Tag: life

Let ‘Em Fight
Psalm 145:10–18; 2 Kings 3:4–20; Colossians 3:12–17

It can be hard to be rid of wounds. Many physical ones heal with scars, though the deeper body ones may not heal well. For most of us, the emotional and spiritual wounds are the ones with deep and lasting effects. These are the ones that can hold us back; they can also be the ones that drive us forward. When our loved ones are wounded, often our response is heightened due to our desire to protect them and our subsequent failure to do so. We, then, may react toward them in ways that may seem unwise or over the top.

Elisha’s response to Joram (or Jehoram) may have been a bit harsh. Elisha was the spiritual son of Elijah as the inheritor of the prophetic position. Joram was the son of Ahab. Elijah and Ahab had a poor relationship. Horrible relationship might be more appropriate. Elijah lived much of his life in fear of Ahab. That likely deeply affected Elisha’s response to Joram. Even prophetic people are human.

Although it often seems impossible to live beyond our pains or the pains of our loved ones, we are still called to do it. Will we fail? More often than not. Yet, often it is only through the striving to move beyond the pain that we can begin to heal and gain new perspectives.

We bring our hurts with us everywhere we go, including church. In fact, one of the biggest reasons people leave a church (or the church or the faith) is because people at church hurt them. The reality is that the church proportionally contains as many hurt people as the world…100%. How we deal with the hurts should be what separates Christian behavior from the world’s behavior.

We should be honest…Christian behavior in this regard is often worse than the world’s. The world has put systems into place to mitigate some of it. It still misses a lot of it. Across the denominational landscape (i.e., in no way limited to a single tradition or denomination), the church has done a horrible job. Whether it is the burying and hiding of failures or the annihilation of the failed, the church has left a large body count in its wake.

Paul’s words to the Colossians aren’t just to a “church”, it is to individuals. One of the biggest mistakes we in/of the church make is thinking in institutional terms, rather than individual terms. This is very peculiar as the primary Western expression of Christianity is all about individual salvation, individual sin (for repentance and salvation). Yet, we are quick to move to an institutional framework when it (even just) might require us to deal with the failures of another.

There is a huge piece of personal responsibility. There is a huge piece of institutional responsibility. Institutions are made of individuals, so it still comes down to individuals. How we are formed by each other and the Scriptures will play a significant part of how we deal with things. Though, the hardest part is not running away every time, and yet—after doing the hard work—there is a time to leave.

The peace of one body is hard to achieve. Paul commends sing psalms and worship songs to one another. That “to” is interesting. Our worship songs are “to” God (as they should be as reflections of praise, adoration, and thanksgiving). It would be nice to know which songs and psalms Paul meant. It does mean though that we are to work on one another in the love of Christ. It also means, that we are to allow ourselves to be worked on, which often means our pains and hurts come out. What we do with ours and those of others may well reflect how much we really let the Holy Spirit renovate our hearts.

※Reflection※
- What worship songs (of any era) or psalms would you think of to sing to others to help form them in the image of Christ?
- When it comes to conflict how do you deal with it at home, at work, extended family, socially, at church? How do you respond when you witness conflict at each of these places?
- How do Paul’s words affect your responses, or your future responses, to conflict?
※Prayer※

Lord, we wrestle with one another, often out of pain. Blessed Healer, heal our hearts so that we do not hurt the hearts of others.
2021-07-23
Burning Call
Psalm 145:10–18; 1 Kings 19:19–21; Colossians 1:9–14

One of the issues that has come up in the last year in church-ish circles is the ordination of women. Saddleback took a bold step and ordained women which went against the predominant grain of their partner body (SBC). There was an unexpected explosion in certain circles against Beth Moore. Along with misogynistic proclamations and male misconduct issues in the SBC, Moore left that body that she had grown up in.

One of the claims against women being ordained are some contextually misused verses and the traditions of the Israelites. The Church of the Nazarene has ordained women since its founding, but over the years has struggled to fulfill that promise. It’s on the right track, but there is work to be done, still.

There is often a wringing of hands in Christian Complementarianism (where only men can be leaders/pastors/elders) circles that there aren’t enough faithful men to fulfill empty roles. The Roman Catholic church, on top of its complementarian issues also requires celibacy, is also experiencing this problem. Some churches in both groups are finding creative ways around their limitations, but the reality is that there aren’t the faithful men needed.

