HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 4 Justice As Relationships: With God
James 1:22, 27 MSG
Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! ..... Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.
"Seeking justice is good for our neighbors, good for our communities, and good for our world. It's also good for our own faith, because seeking justice has very much to do with our personal relationship with our Creator." (TY-71)
DOING means everything to God. DOING improves our relationship with God. DOING demonstrates an active faith that is more than rote Sunday attendance.
It is said that when you are struggling with life circumstances and questioning God's presence, the best medicine is to volunteer, to take the emphasis off yourself and on to others. Notice the remedy isn't to hole yourself up in more scripture and meditation to 'find God' - the remedy is to DO God work!
God/Christ is in the people we help. Relationships are empowered when we work together for justice.
MONDAY, January 27
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 4 Justice As Relationships: No 'Us and Them'
Philippians 2:5-8 MSG
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion.
"If one struggles, we all struggle." (MLK)
"The point is, it's not 'us' and 'them'; it's simply 'us'. We need one another. We depend on one another." (TY-75)
"Our coffee, other foods, clothing, raw materials and consumer items have connections to producing or laboring communities that do not enjoy the opportunities or protections that we take for granted in our own work. Those who end up with the shortest straw are often the ones who had the least to begin with." (TY-75)
Christ had reason to 'elevate' himself above the commoner. He WAS God! (We just THINK we are!) But with Jesus, it was never a us and them. It was simply humanity together. And when we realize this, we move beyond a quick fix relief to lasting equality, transformative change.
Hmmm...back to Fair Trade Coffee, what kind of factory do my clothes come from? Am I supporting abusive corporations or governments through my purchasing power? Sometimes justice comes in the form of small changes we make in our daily lives....changes that have a greater reach than we think possible.
TUESDAY, January 28
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 4 Justice As Relationships: Justice and Ourselves
Luke 6:42 GNT
How can you say to your brother, ‘Please, brother, let me take that speck out of your eye,’ yet cannot even see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Specks and logs! I love the analogies here - the visual images that come to mind! Yet what are the logs that prevent us from doing justice? The logs that inhibit our relationship with God and hence our acts of transformation?
Our western culture provides plenty of logs: consumerism, emphasis on beauty and looks, disregard for the environment, a USER society! What part do we have in this? Are we constantly in search of more and better? Do we know the history of what we purchase? Do we measure success by the haves? I write this today somewhat 'tongue in cheek' as we leave in just minutes to drive across the state to purchase a new vehicle. In what kind of fair factory was the vehicle made? What kind of culture? Is my purchase contributing to injustice somewhere?
These are tough questions with hard answers! But a close look at our own actions can free us for justice action elsewhere.
Luke 6:42 GNT
How can you say to your brother, ‘Please, brother, let me take that speck out of your eye,’ yet cannot even see the log in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will be able to see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.
Specks and logs! I love the analogies here - the visual images that come to mind! Yet what are the logs that prevent us from doing justice? The logs that inhibit our relationship with God and hence our acts of transformation?
Our western culture provides plenty of logs: consumerism, emphasis on beauty and looks, disregard for the environment, a USER society! What part do we have in this? Are we constantly in search of more and better? Do we know the history of what we purchase? Do we measure success by the haves? I write this today somewhat 'tongue in cheek' as we leave in just minutes to drive across the state to purchase a new vehicle. In what kind of fair factory was the vehicle made? What kind of culture? Is my purchase contributing to injustice somewhere?
These are tough questions with hard answers! But a close look at our own actions can free us for justice action elsewhere.
WEDNESDAY, January 29
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 4 Justice As Relationships: Speaking Up and Out
Proverbs 31:8-9 (CEB and MSG)
Speak out on behalf of the voiceless,
and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.
and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.
Speak out for justice!
Stand up for the poor and destitute!”
Stand up for the poor and destitute!”
When something is wrong, how often do we mutter to ourselves, rant in the bathroom, or complain behind closed doors. We speak, but we don't SPEAK OUT!! We don't speak where it will make a difference or enable change to happen. Donations of money is necessary and needed, but often what is really important is the donation of our VOICE!!
Speaking up for justice can be hard. We face rejection or ridicule. But the call of Christ is clear - it is our duty to God.
"Beyond using our voices to share the stories of those who face violence, oppression, or poverty, we can use our voices to plead for justice on their behalf. We can speak to those who can enact change. We can send up a holy racket and agitate for something new." (TY -78)
I like the phrase 'send up a holy racket'. It implies persistence. Shake things up for the sake of justice in the name of another. Write letters to those in control. Speak up on behalf of others. Don't sit back and allow injustice to continue unchecked!
THURSDAY, January 30
HOW DO I MAKE IT RIGHT? Doing Justice in a Broken World
by Tracy Young
Chapter 4 Justice As Relationships:Right Relationships
1 Corinthians 12:26 GNT
If one part of the body suffers, all the other parts suffer with it; if one part is praised, all the other parts share its happiness.
Seeking justice is not an isolated, occasional endeavor. It is ongoing and utterly communal. It requires examining and re-examining how things are done. It is about relationships between people and between people and God. It is about working to make those relationships right in order to reflect the beauty of God's perfect love for us.CHAPTER 4 - REFLECTIONS AND ACTION
Focus Statement: Most people agree on this basic view of justice: It's about God and it's about people, and it's about getting right with both. But as we've dug a bit deeper this week, we've learned that pursuing justice isn't always 'basic'. Sometimes we're asked to do difficult things like speaking up for someone, even at the risk of ridicule, rejection, or hatred. Sometimes we're called to confront established social, political, or economic structures when we see that injustice has crept into them - and that usually puts us in an uncomfortable place, at odds with a whole lot of people. And sometimes we need to turn our focus on how our own actions, habits, and desires may legitimize the oppression of another person or people. (TY-83-84)
The Bible is filled with stories of champions for injustice: the midwives who bucked Pharaoh's order to save the babies, Jesus and the money changer tables, Nathan who challenges King David with his transgressions. The task is rarely easy.
ACTION. On a personal level, Rick and I have already taken one of the actions suggested - switching to Fair Trade Coffee for our home use and encouraging the church to do the same. Church World Service has "Speak Up" Alerts that can come to our email in-box - opportunities for timely moments to advocate for the oppressed and how to go about doing it. I should investigate this and sign up. I can educate myself more on issues of concern for me - perhaps the timeliness of the Israeli-Palestinian issue would be a good start.
