Tag Archives: Justice

Sustained Righteousness

Kingdom Building

July 24, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 85

Lord, you were favorable to your land;
   you restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of your people;
   you pardoned all their sin.
          Selah
You withdrew all your wrath;
   you turned from your hot anger.
Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
   and put away your indignation towards us.
Will you be angry with us forever?
   Will you prolong your anger to all generations?
ill you not revive us again,
   so that your people may rejoice in you?
Show us your steadfast love, O Lord,
   and grant us your salvation.
–Psalm 85:1-7

Humans just cannot seem to sustain righteousness. We get it right at some point probably following some bad time, a catastrophe, an awakening about how sordid our life has become. We walk for a while on a straight path after entering the narrow gate, but then we start slipping a little at a time until we are full scale amid a sordid life again. This cycle described in the above Psalm continues today.

For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it. ‘Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. (Matthew 7:13-14)

How do we sustain righteousness? I do not think we can without a close and abiding relationship with God, the love of Christ, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We need to be cognizant that with the first step off the path we must enter the above described course correction.  That requires us to be intentional with self-examination. It does not require us to become rigid and judgmental, which often happens when our attempts at sustained righteousness turns into self-righteousness.

Prayer: God of mercy and justice, help us see the joy of fulfillment when we chose the narrow gate, which is first and foremost defined by 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.

Called to Love

Kingdom Building

July 23, 2019

Scripture Reading: Hosea 1:2-10

When she had weaned Lo-ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said, ‘Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not my people and I am not your God.’
Yet the number of the people of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which can be neither measured nor numbered; and in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people’, it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God.’ –Hosea 1:8-10

Some politicians and religious leaders in the USA seem to be under the impression that the current nation of Israel can do no wrong and thus the USA government should support anything they desire. I have no idea where that sort of thinking is derived. Even a cursory reading of the books of Kings and Chronicles does not support such a position.  the records of some of those leaders’ follies clearly proves that God held them accountable for their misdeeds. God even sent prophets to warn them about their infractions. If anything, God held God’s people to a higher standard. Hosea compares the nation of Israel in his time as being like whore’s selling themselves for a profit. Hosea states it ominously ‘You are not my people’.

Of course, there were good leaders, too, and there was always a remnant of God followers who sought reconciliation with God when the nation went astray. I believe that is true today. Having cut my teeth on the stories of Abraham and Sarah, David and Goliath, Ruth and Deborah, I feel a special affinity for the nation of Israel wanting the very best for them. That very best for them as for those of us who are Christ followers is grounded in the overriding call to set the example for the whole world that love is stronger than hate and will win out ultimately. I think, God would like for God’s followers to work as hard as possible to make that happen sooner than later.

Prayer: Lord of Mercy and Justice, enable us to spread your love throughout the world causing war to end and greed to melt into assuring that all have enough. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Destructive Distractions

Kingdom Building

July 22, 2019

Scripture Reading: Hosea 1:2-10

When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, ‘Go, take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.’ So he went and took Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

And the Lord said to him, ‘Name him Jezreel; for in a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.’

She conceived again and bore a daughter. Then the Lord said to him, ‘Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have pity on the house of Israel or forgive them. But I will have pity on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God; I will not save them by bow, or by sword, or by war, or by horses, or by horsemen.’ –Hosea 1:2-7

We devote a lot of time and energy worrying about things that have few lasting ramifications and ignoring the things that have major consequences. I recently returned from a 2000-mile plus road trip staying at seven different hotels and stopping at numerous restaurants and gas stations. I do not know when I noticed that most of the places, I stopped at to eat or get gas and most of the hotels I stayed in had at least one or two single-user restrooms marked for anyone including families with small children. A year or so ago one would have thought the world was coming to an end if one had to share a restroom with a transgender person. Twenty years ago, when I arrive at the airport in Sweden with my church choir and most of us headed to find the restrooms, there was only one in the area where we arrived. It had a bunch of private stalls each including both a urinal and a toilet.  The sinks for washing hands were in the open. I thought at the time what a grand idea. It brings equality to the time waiting for access for everyone.

Most major empires failed due to rotting from within driven by greed and lust for power. Rome had the greatest army in the world when it met its empire’s demise which resulted from its inability to address climate change and staggering health epidemics caused by its poor development of needed infrastructure like sanitation and lack of quality health care for everyone. The plague did not care how rich its victims were. Sound familiar?