For me, there were two transformative experiences in this regard. The first was experiencing the preaching of Dr. Nina Gunter. Any person with any spiritual sense and without theological blinders could experience her spirit-led preaching. The second was during my “Discovery” weekend of my pastoral journey, where I had to preach to my peers, senior pastor, and District Superintendent. I preached from Luke 19:38–40, where Jesus was told to rebuke his disciples. He responded, then the rocks will cry out. When I was praying over the words to preach, it came to me; God will not wait for us to proclaim God’s glory.

In other words, in the tradition of the Church of the Nazarene (and our sibling Holiness denominations) already assumed there were faithful women (and, yes, there are deeper theological reasons). I came to realize that complementarianism may actually already have its answer. If the men won’t rise, perhaps the women will (see Judges 4:4–9). Not the most Nazarene answer, at the time, but it resonated with my heart (and its implications went far beyond the ordination of women).

Faithfully responding to God has long been an issue. It goes beyond gender. It goes beyond status. It goes beyond wealth. It is a reflection of sin.

To understand, Elisha was, at minimum, plowing in a community, where people worked fields together (theirs and each others’). Some commentators believe that Elisha owned (or was the son of the owner of) all the oxen. That would be 24 oxen, so that would have been a lot of wealth (kind of like having 24 Jaguar cars). Elisha (and/or his family) owning 2 seems much more likely. That would still put him (in modern terms) in a very comfortable middle class.

Then some famous guy comes and puts his mantle (Elijah’s symbol of the prophetic office) on Elisha’s shoulders. Elisha understands that Elijah is declaring him the heir of the prophetic office, which was an unusual example in the Scriptures. Elisha’s response was (basically), “let me show respect and love to my parents.” Done. Then Elisha burns the equipment required for a yoke of oxen, then kills same oxen for a celebration.

Elisha opening, publically, severs himself from his old life. That is a lot of money to just be burning. It’s a great party, but there is no financial way of coming back from it easily. It’s similar to “burning the ships”. Hernán Cortés was famously said to have done this (he really just sank them) to keep his men from trying to return home or mutiny (there is a lot more to the story, and much of it not so positive). Elisha did it for himself.

One of the challenges that the Western Church faces is trying to return. This isn’t just buildings (So, let’s not burn them or just sell them). Actually, it’s more of a way of thinking. Looking back for guidance and encouragement? Yes. Looking back for the plan to navigate this new world? No.

You, too, have a call on your life. You, too, have oxen to burn and ships to sink.

※Reflection※
- What items/events/fears of your past or present are keeping you from living an on fire life for God? (Yes, that is a question worth asking daily)
- If there was one “thing” in your life that would indicate that your are moving on, what would it be?
- Why are we so attracted to stories like that of Cortés or Elisaha, but don’t put it into practice? What other cultural icons (generic or specific) are similar to Cortés and Elisha?
※Prayer※

Lord, there is no question that we are called to live for you. Let our lives be the bonfires that bring people into your light. Amen.
2021-07-22
The Shepherd’s Care
Psalm 100; 2 Samuel 5:1–12; Luke 15:1–7

In case you haven’t noticed, the theme for the week (Thursday through today, plus tomorrow) is sheep. Almost all the Scriptures reference sheep in some form or another. Without question, the sheep are the People of God. Even in Luke, Jesus is still using the sheep as a term for the Jews. As Christians, we understand that we have been adopted into the family of the all-loving God (though some of us are more dysfunctional than others).

We might question being thought of as livestock, especially if you’ve had any experience with Soylent Green, Twilight Zone’s To Serve Man, Silence of the Lambs, Cloud Atlas, Make Room! Make Room! or Tender is the Flesh, or any of the real-life stories such as the Donner Party or Jeffrey Dahmer. While we have dystopian stories and real-life stories of people eating people, there is another type of eating of man that occurs, and that is the spiritual and emotional destruction that we often visit upon one another.

Despite the philosophy and dreamings of the Ayn Rands of the world, no human being can become fully human without being loved and cared for. This is the heart of the why the imagery of livestock. Not that God looks at us as livestock, but in the same way that humans look at their sheep and goats…unable to see the bigger picture. We cannot see the God-sized picture. The sheep and the goats could barely think beyond the grass in front of them. The sheep and goats had to rely on the shepherd.

