recently about the World War II, I guess because its 75th anniversary was observd a few years ago. Plunder was practiced even to the extent of removing gold teeth fillings from those who died or were killed in consecration camps. There is a big difference between celebrating an abundant harvest resulting from a lot of hard work and positive weather and celebrating what can be taken from people either displaced or killed. How do we remove the rod of oppressors without becoming oppressors ourselves?

Prayer: God of Justice and Mercy, help us learn how to deal with oppressors in ways that protect all and refocus oppressive behavior toward positive work. 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.

Epiphany

January 13, 2020

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 49:1-7

Listen to me, O coastlands,
   pay attention, you peoples from far away!
The Lord called me before I was born,
   while I was in my mother’s womb he named me.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword,
   in the shadow of his hand he hid me;
he made me a polished arrow,
   in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, ‘You are my servant,
   Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’
But I said, ‘I have labored in vain,
   I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity;
yet surely my cause is with the Lord,
   and my reward with my God.’ –Isaiah 49:1-4

As a cradle Christian, that is one whose mother shared her faith from the child’s beginning, I can identify with this poem. As a want-to-be justice advocate I know exactly what this suffering servant is professing. Taking one step forward and two steps back to eventually make the slightest of progress can be washed away in one hurricane or earthquake or change in leadership. And we start over again.

I know what it is like when it seems we have labored in vain. I have been working on health care reform since Joseph Califano was Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare in the Carter Administration. Almost 50 years later we in the USA are still struggling to provide even basic health care to too many of our citizens.

We are called to do justice whenever righteousness is not in play and surely our cause is with the Lord, and our reward with our God.

Prayer: Lord, we do get weary, abide with us and sharpen our justice swords so we can continue to strive toward your 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.

Faith and Politics

Epiphany

January 10, 2020

Scripture Reading:
Acts 10:34-43

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.’ –Acts 39b-43

What happens after we are forgiven of our sins?

I split the above Scripture reading between yesterday and today in the middle of verse 39. It made sense when I did it but when I saw that choice resulted in the pronoun “They” as the start of the first sentence, I thought I needed to add back in the people it was describing. The “they” has no named people. The Greek referring to the land of the Jews* is translated Judea by the New Revised Standard Version. Whether the “they” is referring to the Jews is not clear. Who killed Jesus in the final analysis is a political question. The Romans tried him, found him guilty, and hung him on the cross. The Jewish faith leaders instigated the process. The ambiguous “they” in both the English and the Greek walks the tightrope of political correctness to get to the gist of the message. Whoever sins can and will receive forgiveness through the name of Jesus Christ.

The news reported this week that the USA killed an Iranian general we considered a terrorist. The Iranian army retaliated by shooting several missiles onto two USA military bases in Iraq that did not hurt or kill anyone but did some damage to equipment. The Iranians reported to their own people that there were multiple casualties. The USA claimed we knew the missiles were coming and took the precautions needed to keep soldiers and others out of harms way. The possibility exists that Iran pick targets sans people. We probably will never be able to fully trust anything regarding this situation. In the meantime, a passenger plane flying from Iran to Ukraine was apparently hit by something, crashed and all 176 persons aboard were killed. I am sure that both the USA and Iran will say they had nothing to do with the crash. Our sins impact innocent people.

God does forgive us of sins. Our response, in lasting appreciation, must be to change our behavior and never return to the behavior again.

Prayer: Lord, we thank you for forgiving us repeatedly for the same and different sins. We pray for your guidance and support in learning from our mistakes and remaking our lives like yours. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/interlinear/acts/10-39.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.

Warring Ways

Epiphany

January 9, 2020

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. –Acts 10:34-39a

Humans seem to have a need to show partiality, however, God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears (God) and does what is right is acceptable to (God). I just read a quote of Jimmy Carter’s: The U.S., he noted, has only enjoyed 16 years of peace in its 242-year history, making the country “the most warlike nation in the history of the world,” Carter said. This is, he said, because of America’s tendency to force other nations to “adopt our American principles.” *

As a nation the USA totters on the brink of massive war all the time. Wealth results from our military industrial network. The United States spends more on defense than the next seven countries combined**. We build war machines while other countries surpassed us in infrastructure, health care, and other quality of life issues.

God created a world of diverse people who engage with God and with each other in ways differing and God saw that all of that was good. The time is now for us as a nation to seek common ground among our neighboring nations near and far searching for the Common Good for all and to turn our weapons into plows and pruning hooks . (See Isaiah 2:3-4)

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our foolish ways*** that cost us dearly and yet always leave us unsatisfied. Heal our waring madness**** and send us forth as a light of love throughout our world. Amen

*https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-jimmy-carter-china-war-infrastructure-economy-trade-war-church-1396086
**https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison
***Derived from the hymn Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
****Derived from the hymn God of Grace and God of Glory

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.