Prayer:
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways;
reclothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
in deeper reverence, praise*. Amen

*First verse of Dear Lord and Father of Mankind by John Greenleaf Whittier see at https://hymnary.org/text/dear_lord_and_father_of_mankind

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.

History Repeats Itself

Kingdom Building

July 15, 2019

Scripture Reading: Amos 8:1-12

This is what the Lord God showed me—a basket of summer fruit. He said, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A basket of summer fruit.’ Then the Lord said to me,
‘The end has come upon my people Israel;
   I will never again pass them by.
The songs of the temple shall become wailings on that day,’
says the Lord God;
‘the dead bodies shall be many,
   cast out in every place. Be silent!’
Hear this, you that trample on the needy,
   and bring to ruin the poor of the land,
saying, ‘When will the new moon be over
   so that we may sell grain;
and the sabbath,
   so that we may offer wheat for sale?
We will make the ephah small and the shekel great,
   and practice deceit with false balances,
buying the poor for silver
   and the needy for a pair of sandals,
   and selling the sweepings of the wheat.’ –Amos 8:1-6

I find it difficult to read the prophets of the Hebrew Bible these days because reviewing them makes me wonder if we ever learn from history. Greed and lust for power was the undoing of Israel even while prophets like Amos predicted well the consequences of the Israelites behavior.  We have the insight of the finished picture, exile and later the return to their ruined temple and lands, and still we do not take heed of our similar behavior.

We can blame our difficulties on elected officials and there is plenty of blame to go around whether bluster or inertia. The simple truth is we elected them, and they are a mirror image of our greed and desire for power. Of course, many of us do not see the problem in the inequities that grow in our land. Our stock investments are growing well, like summer fruit.  We chose not to see the people working at more them one job to survive on inadequate wages, who may be able to afford rent or medicine but not both. We tsk, tsk about drug companies charging exorbitant prices for medicine like insulin but that is about as far as it goes unless it is us or one of our loved ones who will die without a drug that is basically the same today as it was a hundred years ago. Amos reports that the Israelites of his day were so impatient to make more money they wished for the sabbath to end so they could get back to the important thing in their lives–making money. While our stock market is closed over the weekend in a world economy, we can find some place to wheel and deal at any time or day of the week.

I guess my difficulty in reading the prophets results from feeling so helpless to do anything about what is wrong in our world. Truth is I am helpless, but I love a God who is not. A God who has a proven record dealing with evil, a God who can empower me and you to deal with evil when we are ready to follow God’s lead.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me when greed and lust for power or other forms of idolatry overcome me. Strengthen me to live your love and do your justice on this great planet you created. 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.

Who is our Neighbor?

Kingdom Building

July 14, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:25-37

But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while travelling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, “Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.” Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’ –Luke 10:29-37

The lawyer seems to see his faith as a business deal. Rather than treat everyone as his neighbor, he wants to know the minimum requirement. “Tell me exactly who I must love as I love myself so I can have eternal life.” Jesus essentially answers the question with a story that asks, “Who is not your neighbor?”

For a few years a major dispute has been continuing in a neighboring city about converting a golf course into a place for more needed housing. Now I understand that avid golfers might want to live close to a club and would miss it when it is gone. I even understand that living next to a good golf course might increase the value of property. That said, are the people in need of housing our neighbors and are we responsible for assuring that they have affordable, accessible housing available? Probably the more important question is “Do I want to live across the street from housing that is classified as equal opportunity?”

What we do not recognize is the fact that if we loved our neighbors as we loved ourselves the value of our property would not be impacted by whoever moves in next door.

Prayer: Lord, help us understand that our values are constructs of our making and that it is our values and not yours that we are applying when we esteem our worth greater than any other persons worth. Forgive us and show us the way to place your values first 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. Most of us would have no problem being kind to our neighbors because we choose to live in neighborhoods made up of people who look and live a lot like we do.

Faith Maturing

Kingdom Building

July 10, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 82

God has taken his place in the divine council;
   in the midst of the gods he holds judgement:
‘How long will you judge unjustly
   and show partiality to the wicked?
          Selah
Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
   maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;   deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’ –Psalm 82:1-4

I am known for saying that my mother was a true egalitarian—no one person is greater than another- and that shaped my life. I had to eventually decide whether I agreed with that viewpoint or not. I do.