The shepherd kept them safe. The shepherd cared for them individually. The shepherd knew them by name.

Take that concept into the elders of Israel coming to David and saying that he was their shepherd. Now, to be fair, most of them were probably not all that thrilled with David, at that point. Most of them had chosen to follow Saul, who was now dead at the hands of the Philistines. They initially rejected David’s kingship, but then came to him.

Perhaps, like me, you’ve been twisted into a cynical person. Perhaps, like me, you wonder if these leaders were conveying a slightly different message than, “you’re our shepherd.” Perhaps they were really saying, “we’re Israelites, too. Don’t take it out on us.”These verses in Samuel seemed more of the perspective to justify or solidify David’s kingship. For it was not until Hiram of Tyre acknowledged David that we see that David perceived that the kingship was his.

What is also interesting is that despite the leaders’ cynical statement (at least from my perspective), there was still truth. David was their shepherd. Verse 12 then ends with, “…Then David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel, and that his kingship was held in great honor for the sake of his people Israel.” And therein lies the underlying truth. It is for the people. It is for the herd. It is for the sheep.

As we come to the New Testament, with Jesus as a descendent of the Davidic line, this shepherd and sheep motif takes on a completely different role. Jesus knows each of us by name, even those who hate or avoid him. He knows everyone by name. Jesus is the True Shepherd.

※Reflection※
- From our (particularly) modern perspective, how is it bad to be a sheep? From a Christological perspective, how is it good to be a sheep?
- How and/or why do you think being a sheep went from positive to negative?
- What lesson can we learn from the motives of David and the elders (regarding being sheep and shepherd) in comparison to the Truth of Jesus being the shepherd?
※Prayer※

Lord, we like sheep have gone astray time and time again. Guide us into the Truth and Love of your embrace. Amen.
2021-07-21
Undivide
Psalm 23; Jeremiah 23:1–6; Ephesians 2:11–22; Mark 6:30–34, 53–56

The words from Jeremiah were primarily aimed at the priests and religious leaders. They are hard words for we clergy, as they should be. Yet, they are no longer words solely for the clergy. As a part of the priesthood of believers, they are for you, too. It might seem odd though as you may not be aware of even having a flock.

First, of course, is your family. However, for Christians, it expands far beyond the family. In fact, focusing too much on the family may blind us to our flock. Our flock may consist of coworkers, neighbors, even the staff of the restaurants you patronage.

The flock of your care is much like the Ephesians that Paul wrote to. He noted that at one point they were alien to the faith and alien to God. They were not in relationship with the Creator of the universe. In the current era, we need Jesus to break down the barrier of hatred that has been building up between the church and the world. This is not to say that we have to crucify Christ once more. It does signify the importance of the sacrifice, and just how important this wall is, along with our responsibility to tear down as far as is in our power and capability.

Our ability to work through this is similar to how Jesus saw the people who surrounded him. They had no shepherd. The world is much the same. Hence the tossing to and fro between this idea and that one.

We cannot be the True Shepherd, but we can lead people to Him.

One of the biggest ways is to be the healer. The world needs a lot of healing. The division of politics is a big one. Yet, there is the reckoning with the failures and (yes) sins of those that went before us. There are many things that need to be healed, and many of them are not on the evening news or the 24-hour news channels because they are not dramatically bad.

It is the little things in everyday lives that build up into large wounds that need healing. We see the big ones, but the reality is that the big ones were usually built on a bunch of little ones. Whether they were wounds in everyday life or wounds made in the church, it doesn’t matter. Because of who the husband of the church is (Jesus), we the church have the ability, perspective, and responsibility to heal the world.

※Reflection※
- Why do you think each person of the church is called to be a shepherd?
- Why is important for us to recognize our responsibility to help to heal the world?
- What is one wound that you have that you see in the world, too? How might you help the world heal that wound? Would help others through that wound help your own healing?
※Prayer※

Lord, we hear the voice of you, Our Shepherd. May we obediently follow your voice and your will. Amen.
2021-07-18
Kick or Lift
Psalm 23; Jeremiah 12:1–13; Luke 18:35–43

Understanding that we don’t know the whys and wherefores of life is one step. Accepting it is another. Then the biggest step is not blaming God. Often blaming God is the easiest as it means we have no responsibility. It also means we have no control, so we are “spared”.Yet, deep down inside we feel the disconnect. That’s why we, even in our modern enlightened era are constantly trying to find the next “right” leader (and leaders). We strive against our hopes and fears that the next one will be the “right” one.

