DOING JUSTICE: 3 - Jesus, the Center

MONDAY, January 20
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!”

     In Chapter 2, we looked at preparing for Christ and the ACTION involved in the preparation.  Author Young calls this exercising our justice muscles and uses the analogy of showing a young child pictures of family members to prepare them to recognize an aunt or uncle upon meeting.  

"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.  

Gifted for Mission

d365.org PRESENCE OF GOD  (Katie Sciba)
The ability to do something – something creative, something useful – that kind of ability is called a gift. It’s not something intended for personal use and benefit alone. Gifts like these are meant to be used for the benefit of others.   That’s because these gifts come from God, who has in mind not only the individual, but everyone all together.   How might we use our God-given gifts for the benefit of all the world?



SATURDAY, February 2  "Gift Exchange"
Psalm 19:7-10, 14 (Good News Translation)
The law of the Lord is perfect;
    it gives new strength.
The commands of the Lord are trustworthy,
    giving wisdom to those who lack it.
The laws of the Lord are right,
    and those who obey them are happy.
The commands of the Lord are just
    and give understanding to the mind.
Reverence for the Lord is good;
    it will continue forever.
The judgments of the Lord are just;
    they are always fair.
They are more desirable than the finest gold;
    they are sweeter than the purest honey.
May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you,
    O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer!

Obeying God grants us strength to endure. 
Listening to God gives us insight to understand. 
Trusting God gives us a sense of justice and equality. 
Putting God at the center of our lives,
Granting God the Number One spot,
Blesses us beyond measure.
It's like a strawberry coated with dark chocolate,
Ecstasy and peace at once;
Life a sweet dessert of Grace. 
But our joy comes with responsibility,
With a call to service 
That becomes second nature
Through God.
May our thoughts reflect God's love. 
May our voices shout God's glory. 
May our hands perform God's mission
At all times.
And in everything we say and do.  

d365.org Benediction  (Katie Sciba)
May your gifts burn like a fire,
Bringing warmth to everyone you meet.
May your gifts light the world
And reveal the goodness of God.
May your gifts today be embraced
And expressed
With creativity,
Making you useful in God's mercy.


FRIDAY, February 1   "Parts of a Whole"
1 Corinthians 12:25-27  (The Message)

The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t, the parts we see and the parts we don’t. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. If one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance.  You are Christ’s body—that’s who you are! You must never forget this. Only as you accept your part of that body does your “part” mean anything.

Parts of a whole.

Individual lives,

Individual hearts.

Relationships within and without.

Groups formed, shifting boundaries.

Including, shunning.

Affirming and condemning.

Walls built to exclude,

Bridges to unite.

Without the common soul of Christ,

The body of a group struggles

To connect with all parts,

To honor and dignify all its members,
To nurture one another,
To celebrate together.

The Body of Christ serves as a vision 

Of how community functions;

Of how all parts, seen and unseen,

Are dependent on each other.

Reach out today as part of the whole

To affirm each other.

To respect one another,

With the love of God

Binding us together,

Individually part of the whole Body.  

THURSDAY, January 31  "One Body"
1 Corinthians 12:14-21  (Good News Translation)

For the body itself is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. If the foot were to say, “Because I am not a hand, I don't belong to the body,” that would not keep it from being a part of the body.  And if the ear were to say, “Because I am not an eye, I don't belong to the body,” that would not keep it from being a part of the body.  If the whole body were just an eye, how could it hear? And if it were only an ear, how could it smell?  As it is, however, God put every different part in the body just as he wanted it to be.  There would not be a body if it were all only one part!  As it is, there are many parts but one body.

 So then, the eye cannot say to the hand, “I don't need you!” Nor can the head say to the feet, “Well, I don't need you!”

One body. One Spirit. 
One body. One mission. 
Many parts. 
All necessary.  
All contributing gifts. 
'Behind the scenes' workers often the best 
At getting  the job done. 
All significant. 
All unique.  
All loved by one God. 
Equally. 
'Nuf said.  

Again, Eugene Peterson in The Message writes this passage in a more lengthy, but somewhat humorous way.  You can just hear all the parts of your body arguing as they attempt to function as ONE.  Is this how we are as the church at times?  Struggling to agree, to even LIKE all the other parts?  Sometimes with an exaggerated idea of our own importance?  Our job is to identify and acknowledge our God-given gifts (what part of the body are we?) and use them to  advance the Good News (keep the body moving!). 

I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn’t just a single part blown up into something huge. It’s all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, “I’m not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don’t belong to this body,” would that make it so? If Ear said, “I’m not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don’t deserve a place on the head,” would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it.

