pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: justice


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Justice, Goodness, Righteousness

Reading: Psalm 17:1-2

Psalm 17:2 – “My justice comes from you; let your eyes see what is right.”

In Psalm 17 David names injustice and trusts that God will make things right. This is summed up in verse 2: “My justice comes from you; let your eyes see what is right.” God is the source of justice… and of goodness and righteousness, of mercy and compassion, of empathy and forgiveness… In God’s world, all of these things are interconnected and intertwined. When one stands against oppression, for example, it is driven by empathy and compassion for the victim(s) and it is fueled by one’s sense of justice.

Our reading begins with David imploring God to listen. Listen to what’s right. Listen to my prayer. He feels he can come before God in this way because is living a righteous life – his lips don’t lie! When we live a devout and holy life, we too feel like we have standing before God. In turn, our alignment with God guides our sense of justice…

It is easy to name injustices in our world. The treatment of marginalized and vulnerable populations comes to mind. The high cost of living and limited access to health care are creating hardship for many. The ways that “power over” is exerted and abused, leaving people broken and hurting, needs to be addressed. Systems that increase the gap between the haves and have-nots continue to churn along, oblivious to the negative impact on many people’s lives.

The more challenging step is to take action, to give voice and power to those without, to stand for what is just and right and good. When we allow our faith to guide our way, when we allow the Holy Spirit to lead our words and actions, then we can declare as David did: “My justice comes from you; let your eyes see what is right.” May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, I know that my list is missing many injustices that tear at your heart. You see them all. But this list is my list. We all have our own list. Begin here, O God, in us all. Work in each of us so that we stand and speak for justice, goodness, and righteousness. Use us to fight for a better and more just world. Amen.


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Thanksgiving and Praise

Reading: Psalm 105:1-6

Psalm 105:1 – “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known to all people!”

Photo credit: Pablo Heimplatz

Psalm 105 is a call to worship. Yes, it was a call to worship long ago for the Israelites. And it is a call to us today to worship God in the ways that we live out our faith in the Lord our God. The Psalm begins with this invitation: “Give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make his deeds known to all people!” There are three parts to this invitation. First, give thanks. Whether through prayer, a journal, or both, daily thank God for your blessings, large and small. This practice of gratitude is good for our soul. Second, call on God’s name. This could be calling on God’s name in prayers and petitions. And it could be seeking God’s guidance and direction in our lives. And third, witness to your faith. Share the story of what God has done and is doing so that others might be drawn to our Lord and Savior.

These basic invitations are echoed in verses two and three: Sing, give praise, rejoice in the Lord! In verse four we’re invited to pursue or seek God’s presence and strength. While God is ever present and ever willing to be a part of our lives, God will not barge in or force the issue. God waits for us to “open the door,” and then God enters in. Invite God in!

Verses five and six invite us into acts of remembering. These are both personal and corporate. Remember God’s wonderful and marvelous works in your life and in the world around you. Remember through thanksgiving and praise. Recall God’s acts of justice – in your life and in our world. Offer thanks and sing! And remember who and whose you are: “children of Jacob… chosen.” For our place in the family of God, may we lift a celebratory and joyous word of prayer or a song of praise to the Lord our God!

Prayer: Lord God, we pause and offer our thanks for all you do in our lives to lead and guide us, to strengthen and encourage us, to forgive and redeem us, to restore and save us. You are an amazing, awesome, wonderful God! Thank you for choosing us and for being our God. Amen.


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The Covenant Keeper

Reading: Psalm 105:7-11 and 45

Psalm 105:8 – “God remembers his covenant forever, the word he commanded to a thousand generations.”

As we turn to Psalm 105 today and tomorrow, the focus is the covenant God made first with Abraham. This covenant was reiterated with Isaac and Jacob and has been passed on “to a thousand generations.” The covenant that God made with Abraham was not just about him. Abraham was a part of the covenant, yes, but the focus from day one has been the people of God.

God’s justice is the foundation of the covenant. At its core, God’s justice calls us to just living. This calls us to live in a right relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation. Living this way, we represent the covenant: God is our God and we are God’s people. The idea of covenant has been around a long time, likely even before Abraham. It is not unique to Israel. In all cases, at its core, covenant is meant to be a forever commitment.

This week’s Disciplines writer, Rev. Dr. Donna Giver-Johnson, notes that the word translated “to cut” is the root word of our word “covenant.” In ancient times, the two parties entering a covenant would cut an animal in half. They would then walk between the halves, symbolizing their offer to be slain like the animal if they did not keep the covenant. The writer of Psalm 105 echoes this deep level of commitment using phrases like “solemn pledge” and “binding law.”