Bruised Reeds

Epiphany

January 6, 2020

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

Have you ever felt like a bruised reed or a dimly burning wick? My guess is we all have at one time or another. Isaiah is saying to us in the above scripture that God is with us and seeking justice for us even when we are at our lowest. We must never give up on God as God never gives up on us.

I must confess I have not known the pain of starvation or worst watching my child die and being utterly unable to do anything about it. I have not had to escape terrorist or take shelter from missiles being dropped on my village. Some reeds are bruised more deeply than others. I know just enough about injustice to gain a tiny window into what oppression is. I have seen just enough to know that I must be a part of seeking justice for those whose little lights of hope are being snuffed out around the world and down the street from me. God calls us all to do justice.

Prayer: Lord, open my justice window wider so that I can see how I can work toward justice and encourage others to seek 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.

Common Ground

Christmastide

December 30, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10

Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me,
‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.’ –Jeremiah 1:4-8

I am classified as a senior citizen so I cannot say I am only a child. I still experience fear or at least hesitation at speaking or writing something that another my read far removed from what I meant. I am a strong believer that most people can find common ground to work toward positive outcomes regarding most issues. For example, I do not think capital punishment is ever necessary but I am in a clear minority so most of the justice work I can do related to the death penalty is working to assure that all people sentenced to die actually committed the crime. 156 individuals have been exonerated from death row–that is, found to be innocent and released – since 1973*. It is unknown how many innocent people were executed.

How do we get past our strong, often faith-based ideals to find common ground regarding our deeply held interpretation of what is of God and what is not to find justice for as many people as we possibly can caught in the web of the perceptions of all involved of what is right and what is wrong? I will continue to strongly believe that capital punishment is not right, but I also will invest energies in assuring that no innocent person is executed.

The USA government was founded on the premise that our elected representatives are to work together to find common ground in search of the common good. It is a place where the diverse population of the USA can come together and find that common ground.

Prayer: Lord, help us find ways to meet our civic responsibilities by finding common ground  for the common good. Amen.

*http://www.ncadp.org/pages/innocence

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.

Rachel Weeping for her Children

Christmastide

December 29, 2019

Scripture Reading: Matthew 2:13-23

When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
‘A voice was heard in Ramah,
   wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
   she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’ –Matthew 2:16-18

I cannot imagine feeling so desperate to save my children’s lives that I would flee my homeland in search of the promise of a better, more welcoming place. Some have told me I should not be so concerned about the children being held at the border between Mexico and the USA because they are being feed and have a place to stay. It is better than what they left. Since even that is questionable, I have lost my glorified image of American as the place of “Give me your tired, your poor,/ Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free”* written on the Statue of Liberty. We seem to live in a world where our leaders will do whatever it takes to keep their stranglehold on power and money without regard to who might get hurt in the process.

How did we get to this point? Did the events of 9/11 frighten us so much we trust no one? Or are we so afraid of not being the dominant skin tone, we try to control who comes and goes by the hue of their skin? Were not all people created in the image of God? Why do humans seem to have a need to establish hierarchies of worth among the world’s people?

There are no borders in the kingdom of God. God loves and calls good God’s entire creation. Our assignment is to nurture and protect it. We are not to misuse and abuse it to our selfish ends.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we misuse and abuse the earth an all its inhabitants. Show us your better way. Amen.

*From The New Colossus poem by Emma Lazarus see at https://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/colossus.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.

Sustaining Love

Advent

December 22, 2019

Scripture Reading: Matthew 1:18-25

She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
   and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. –Matthew 1:21-25

Jesus’ name from the Hebrew Yehoshua/Jehoshua, contracted to Joshua* means Yahweh saves. God creates, God loves us enough to grant us freewill, and God saves us because a mass of humans blessed with freewill sometimes gets things wrong. I think God longs for us to discover what is right, what is just and live righteousness and justice as a choice. The original design of God’s world has its foundation in love, and it will thrive only when we learn to form our lives around love. God set out rules for us to follow to help us live justly. God sent prophets to correct our course. God finally came to dwell among us to show us the ways of love.

We innately know what is right. Rightness comes out in times of disasters. Here in Oklahoma we dubbed it the Oklahoma Standard following the Oklahoma City bombing when most stopped what they were doing and tried to fix what was so terribly broken. What we as God’s people do not seem able to do is sustain God’s love n the good times. The Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team is in a rebuilding mode with different lead players and a host of talented new team members. They have flashes of being a great team, but the coaches and the team members know championships are not won with burst of fervor. They are won by playing a full 48 minutes of quality play with each member of the team and all the coaches giving it their best shot at both offense and defense in every game. The Kingdom of God will be fully actualized when we each and all invest a full lifetime of commitment to loving like God with Us.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for coming to dwell among us showing us how to love and to sustain a world ruled by love. Grant us the synergy with your abiding love to sustain our work at all times toward that vision. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/greek/2424.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.