Jeremiah summarizes all of these emotions with his anguished words to God. Jeremiah acknowledges that he (just like us) has no place to judge God. That doesn’t mean that Jeremiah doesn’t want to understand (just like us).

Although it is not stated, God seems to respond starting with verse 5, asking Jeremiah how long he will strive against all that is coming. Then the verses continue about an inheritance that has been abandoned because of the betrayal it had committed. There is no joy in God’s words. There is heartbreak.

A decision was made to turn against God; to go their own way.If they had been the blind man, calling for the mercy of God and meaning it. All things would have changed. The blind man was persistent in the face of contrary opinion. He asked for mercy. He received mercy. Jesus said it was his faith.

If the inheritors had begged in faith for such mercy, they, too, could have been healed.

※Reflection※
- Where in your life do you identify with Jeremiah?
- Have you had any experience in your life similar to God’s response in Jeremiah?
- Have you experienced or witnessed a similar movement of faith, grace, and healing as the blind man?
※Prayer※

God, we don’t see all the pieces. We know by faith that you are moving in the world. Help us to see your moving and the ability to share it with others. Amen.
2021-07-17
Road Inheritance
Psalm 23; Jeremiah 10:1–16; Colossians 1:15–23

Psalm 23:3 reads, in effect, “God helps and guides me along the paths that are best for me.” Note that it doesn’t say, “God will make me…” We choose to follow the guide, or we choose not to. That isn’t all that comforting, especially as we look around us. Free will is the ability to choose the wrong path.

Jesus said, “Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and the road wide, so many people enter through it. 14 But the gate that leads to life is narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14) In today’s plethora of choice, it might be rewritten to say, “there are plenty of roads to choose, many of which are attractive, fun, enjoyable, and scratch our itches. However, the road to True Life is hard to find among all the options, and there is very little on the road that makes it attractive for the world to follow.” Or you could say that the “narrow road” is a one-lane road, and the broad road is an 8-billion+ lane one.

The Church and its people, however, still remain too attracted to the “ways of the nations” and the “signs in the sky” (Jeremiah 10:2). Regardless of political affiliation or social justice issues or a myriad of other things, the Church gets distracted very easily. Now, this is not to say that the issues that the world face are not our concern. Quite the contrary. We are to look to Christ first so that we are equipped to bring light, hope, love, and reconciliation. Instead, we look to politics and the talking heads that speak of the issues of the world to guide us. This crosses (pun intended) all political and other ideological lines.

What also comes of this is our inheritance. There just might be a reason why God speaks through Jeremiah of the unique inheritance of the descendants of Jacob. We are those spiritual descendants (not necessarily of blood), so we should be paying attention, too. Our inheritance is not the world’s, and for that, we should be thankful! If our inheritance is from God, it seems reasonable to not want any other inheritance.

The deception is that in the world we see a “shadow” of Jesus. All of Creation was made through him and for him (Colossians 1:16). This means that it is easy to be deceived, or deceive ourselves, that we are following the right path for even the wrong paths have a shadow of Jesus. The skeptic (or the hopeful) might suggest this means that all paths lead to Jesus. Your shadow is an imperfect image of you that changes depending on the direction of the light source and the type of light source. It isn’t really you, just as the shadows of the world might look at times like Jesus, they really aren’t.

※Reflection※
- What tensions do you see with Jesus loving the world, and the shadows of the world that may appear to look like Jesus?
- What are some current issues/concerns of the world that appear to look like Jesus? How might those same issues not be like Jesus?
※Prayer※

Jesus, stir in our hearts to claim and to share the inheritance that rust and moths cannot destroy. Amen.
2021-07-15
Rubble and Ruin
Psalm 142; Amos 9:1–4; Acts 23:12–35

I don’t know about you, but I’m a little jaundiced about earthquakes. I grew up in Northern California. Earthquakes were…normal isn’t the word…to be expected. So much so, that the first earthquake my wife experiences was in the middle of the night. She woke me up in a panic, “Was that an earthquake!?” “Yes,” I responded sleepily and went back to sleep. The biggest earthquake I experienced was the Loma Prieta one. It was big. Things fell off shelves, but it was just an earthquake. Finally, my mom convinced me to turn on the radio. Then I figured it out. It was big.

