“Do Justice”
Micah 6:6-8; James 2:1-5
Rev. Dr. Deborah L. Clark
January 29, 2017
On Saturday, January 21, over a million women marched in our nation’s capital–at least three were from our church. More than 175,000 attended a rally in Boston–at least one from Edwards. There were marches in 673 cities around the nation and the world. While the events were billed as Women’s Marches, men came too, an expression of solidarity. Many of the women and men were attending their first march ever.
Individuals chose to march for many different reasons. For some, it was a protest, a direct response to the Presidential Inauguration the day before. Others made it clear that they were not there to protest but to make a positive statement of what they believe is right and just and what they promise to fight for.
Women and men gathered to say No to the degradation and objectification of women’s bodies, No to depictions of our Muslim neighbors as terrorists, No to homophobia and discrimination against trangender folks, No to the threat of people losing health insurance they desperately need. They gathered to say Yes to supporting one another, Yes to caring for our planet, Yes to our nation’s identity proclaimed on our Statue of Liberty—“give me your tired, your poor”, Yes to a vision of a diverse, inclusive nation. January 21st was a day of massive marches; the promise made in those marches is that it was not just a day but the beginning of a movement.
“Do Justice.” This is the first of the three parts of Micah’s proclamation: “What does our God require of us? Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God.” Sometimes we think of justice in narrow terms—either as what happens in courtrooms when someone has broken the law, or simply as “fairness.” Justice in the Bible is broader than that. It is not just about individual fairness but about well-being and balance in the entire community. The Bible reflects an awareness that societies tend to get out of balance, as wealth and power accumulate, leaving some people with more than enough and others struggling to get by. The prophets spoke out—loudly and boldly—against the exploitation of poor laborers by rich landowners, against the abuse of power by kings and public officials, against the mistreatment of widows and orphans, strangers and sojourners. Their call for justice was a call to restore balance–balance of power and influence, balance of resources and land.
One of the Hebrew words for justice is tzedek. That word forms the root for another word, tzedakah, which refers to the expectation that each member of the community give to support its most vulnerable members. The connection between those two words points to an active understanding of justice in the Bible: every person is expected to contribute to creating a more just society. Tzedakah refers to the giving of money, but perhaps we can expand that understanding to include the giving of our time and our talent, our passion and our energy.
To do justice is to give of ourselves. The millions of women and men who marched in cities all over our nation and our world gave of their time and energy to convey a message of hope and solidarity. It is one powerful way to live Micah’s challenge to do justice.
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Around the same time I was watching the marches on TV in Florida, wishing I were there, I went on-line and saw an article from Framingham Source. Chuck Greenslit, the article read, will be honored at this year’s Salute to Framingham. Chuck has been a volunteer coach for Framingham Youth Soccer for decades. He has helped early adolescent girls claim their power when they practice hard and work together. He has picked up kids for practice when their parents were in crisis. He has challenged boys and girls to do their best, to develop their potential, to be gracious winners and to accept that winning isn’t everything.
“Do justice.” One of the barriers to justice, to restoring the balance in our society, is the lack of opportunity for so many people. We struggle to develop public policies that will equalize opportunities—funding good schools, ensuring adequate nutrition and safe environments so children can grow and learn. We don’t have all the answers and politics often gets in the way. Even the best public policies fall short, for they cannot take into account individual needs.
What we know is that one of the most important factors enabling a child to thrive in the face of adversity is the consistent supportive presence of one adult. It might be a parent, or an aunt or grandpa or older sibling. It might be a math teacher or a Sunday School teacher or a confirmation mentor. It might be a coach, a Scout leader. When we reach out to offer our time, our wisdom, our consistent presence, we open a door for a child to seize opportunity.
Many folks in our congregation have expressed their commitment to fighting another source of inequality of opportunity—the history and persistence of racism. We begin by educating ourselves—through movies and a Lenten study–bringing to our conscious awareness the hidden assumptions and structures that shape our society, naming the privileges those of us who are white don’t even realize we have. We begin by working to build relationships of trust that can help us dismantle the power and prejudice that hurts everyone.
Working to create opportunity—by being a consistent presence in a child’s life, by building awareness of racism—these are powerful ways we do justice.
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Every Sunday morning, there are people in our church who notice who walks in the door. They reach out to offer a warm welcome. In a gentle way, they seek to convey a message: we value you for who you are, and we hope our welcome helps you trust that God values you for who you are. It is a lived expression of our commitment to be Open and Affirming—to honor people of every race and religious background and economic status, sexual orientation and gender identity.
This afternoon, a group of youth and adults from our church will take that message with them on a field trip. They will share in worship with Worcester Fellowship, an outdoor church, most of whose members are currently or formerly homeless. They will provide lunch for the worshippers; more importantly, they will honor the dignity of the men and women who gather by accepting their hospitality.
“Do justice.” Behind all our efforts to do justice is the conviction that every human being has inherent worth, a gift from God. It is a profound act of biblical justice when we treat another person with dignity. Our reading from James’ epistle lifts up this truth. James writes to a church that, within a generation of Jesus’ ministry, has already forgotten Jesus’ example. They have already slipped into valuing one another they way the larger society determines worth. The rich newcomer is taken to the best seat; the one who comes in rags is left to stand in back. No, James says. The church cannot absorb society’s prejudices; the church must live out Jesus’ message by honoring the worth of each person.
James understood the church as an oasis, a respite from a world that values people based on wealth and status. Today, the church is called to be that oasis, the sanctuary where all are valued as beloved children of God. Even more, the church is called to be the starting place, where we practice honoring each person’s dignity so we can bring that practice out into the world. By our example, by our lived message, we are called to be part of changing the world. When we acknowledge the heart of our faith, the promise that each of us is beloved and valued by God, when we practice our faith in how we treat each person who walks in this door, when we try to live that principle in our daily lives, we are doing justice.
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“Do justice,” Micah commands. We do justice when we come together to speak truth to power. We do justice when we teach and mentor and coach and listen to our children and youth. We do justice when we treat each person we encounter with dignity. We do justice when we give of ourselves to promote equitable policies and individual opportunity and the worth of each person.
We are at a crossroads in our nation and in our world. We are at a moment when our actions are absolutely crucial. It is a daunting time, an overwhelming time, for the stakes are high. Can we rise to the occasion? Do we have the courage to face this moment?
It helps me to go back to one more truth about the biblical concept of justice. Over and over again, the Bible depicts God as just and compassionate. Our human call to do justice emerges out of the recognition that we are created in God’s image. God is just and compassionate; when we too are just and compassionate, we are living into the fullness of who we are created to be.
We are created in God’s image, but we are not God. Our wisdom, our perspective, our energies are limited, and so our efforts are imperfect. God works through our imperfect efforts, and God works beyond what we can do. We are not alone. God is with us. If we slow down enough to listen, God will give us wisdom. If we ask, God will give us strength and courage.
God calls us to do justice. God calls us to give of ourselves to restore the balance, to work for equity and fairness, to create opportunity, to honor dignity. There are many places we can start. Where will you begin? Amen.