I was called on once to give expert testimony in court regarding a 13-year-old being tried for auto theft where the prosecution wanted to process him as an adult. The question put to me was did he know right from wrong. His father was a notorious car thief having spent time in prison for grand theft auto. My answer was no he did not know the difference, he was following in the family business. Part of becoming an adult is learning the difference between right and wrong and incorporating God’s rightness into our lives. I do not know if the 13-year-old’s days in juvenile detention helped him learn the difference between right and wrong or not.

In the same manner we grow in faith maturity as we ferret out the things that are of God and those that are not. It really does not matter what the world thinks or what others think or what we might have learned in childhood, God is who ultimately judges our judgement.

God calls us to do justice and whatever we may have learned in the past to make exceptions to that we must purge from our lives as we strive to answer that call.

Prayer: Lord, it is a great challenge for those of us who have lived in privilege to see the parts of our lives that may not be in sync with your righteousness. Open our hearts and minds to identify anything in our lives that is limiting any other person from being treated justly. 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.

Consequences

Kingdom Building

July 9, 2019

Scripture Reading: Amos 7:7-17

Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent to King Jeroboam of Israel, saying, ‘Amos has conspired against you in the very center of the house of Israel; the land is not able to bear all his words. For thus Amos has said,
“Jeroboam shall die by the sword,
   and Israel must go into exile
   away from his land.” ’

And Amaziah said to Amos, ‘O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, earn your bread there, and prophesy there; but never again prophesy at Bethel, for it is the king’s sanctuary, and it is a temple of the kingdom.’ –Amos 7:10-13

The primary thing we learn from all prophets is what we sow we will reap. This scripture follows Amos’ discussion of God’s plumb line, the guideline by which we are to live. The Israelites clearly were not following the plumb line and God sent Amos to tell them that. He is telling them the natural conclusions of bad practices. Prophesy is essentially religious instruction, with occasional predictions* of outcomes.

Greed is most often the sand in which humans bury their heads to avoid facing the real results of their behavior. Greed is often accompanied by lust for power. We in the USA are caught in the web of both and like Amos’ Israel if we do not pull our heads out of that sand and see the harm we are doing, we will face the consequences.

I am so tired of hearing what a great economy we have. For whom I must ask?

A full 43 percent of Californian voters, and an astounding 61 percent of those aged 18 to 34, feel they can’t afford to live in the state, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. And over three-quarters of voters agree that there’s a “housing crisis**.”

The U.S. economy is enjoying nearly a decade of expansion since the Great Recession. Yet food insecurity — a lack of money or resources to secure enough to eat — still grips almost one in eight Americans. That’s roughly 40 million people. While slowly improving, that figure remains stubbornly higher than before the recession, when more than one in 10 U.S. residents had difficulty knowing when and how they might eat next, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Until all have enough to eat, a place to live, affordable and accessible health care, and adequate education to maintain self-support and self-sufficiency, we will not have a good economy much less a great one.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our greed and lust for power. Help us to find the plumb line to follow that assures all will have enough. Amen.

*https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5012.htm.
**https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/08/43-percent-of-california-residents-say-they-cant-afford-to-live-there.html

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.

Discerning Plumb Lives for Living

Kingdom Building

July 8, 2019

Scripture Reading: Amos 7:7-17

This is what he showed me: the Lord was standing beside a wall built with a plumb-line, with a plumb-line in his hand. And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb-line.’ Then the Lord said,
‘See, I am setting a plumb-line
   in the midst of my people Israel;
   I will never again pass them by;
the high places of Isaac shall be made desolate,
   and the sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste,
   and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword.’ Amos 7:7-9

I cannot say I have a favorite scripture; I have favorite scriptures for specific issues. This scripture from Amos is probably my favorite scripture regarding guidance for living. I think of a plumb line as a vertical level. A plumb line establishes a straight edge by which a builder can set bricks or stones or wood planks even to make sure they are in line one with the other. That is significant because well aligned building materials are stronger and more able to withstand violent forces like the weather or invading armies.  I read a book* recently that said Rome fell from power primarily because it was not able to withstand the earthquakes and disease that besieged it even though, Rome by most accounts, had the strongest army in the world. That is certainly a lesson from which the USA might learn.