The coming earthquake in Amos was big. Unlike us who have a larger grasp of earthquakes and their reasons, ancient peoples had no such framework. Earthquakes were generational memories (and they didn’t live on the Rim of Fire, either). An earthquake was a momentous, God-sized event. According to scholars, the earthquake predicted in Amos happened around 2 years later and is mentioned in literature elsewhere in the region. The earthquake leveled a temple dedicated to gods other than God.

The Israelites by this point were the 10 tribes of Israel that had separated from Judah and Benjamin. They had developed their own worship. While maintaining some concept of their original identity, during this particular era, they were a power of their own. The lowly southern tribes were nothing to them.

Many years before near Bethel, a man had a dream. He dreamed of a “ladder of angels.” He had received a vision from God and a promise of descendants. He called the place Bethel. God called the man Israel (granted, that happened later). Where Jacob had the vision and received a promise to become a father of nations, now his descendants turned away from God. The dream was broken.

The vision (that came true) of the destruction of the temple at Bethel sounds pretty severe. It was. That Amos’ call was to this nation showed that God was not truly done with Israel. God still wanted these descendants of Israel and Abraham. Abandoning of the dream, the covenant, and the hope.

Paul was no Amos. For the Jews, he was something far worse. He destined change within the confines of their faith. Paul had no plan to be part of some new religion, but to be part of the ultimate fulfillment of the faith in which he was raised and trained. Planning an assassination is the move of people who do not wish to be seen, or fear the strength of someone stronger (the Roman empire). The sad truth is that, yet again, the religious leaders were knowingly allowing, abetting, and therefore approving the murder of another. They could claim that they did not murder (and be truthful), but they could have stopped it. They chose not to.

Whether Amos or Paul, speaking the words of God to people who don’t want to hear them (especially those that say they believe in the word of God) can be dangerous. Our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world deal with that very issue on a daily basis. While we dispute the (un)righteousness of a political party, president, or even nation, there are people that truly suffer for Jesus. This is not to say that our woes are minor, it is just a matter of perspective.

※Reflection※
- What “earthquakes” (life shattering events) have you experienced? These can be both good and bad.
- Why do “bad things” happen to believing people? What makes Amos’ Israelites similar to the church (Christians)? What makes them different (besides Jesus)?
- What actions (or inactions) have you committed (or omitted) that resembles the religious leaders who countenanced Paul’s assassination?
※Prayer※

God, you move mountains. Often it is easier to move mountains than the hearts of humanity. Forgive our hearts of stone. Give us, day by day, new hearts that beat only for you. Amen.
2021-07-13
Who Is For You

Amos 7:7–15; Psalm 85:8–13; Ephesians 1:3–14; Mark 6:14–29

There are many people in the world who have a person they focus on. That person could be an individual they look up to. That person could also be a person who was the source of a lot of pain or conflict. When there is such a person in our lives, we will often not see others as important as that person, even when that person is more significant to others.

There was very little to commend Herod. He wasn’t known as the best ruler. He definitely had some difficulties seeing the next step. Herodias probably wasn’t the only one who had Herod wrapped around her finger.

Herod’s response to Jesus was to claim that John the Baptist was raised from the dead. That’s more than a little weird unless John the Baptist was that singular person for Herod.

It makes sense. John the Baptist apparently spoke to Herod quite a bit. Herod liked listening to him, but couldn’t understand him. Knowing the language that John used (“you brood of vipers” comes to mind), either Herod was clueless or John spoke to him differently, which seems unlikely.

Herod also didn’t seem to understand what was going on in his territory. John the Baptist? He knew John. Jesus? Nope. We know later Herod got a clue, but at this point, it was John over Jesus.

There are times where one person is “the” person. For a time and a place, they are the person to lead or to influence. Then their time is over. Generally, we assume that the next person will be younger, but not always.

Whose time and place will have the greatest impact upon us will usually not be figured out until the time has passed.

Often the person we think was the most influential is not the person we think it should be. For each of us, we often think it is Jesus. We have a hard time imagining John the Baptist outshining John the Baptist. Yet, for Herod—at that time—it was John the Baptist.

