Don’t you find it
interesting that the Supreme Court ruled on the Defense of Marriage Act and
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act the week before we celebrate the 4th
of July? Those rulings left me thinking about the subject of justice.
We include the phrase “with liberty and justice for all” in our Pledge of Allegiance. The truth is that justice is often a controversial topic. The founding mothers and fathers of the republic were —many of them—regarded as trouble-makers. Their statements and actions often shocked their fellow countrymen who had pledged their support to England. Even John Wesley regarded the rebels in North America with suspicion! Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was regarded as a threat to public safety…a radical. As were those who fought for safety in the work place, a living wage, and environmental justice.
When the prophet Amos says (5:24), “Let justice roll down like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” it is a reminder that justice is often a roaring, wild thing that alters the landscape…moves boulders… and turns upside-down what has been conventional and accepted.
Justice for me and for those who think like me, live like me, is perfectly obvious. Justice for those who do not share my views or live like me can often seem radical and threatening.
Justice is justice, though. Fair is fair.
Bill Moyers recently addressed the growing distress in the middle class as incomes fall. He said that as a Baptist in Texas they were mindful of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We didn’t pray that each person is in it all by themselves, but that we should look out for one another, and do our best to see that people were paid a living wage, he explained.
The subject of justice is found throughout scripture. Amos points out that having impressive worship gatherings in the name of God while tolerating injustice in everyday life is offensive to God. “I hate, I despise your religious festivals,” God says through the prophet. “I cannot stand your assemblies.”
While I won’t pretend to comment in detail on these decisions (I decided a long time ago not to go to law school!), I will say that the rulings lead me to think of one of the core teachings of Jesus.
Jesus says you can sum up the Law (writings of Moses) and the Prophets with this phrase (Matthew 7:12): “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” When you are discussing what the Supreme Court has said, when you consider how we deal with questions around marriage and family and voting rights, ask yourself if we are offering our brothers or sisters what we would hope to receive from them.
I find the American experiment in democracy and justice an amazing, inspiring, sometimes troubling, hopeful journey. When you look up at the fireworks this week, or gather with friends, or listen to Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” I invite you to pray for our nation. I invite you to give thanks for the gift of freedom that must always be lived out with love and self restraint. I invite you to pray for people in other nations who are taking steps towards a more just future and the inspiring mess that democracy can sometimes be (Egypt?).
And it is worth remembering that justice is almost always controversial. It’s a wild river that turns things upside-down and unsettles the status-quo.
Happy Birthday, America!
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
We include the phrase “with liberty and justice for all” in our Pledge of Allegiance. The truth is that justice is often a controversial topic. The founding mothers and fathers of the republic were —many of them—regarded as trouble-makers. Their statements and actions often shocked their fellow countrymen who had pledged their support to England. Even John Wesley regarded the rebels in North America with suspicion! Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was regarded as a threat to public safety…a radical. As were those who fought for safety in the work place, a living wage, and environmental justice.
When the prophet Amos says (5:24), “Let justice roll down like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream” it is a reminder that justice is often a roaring, wild thing that alters the landscape…moves boulders… and turns upside-down what has been conventional and accepted.
Justice for me and for those who think like me, live like me, is perfectly obvious. Justice for those who do not share my views or live like me can often seem radical and threatening.
Justice is justice, though. Fair is fair.
Bill Moyers recently addressed the growing distress in the middle class as incomes fall. He said that as a Baptist in Texas they were mindful of the Lord’s Prayer: “Give us this day our daily bread.” We didn’t pray that each person is in it all by themselves, but that we should look out for one another, and do our best to see that people were paid a living wage, he explained.
The subject of justice is found throughout scripture. Amos points out that having impressive worship gatherings in the name of God while tolerating injustice in everyday life is offensive to God. “I hate, I despise your religious festivals,” God says through the prophet. “I cannot stand your assemblies.”
While I won’t pretend to comment in detail on these decisions (I decided a long time ago not to go to law school!), I will say that the rulings lead me to think of one of the core teachings of Jesus.
Jesus says you can sum up the Law (writings of Moses) and the Prophets with this phrase (Matthew 7:12): “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you.” When you are discussing what the Supreme Court has said, when you consider how we deal with questions around marriage and family and voting rights, ask yourself if we are offering our brothers or sisters what we would hope to receive from them.
I find the American experiment in democracy and justice an amazing, inspiring, sometimes troubling, hopeful journey. When you look up at the fireworks this week, or gather with friends, or listen to Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man” I invite you to pray for our nation. I invite you to give thanks for the gift of freedom that must always be lived out with love and self restraint. I invite you to pray for people in other nations who are taking steps towards a more just future and the inspiring mess that democracy can sometimes be (Egypt?).
And it is worth remembering that justice is almost always controversial. It’s a wild river that turns things upside-down and unsettles the status-quo.
Happy Birthday, America!
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
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