In Genesis 15, in a vision that came just after establishing the covenant with Abraham, God passed between a cut animal, demonstrating God’s commitment to this covenant with God’s people. This established the fact that the keeping of the covenant is dependent on God alone, not on us. At just the necessary moment, God sent Jesus, the bringer and giver of grace. It is through God’s grace that we now live under the covenant. For this grace, we say, thanks be to God!

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for being the covenant keeper. On our own we’d only be covenant breakers. Only through your love and strength can we begin to walk in covenant relationship with you and with one another. And only through your grace and mercy can we return to covenant relationship when we fall short or fail. Thank you, Lord, for walking with us. Amen.


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Crosses of Love

Reading: Matthew 10:32-39

Matthew 10:38 – “Those who don’t pick up their crosses and follow me aren’t worthy of me.”

In the second half of this week’s gospel lesson, Jesus is addressing our public witness. Verses 32-33 offer an invitation of sorts: reflect Jesus out into the world, be welcomed one day into heaven. If one chooses not to accept the invitation to reflect Jesus to the world, then one will be denied a place in heaven. Jesus is reminding us how important it is that our faith is evident in all that we say, do, and think – everywhere, all the time.

Verses 34-39 reveal the challenges, the cost, and the difficulty of living a life fully committed to following Jesus. Acknowledging the battle between the ways of the Lord and the ways of the world, we’re reminded that Jesus did not come just to bring peace. The full commitment to Jesus requires that we love Jesus more than anything – more than family, more than self. The second is being addressed when Jesus says, “Those who don’t pick up their crosses and follow me aren’t worthy of me.” Our crosses are to be like the cross that Jesus died upon. He died for a purpose: to defeat the power of sin – all that holds us captive, all that keeps us from fully loving God and neighbor.

Today we celebrate a holiday. 161 years ago the last slaves in the US were freed. That unjust system was officially brought to an end. Many bore crosses of love in the fight to end slavery. People of faith led the way in this fight. Today there are many unjust systems that our faith calls us to fight against. The social justice issues of our day include racism, poverty, homelessness, unequal access to education and healthcare – just to name a few. The way of Jesus is centered on love – loving God and neighbor more than self. What cross of love are you feeling led to carry on behalf of those Jesus loves?

Prayer: Lord God, as we celebrate the steps taken many years ago to end an unjust, oppressive system, open our eyes and hearts to the unjust systems that are in practice today. Spark in us a love for the other that emboldens us to stand, to speak, to fight for and alongside the voiceless, the powerless, the suffering. Bearing that cross of love, may all come to experience life abundant in this world. Amen.


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Faithful, Loyal Love

Reading: Psalm 36:5-11

Psalm 36:6 – “Your righteousness is like the strongest mountains; your justice is like the deepest sea.”

Photo credit: Freestocks

As I read the first few verses of today’s passage, I could hear the words of Third Day’s “Your Love Oh Lord” in my mind. Hearing these words reminds me that the Psalms are really songs. They are expressions of an array of emotions: joy and defeat, praise and lament. Expressing one’s emotions opens the doors of communication with God. Today’s reading is an expression of praise for God’s faithful and loyal love.

The psalmist rejoices that God’s faithful love is everywhere. David then celebrates the character of God’s righteousness and justice. They are “like the strongest mountain… like the deepest sea.” There is an unshakable and unending quality to God’s love, justice, and righteousness. This is why they flow like a river into our lives and world. David then proclaims that God’s love is “priceless.” Humankind finds “refuge” in God, and in God we find “the spring of life.” Walking in God’s light and love, we know the way to abundant life here and now. Oh how great is the Father’s love for you and for me!

In verse 11 David asks God to “extend your righteousness” to those whose heart is right with God. When we know God’s faithful love in our hearts, we experience it in our lives. This love dwells in us and flows out of us, into the world. In this way, we are living extensions of God’s loyal love. As we live each day, may we bear God’s faithful and loyal love into the world around us, bringing light and joy, justice and refuge, life and hope. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, may our love be like your love, reaching to the furthest corners of our lives, working down into the deepest darkness of this world. May your justice break forth, being poured out for all people everywhere. In and through your love, may all come to experience the joy of your salvation. Amen.


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Called and Sent

Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9

Isaiah 42:6b – “I, the Lord, have called you… I will grasp your hand and guard you, and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.”

