HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 3 Jesus the Center:Jesus' Announcement
Luke 4:16-19 MSG
He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,
God’s Spirit is on me;
he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and
recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free,
to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”
he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and
recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free,
to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”
"The more we exercise our justice muscles, so to speak, we're training ourselves in the way of God. The more we engage with our neighbors, the more we look to the least among us, the more we'll be able to see Jesus in the faces of those around us. We will recognize him."Jesus stood and announced to the people how to recognize the Messiah. And then he did it. When we 'do justice', when we act on behalf of the least of these, we become more familiar with the face of Jesus each time.
"Like little children who are taught to recognize family and to sound out the names of loved ones, we learn to recognize Jesus through our actions on behalf of people who are hungry and hurting. The more we practice, the more familiar Jesus will become."Lord, may I put on my work clothes today and do a little justice exercise. Heart, head, and hands - may I work all the muscles! Amen!
TUESDAY, January 21
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 3 Jesus the Center: Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 7:12 MSG
“Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God’s Law and Prophets and this is what you get."
I like Peterson's translation in The Message: it seems to be more proactive. Think ahead. How do you want to be treated. Take the initiative! Go do it! However translated, the 'Golden Rule" sums up OT law in how we should treat each other. It is a good way for those of us blessed in life to consider the issue of justice for all. If we aren't in the business of doing justice, then we are part of the problem. We aren't treating people how we would want to be treated.
This excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount is one of many of Jesus' teachings we find hard to put into action. Much of the Sermon seems to be too hard to act upon - some say it is meant to guide our attitudes only. That would be the same as only talking the talk, without walking the walk! We must regard the Sermon on the Mount as a challenge for what we do!
"Jesus' requirement 'Do to others what you would have them do to you' is more than a handy summary of the Law...It is also the challenge and opportunity of a lifetime. ....Applying the Golden Rule to our lives allows us to show the world that God is transforming it into a kingdom of justice, mercy, and peace." (TY-54)Lord, challenge me to act on behalf of the least. Help me to seek out ways to make a difference and treat others with mercy and justice. Amen.
WEDNESDAY, January 22
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 3 Jesus the Center: The Least of These
Matthew 25:44-45 MSG
‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn’t help?’
45 “He will answer them, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me—you failed to do it to me.’
"Here's where it gets challenging: often 'the least' are not the people we want to be around. Sometimes the least are pretty wretched. Sometimes the least are people we prefer to judge, ignore, or punish....Jesus asks us to treat [the least] as though they were Jesus himself. But are we able to see Jesus in the face of a criminal?....The least and the lost are all around us: in the hungry, the thirsty, the sick, the stranger, and the prisoner. How would our response to them change if we saw the eyes of Christ looking back at us in their faces?" (TY, 57-58)
But, Lord.
They have lice.
They are unwashed.
Their clothes are rags.
They live under bridges.
They drink. They smell.
What difference would I make?
My face is their face.
I am reaching out.
Feed me. Cloth me.
Shelter me.
But Lord,
They are profane.
Their language is abusive.
They steal and hurt others.
I don't like them.
I don't understand them.
They scare me.
Look in their eyes.
See the pain.
Look hard.
That's me. Help me.
The lonely, the lost.
The hungry, the poor.
The homeless, the imprisoned,
The criminal, the immigrant.
The terrorist, the man next door.
Faces of unrest.
Faces of need.
Faces of Christ.
Jesus himself.
Waiting to be served.
Lord, help me look beyond first impressions to see your eyes in those who hunger for righteousness. Help me respond as if it were you. Amen.
THURSDAY, January 23
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 3 Jesus the Center: The Good Samaritan
Luke 10:29 MSG
Looking for a loophole, he asked, “And just how would you define ‘neighbor’?”
We finally picked Luke up yesterday after a three day trip home from Israel/Palestine. He was exhausted after 'sleeping' the night in the SF airport, after tense hours waiting liftoff from NYC in a snowstorm, after an hour of interrogation leaving Israel when going through customs. (He had 'questionable books' in his backpack!)