We know a lot about ways of being that are good for us as individuals and better for our society, but we do a haphazard job of following them to our detriment. For example, Oklahoma is a major oil producing state which undergirds our economy. In Oklahoma, which has the most induced earthquakes in US, only 1-2% of the earthquakes can be linked to hydraulic fracturing. Disposal of waste fluids that are a byproduct of oil production is the primary cause of the recent increase in earthquakes in the central United States**. It took a while for officials to accept this as fact but once they did regulations were changed to address the problem. The chart above shows the results. We made corrections based on a plumb line. Of course, that does not solve all the issues related to dependence on fossil fuels, but it is a beginning to address one. What may come as a surprise to some is that Oklahoma has ranked in the top four states in producing wind energy for the last ten years***. I guess Rogers and Hammerstein were right the wind does come sweeping down the plains.

The thing about plumb lines is new ones are needed from time to time as societies change. I think some stand the test of time like the Ten Commandments. Jesus identified two plumb lines, loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:36-4), as ones overriding all others. We need to prayerfully discern our plumb lines and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit use them wisely.

Prayer: Lord, grant us wisdom to objectively identify plumb lines of living and guide us in adjusting to them. Amen.

*The Fate of Rome by Kyle Harper
**https://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/induced/myths.php
***https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_power_in_Oklahoma

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Invigorated

Kingdom Building

July 7, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’ –Luke:10-17-20

The seventy return from their quest invigorated. I am a news nut and noticed a few years ago that particularly the morning news can be depressing, all news actually. I do not want to start my day in a downward spiral, so I decided that watching the news before I did my morning devotions was a good idea. It certainly gave me plenty about which to pray. I also acknowledge that praying without action is rather empty. We can either pray to tell God what God needs to do or we can pray to ask God what God is calling us to do about all those problems in our world. We are not called to solve all problems; we are all called to do something.

I think the seventy returned invigorated because they had taken action regarding their circumstances as well as the circumstances of those around them. I am sure being under Roman rule was not a picnic. Having Jesus’ followers share with their neighbors that there is a better way and it is available immediately was an uplifting experience.

I sense that a lot of us are feeling that the world is out of our control and it may be. It is not out of God’s control and we have committed to the one who can make a difference and who indicates that God wants us to be a part of the solution.

So, what can we do? First practice what Jesus preached, love one another, all one anothers. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, restore the prisoners, welcome the stranger. Surely you can identify some service you can do in your community in one or more of those categories. Is there a meals on wheels program that needs volunteers? Do you have a closet full of good clothes you no longer wear? Donate them to programs that distributes used clothing. You get the idea.

We are all called to do justice. Systemic changes in our economic systems can be changed to alleviate poverty which is the evil behind most of these instructions that Jesus challenged us to do. Is your larger faith group and our government working to end the horrors that are forcing people to leave their homelands? If not, are we actively engaged in supporting such actions and/or demanding that they take place? Are we demanding immediate action for our government to provide humane treatment for refugees? Are we supporting revising immigration laws based on our values rather than greed?

Prayer: Lord, invigorate us to greater service as we strive to build your Kingdom today. 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.

Privilege

Kingdom Building

July 2, 2019

Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 5:1-14

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?’ He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. –2 Kings 5:9-14

It seems that what we now call privilege existed at least as far back as the 12th century BC. A man named Naaman coming to be healed from leprosy is insulted because the healer sent a messenger with the means of healing rather than coming himself. The man even thought his rivers were better than the Jordan! The problem with privilege is that it is so much a part of our very being we cannot discern that it exists. We cannot purge ourselves of privilege if we cannot see it. We cannot be one in Christ if we cannot rid ourselves of thinking we are intrinsically better than some of God’s other children.

The sad thing about privilege is that ultimately no one can live up to being better than anyone else and it leads to the need to set up artificial measures of worth that are meaningless, but that we incorporate them into our personas and our culture. Bullies are probably the best example of this.

God’s love is all we need and all anyone needs to be a person of worth and it is ours unconditionally. For those us who know and accept that we are called to share that good news with those who may not know God’s love.

Prayer:
Open my eyes that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free.


Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready, my God, Thy will to see;
Open my eyes, illumine me,
    Spirit Divine!* Amen

*First verse and chorus of Open my Eyes by Clara H. Scott https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/807

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.