Isaiah 42 is about “God’s servant.” These words come from what is known as “Second Isaiah,” written during Israel’s time in Babylonian exile. It is likely that the original “suffering servant” was Isaiah. Later, in another Servant Song, it is the nation of Israel who are the servants. The earliest church and the New Testament writers identified Jesus as the servant. Read today, you and I, we are the servants of God.

Let’s look at the qualities and behaviors of the servant described in Isaiah 42. As we do, think about how each applies to Isaiah, to Israel, to Jesus, and to you. The servant is chosen by God and has the Spirit of God upon them. The servant is called to bring justice and light to the world. The servant is not forceful or violent. He is she won’t even “break a bruised reed.” In verse 6 we read, “I, the Lord, have called you… I will grasp your hand and guard you, and give you as a covenant to the people, as a light to the nations.” Given as the covenant of love, the servant partners with God to bring healing and wholeness to the world, opening blind eyes, setting people free from sin and brokenness.

Just as Jesus was and is our light, calling and leading us out of our own sin and darkness, we are called to do this for others. Bringing the light of Christ into the darkness of this world, we seek to bring healing and wholeness, justice and peace to our world. May it be so for you and for me.

Prayer: Lord God, just as you called Isaiah and Israel, you call us and the community of faith. And just as you sent Jesus, so too do you send us into the world to be light and love. Empower us with the presence of the Holy Spirit, leading us to bring healing and wholeness to the darkness and brokenness of our world. Amen.


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Awake Sleeper!

Reading: Ephesians 5:12-14

Ephesians 5:14 – “Therefore it says, ‘Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine in you.'”

Reading verse 12, perhaps you too had a person or a situation come to mind. We live in a world and time when I watch or read the news, when I scroll social media, or when I hear a conversation or presentation and I shake my head in sorrow or sadness or disbelief. Disgust and anger are felt often too. Many times I wonder how those in power can be okay with what our world has become. “Embarrassing” is a good word for our day too.

Paul reminds us, as he did on Friday when we read the first part of this passage, that the light reveals the truth about the darkness. Our call as followers of Jesus is to expose the darkness to the light. To that end Paul writes, “Therefore it says, ‘Wake up, sleeper! Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine in you.'” He is quoting from Isaiah 29 and 60. We recall that the prophet spoke to a people who worshipped the idols of this world, forgetting the Lord their God. 70 years in exile served as their wake-up call. While we may not worship Baal or other ancient ‘gods,’ there are certainly no shortage of false gods that create evil and darkness in our world today.

What might God be calling us to wake up to today? What are the evils and darkness of our time? In my little part of the world, poverty, hunger, and homelessness first come to mind. If the circle expands a bit wider, the list grows quickly. As followers of Christ, we are charged with caring for “the least of these,” as Jesus called them. We should do so in practical ways, feeding and clothing and housing those in need. But we should also shine a light on those in power who allow and often times create, defend, and sustain unjust systems that lead to these evils. We should speak, work, and be socially active in ways that seek to dismantle these systems and to disempower those who strive to maintain the “status quo” – all for personal gain. In these ways we will shine the light of Christ into the darkness of the world, bringing God’s goodness, justice, and truth to the world. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, the task at hand feels huge. In our own power, we are weak. But in and through you, we are strong. So, Lord, first open our eyes to the suffering, need, and darkness of our world. Then fill our hearts with compassion and love for the marginalized, the powerless, the voiceless. From there, use our hands, feet, and voices to provide for and to meet basic, physical needs. Then empower us to speak, to stand, and to work to create a more just and fair world. In all these ways, may Christ shine in us and out into the darkness of our world. Amen.


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Living as Light

Reading: Ephesians 5:8-11

Ephesians 5:9 – “Light produces fruit that consist of goodness, justice, and truth.”

Paul begins today’s passage by reminding those in the churches in Ephasus and those in the church today that although we were once in darkness, living as people of the world, we are now in “the light of the Lord.” Our old, sinful, selfish ways have been laid aside so that we can now live as “children of the light.” The apostle paints this change as black and white terms: light and darkness. While we strive to live in the light, the reality is that we sometimes stray into the darkness and often times we live in the gray.

The journey of faith and the work of the Spirit draws us to the light end of this spectrum. As we mature in faith, we tend to sin less. Even so, we never remain sinless for long. As Peter says in his first letter, the lion always prowls. Because of this, our faith growth is not strictly linear. While we are imperfect, we also seek to be more and more like Christ. Paul reminds us, in verse 9, of why we strive to live faithfully: “Light produces fruit that consist of goodness, justice, and truth.” When our lives yield these outcomes, we witness to God’s love and care and power, drawing others to the light.