But the story he was anxious to share was his story of the Good Samaritan. Luke, traveling in a foreign country hostile to his political and religious beliefs, found himself at the mercy of a "Good Samaritan" on the road to Jericho.
On their own since the rest of the peacekeeper delegation had left, Luke and two of his female YAV friends found themselves on the shores of the Dead Sea. A series of complications had left them nearly shekel-less and in a bit of a quandary over how to travel back to either Jericho or to the border checkpoint outside Jerusalem. They wanted to go to Tel Aviv. No ATM to convert more US money to shekels. It was the Sabbath - public transportation was nil. The afternoon was growing closer to evening. Options for help were closing. And finally....they asked the guide of a South America tourist group visiting religious shrines. No, we can't. Ask in the little store. The man says ask the tour group. So Emily asks again .... fortunately her Spanish is pretty good! The guide falters, but some of the guests encourage him to take these young stranded Americans! He calls his boss. And the boss' reply? (This Mom is pretty sure that God intervened in the phone call!) "I can't think of a better example of the Good Samaritan on the road to Jericho than to rescue these American youth. Take them to Tel Aviv!" Luke recounts they were welcomed, joined in singing and praise on the bus. It was a highlight of his trip.
The tour company boss knows who is his neighbor. And he wasn't afraid to act. Can I say the same day in and day out in the little moments of Jericho road that come before me??
(My apologies, Luke, if I got a few details wrong in the summary of your story!)
Father, may I walk each day on a Jericho Road looking for those who are seeking help. I may not know them, share their beliefs or lifestyle, but they are my neighbors. They are your children and hence my brothers and sisters. Amen.
FRIDAY, January 24
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 3 Jesus the Center: Servant King
John 13:13-15 CEB
You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you speak correctly, because I am. 14 If I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you too must wash each other’s feet. 15 I have given you an example: Just as I have done, you also must do.
Author Tracy Young describes a homeless shelter where the men were each treated to a foot spa by the volunteers. A luxury granted to the privileged!
"You also should wash one another's feet," says Jesus. That could mean a foot spa in a homeless shelter. However we follow Jesus' command, it means we willingly drop our status to serve someone in a 'down and dirty' way. It means picking up someone else's mess, wiping the runny noses of someone else's children, stepping into someone else's painful circumstances." (TY-63)Jesus' description and image of justice is one where the least are put in a position of honor and dignity. Our job is to serve, regardless of our personal opinion about the person, regardless of their politics, odor, cleanliness, or body piercings. If they are among the least, our role is to serve.
Lord, the call to justice is a call to service. It is not always pretty or safe. Guide me to trust and follow; to answer your call.
SATURDAY, January 25
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 3 Jesus the Center: REFLECTION
"Jesus' ministry challenged the categories that people used to separate themselves from one another: Jew and Samaritan, male and female, adult and child, righteous and wicked. Jesus does not permit us to see ourselves as better than another else."When we separate ourselves, it is so much easier to close off one segment of society and forget about them. But when we enter into their world, it becomes OUR world and the desire for justice becomes oh so much stronger. Part of the PPF delegation to Palestine's purpose was to enter their world and experience the injustice. I also finished reading the book Blood Brothers yesterday by Elias Chacour, a Palestinian Christian. He has spent a lifetime of service in the region of Galilee to build up Palestinian villages and restore dignity and self-worth among the people, while seeking peace with his Jewish neighbors. At one point he left the country (after a terrifying experience with the PLO...which ultimately proved to be a supportive encounter) to live in Europe and promote peace through speeches, visits, fund raising, etc. Then he realized that justice is 'down and dirty' - he had to get back to a direct relationship with his fellow countrymen.
What can WE do....one person in a country that isn't making good choices in this arena? We can stop being silent. We can stop lending our tacit agreement. We can write our congressmen. We can boycott and support divestment.
When we 'step into the circumstances of another', we will becomes advocates for justice and change. May I continue to look for ways to walk in another's shoes.
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