But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of. An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own. Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes nodifference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons. If anything, you have more concern for the lower parts than the higher. If you had to choose, wouldn’t you prefer good digestion to full-bodied hair?

WEDNESDAY, January 30  "One Spirit to Drink"
1 Corinthians 12:12-13  (The Message)
You can easily enough see how this kind of thing works by looking no further than your own body. Your body has many parts—limbs, organs, cells—but no matter how many parts you can name, you’re still one body. It’s exactly the same with Christ. By means of his one Spirit, we all said good-bye to our partial and piecemeal lives. We each used to independently call our own shots, but then we entered into a large and integrated life in which he has the final say in everything. (This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized.) Each of us is now a part of his resurrection body, refreshed and sustained at one fountain—his Spirit—where we all come to drink. The old labels we once used to identify ourselves—labels like Jew or Greek, slave or free—are no longer useful. We need something larger, more comprehensive.
     There are times when Peterson gets downright verbose and this is one of them.  But I liked the explanation!  Rather than saying "we all have been given one Spirit to drink" (CEB) he talks of refreshment and sustainment at one fountain of the Spirit.  We are part of something MUCH larger than before.  We are accountable and integrated into a larger purpose and mission.  Say 'goodbye to partial and piecemeal lives'!  

     One Spirit to drink.  A common communion cup?  The reality and beauty of our Christianity lies in the many gifts and talents, the many races and backgrounds, the many economic levels --the many parts of the body.  When all work together IN CHRIST, when all drink from the ONE SPIRIT, what amazing transformations can take place within our world.  The old Coca Cola commercial showed a world united drinking Coke 'in perfect harmony'!  What about a world united all drinking a different kind of 'spirits'?  One body, one Spirit.  Drink.  Together.  


TUESDAY, January 29 "Teaching the R's"
Luke 4:16-21 (The Message)

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 rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”

     Jesus has taken his place in the synagogue and announced why he is there and what he plans to do.  He is preaching the R's, but not Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmatic.  Jesus is teaching of Revelation, Release, Recovery, Restoration, and ultimately Redemption and Resurrection.   His 'mission statement' still applies today. We still need to hear the hope of the Good News revealed, liberation and healing from physical and spiritual prisons or disease, and  a renewal of our world to God's plan, God's imagination.        
     There is a line in Paul Young's book, Crossroads,  in which he writes, "Believer is an activity, not a category."  To be a follower of Christ is to DO, not just recite a statement of faith or check a box indicating Religious Preference. For what has God anointed us?  What are we to DO with our Christian faith?  What is our personal mission statement?   These are questions posed by Pastor Katy last Sunday in her sermon as well.  Day by day, week by week, we should have a plan of action.  Which of the R's might these former teachers tackle today?  

MONDAY, January 28  "Out of the Desert"
Luke 4:14-15  (The Message)

Jesus returned to Galilee powerful in the Spirit. News that he was back spread through the countryside. He taught in their meeting places to everyone’s acclaim and pleasure.
Where has Jesus been?
From where does he return?
The desert. 
A time of hardship and temptation. 
A time of faith testing.
He returns strengthened, 
Powerful in the Spirit; 
God overflowing from within. 
That's what deserts can do. 
Even though at the time
All we feel is thirst and loneliness.  
Deserts can prepare us
For Kingdom work,
Spirit work. 



SUNDAY, January 27  "Make of Me a Mountain"
Psalm 19:1-4a (Good News Translation)
How clearly the sky reveals God's glory!
    How plainly it shows what he has done!
Each day announces it to the following day;
    each night repeats it to the next.
No speech or words are used,
    no sound is heard;
yet their message goes out to all the world
    and is heard to the ends of the earth.
Make of me a mountain, Lord.
Majestic, beautiful, inspiring,
With a solid foundation in your love. 
Make the light sparkle 
As it reflects from my snowy face. 
Fill my heart overflowing with the
radiance and beauty of flowered meadows. 
Let my arms reach out like fingered ridges
Stretching in service to others.
Like the creeks tumbling from glacial summits,
May my conversations wash clean
  the troubles of those I meet.
May I take the gifts hidden within my forests:
Tree laden talents, flowery skills, and pools of opportunity
And use them to reveal your presence,
Your goodness, your love.  
No spoken sound from my silent shadows
But your glory proclaimed to all the world. 
Make of me a mountain, Lord, so that,
As I see God in the mountains I behold,
Others may see God at work in me,
Silently and with strength.