While we seek to keep away from “the unfruitful actions of darkness,” they are all around us. Paul encourages us to allow the light within us to “reveal the truth” about the evil inside ourselves and in the world. Concerning others, we must prayerfully discern when and how and where to speak truth. At times we will be led to “call out” injustice, oppression, and other evils. And at times we will be led to take a more gentle and kind “calling in” of those who have started from the faith. In both ways, we a living faithfully as the light of Christ in the world.

Prayer: Lord God, lead and guide us to walk as children of the light. Open our eyes and hearts to the ways you provide for us to be goodness, justice, and truth first to ourselves and then to the world. As we focus on our own faith, help us to mature and to trust in you more and more. From this solid foundation, guide us in our efforts to reveal truth to the world and to our fellow believers. Guide us to always lead with love and grace. Amen.


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Kingdom of Love

Reading: John 9:18-41

John 9:41 – “If you were blind you wouldn’t have any sin, but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.”

As the story of the healing of the blind man continues, we see the dangers of holding “power over.” The power the religious leaders hold over the man’s parents and many others causes fear and dishonesty. This reminds me of the guilt and shame many churches is used to employ to force obedience. This is still used today in some churches. The use of power over separates, divides, weakens, harms.

Jesus, by contrast, uses power under. He lifts up and welcomes. He seeks to build community and a sense of belonging and worth. In the healing process, Jesus takes the first steps and then empowers the blind man to take the step of faith that brings physical healing to his eyes. And later, after hearing of what happened to the man under the guise of being religiously correct, Jesus seeks the man out. Jesus once again empowers the man to take the step of faith. Jesus places the power to believe, to choose Jesus as Lord in the man’s hands. This restores worth and dignity. It is an invitation into community and relationship. It’s not a command or a guilt trip.

Starting in verse 38, Jesus addresses the religious leaders who seek to hold power over others. Jesus declares that he came to “exercise judgment” by opening blind eyes and by exposing those who think that they see and know the will and way of God. The Pharisees recognize that he is talking about them. Jesus responds, “If you were blind you wouldn’t have any sin, but now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” They have seen the healing, the lifting up, the love that fuels the exercise of power under. They choose to hold onto the ways of the world, being blind to the true kingdom of God. They do not choose to see all people as worthy of God’s (and their) love. They do not choose to see all people as ones created in God’s image. My friends, may we choose to live with eyes and hearts wide open to Jesus’ kingdom of love and to the outcomes of practicing power under others – building community, instilling worth and belonging, making space at the table, loving without strings. May it be so.

Prayer: Lord God, we pray today for those who continue to exercise power over others – those in government, in business, and in the church. Change these hearts to be hearts of love, lifting and empowering others. Use us, O God, to help initiate this change. With your power lifting us up, may we bring justice, community, belonging to others and to our world. Through your love, unite us as your children in the blessed community. Amen.


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Our King

Reading: Psalm 2

Psalm 2:10-11 – “So kings, wise up! Be warned, you rulers of the earth! Serve the Lord fervently.”

Psalm 2 contrasts the kings of this world with the true king of God. The powers of this world rant and rave “uselessly.” Many rulers yet today talk just to be heard. They bluster and they bully and they oppress. They say this one day and they walk it back the next day. They scheme against the ways of God, seeking personally fame, glory, and power instead.

God’s response is to send the “anointed one.” While many of us today read this as Jesus, the people of God outside of Christianity did and do think of David, Israel’s greatest king of all time. If one is looking for a king that can defeat the Philistines or Babylon or Aram or Edom or Rome or… then David is your guy. King David made the nations his possession. He ruled with an “iron rod.” He was also imperfect.

As followers of Jesus, we don’t see a lot of difference between the kings described in the two paragraphs above. Yes, some kings claim God and their god. But if they truly worshipped God and loved God with all of their heart, then they would not bully and oppress and shift with the winds of the day. That is simply not the heart of God. Yes, kings and rulers must “wise up” and hear the warning. So must we, the rulers of our own kingdoms. All must “serve the Lord fervently.” So with all that we are, may we serve, worship, and love the Lord our God.

Prayer: Lord God, reign in our hearts and in our world. Draw us to humbly walk with Jesus as our example. Lead us to love faithfully – from you on down to the least of these. Guide us to stand for justice and to work for peace in our world. In all ways may Jesus be our king and our example. Amen.