※Reflection※

Who have been the influential people in your life? Were they the “important” people of the world? How did they influence you?

2021-07-10
God of Boxes
Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 4:6–13; Luke 1:57–80

God speaks shalom to his people [who follow him] and to his faithful [where he is the core] ones (a very loose paraphrase of Psalm 85:8)

Salvation is close to those that honor God (Psalm 85:9).

Then…we get Amos. When we first read Amos, we are tempted to think, “This is a loving God?” As with most prophetic speech, being too literal can be problematic. This is more of the arc of the story of Israel. In other words, it wasn’t one thing after another. It was one thing…time passed (even generations)…they didn’t return…another thing, and so forth. When it’s all tied together seemingly in a short time span as we read it, it can leave us breathless and/or anxious.

Which…it should.

The symmetry of these issues goes along with Egypt, who would not “see” the power of God as worth listening to until the death of the firstborn (see Exodus 4:8–12:33). Then there is the addition of Sodom and Gomorrah (still used today as a prophetic whip). This also builds on Moses’ warnings which promised that the curses on Egypt would be inflicted on Israel if they did not choose God (see Deuteronomy 28:15–61).

This is where we who focus heavily on the love of God and the nature of God loving all need to pay attention ourselves. God is love. That doesn’t mean permissiveness. It often means discipline.

“Know then in your heart that as a parent disciplines a child so the LORD your God disciplines you.” —Deuteronomy 8:5

We don’t like this. The fact that our emotional response to discipline is, “you don’t love me,” is one of the greatest struggles for our modern sensitivities. We struggle (and that’s fine) with the concept that God would discipline through pestilence, famine, war, etcetera. We will often use the language of “God allows”, or explain things as “an ‘old world’ understanding”. While this is understandable, there is a fundamental soteriological (theology dealing with the nature and means of salvation) flaw in it. When we diminish God’s acts to solely “natural” consequences, we remove God’s movement (including that of the Holy Spirit) in our lives, even the concept of prevenient grace (the grace that goes before us).

Removing Godly discipline is removing God.

Zechariah (the father of John the Baptist) was muted (disciplined) by God (through an angel) when he questioned how he and Elizabeth in their advanced years could have a child. Want to see a preaching/teaching pastor freak out? Mute them. Zechariah’s duties may not have been preaching as we understand it, but in an oral culture (most people couldn’t read) not being able to speak was a severe handicap. Instead, when Zechariah confirmed that his son’s name was John and he was no longer mute, he praised God. After his discipline, he praised God. Being that praise was Zechariah’s first response (and praise not being, “thank you for healing me.”), it is quite probable that Zechariah was praising God even while mute. Praising God while being disciplined; that is hard.

It isn’t impossible. Yet we want to put God in a box. The box of the God of love is often the one where God doesn’t punish or discipline. God doesn’t fit into our boxes.

※Reflection※
- In your life, what boxes have you put God into? How do these boxes deal with punishment, discipline, and/or love?
- Why might a God of discipline also be a God of love? How do we often confuse these?
- What do we lose when we remove discipline form the nature and/or character of God? Is that important?
※Prayer※

Lord, there are things in life and in the Scriptures we just don’t understand. Grant us your grace to see you in and through it all. Amen.
2021-07-10
Know Justice. Know Peace.
Psalm 85:8–13; Amos 2:6–16; Colossians 2:1–5

Speaking peace to people often seems to be a lost cause. First, many people don’t want peace. Actually, many people don’t want peace. Oh, they want peace from war (most). That often is the most common form of “peace” we use in everyday language. There is another one that is often used in Christian circles, usually used in the context of “being at peace.” Contented trust may be more accurate, but not always. However, peace is far more than no war.

In Psalm 85:8 it is the Hebrew word shalom. The above English uses of peace fit into shalom. Shalom is far broader than that. Shalom includes: peace, well, peaceably, welfare, prosperity, safe, health, peaceable, completeness, soundness (in body), quiet, tranquillity, contentment, friendship, of human relationships with God especially in covenant relationship, peace (from war). Many of the protests over the last year (and more) there were signs and shouted words of, “no justice, no peace.” There is Truth in that. Yet, because of the context where these words are spoken peace becomes something far less. The implication is that there will be protests (i.e., disruption, anger, more protests) until justice is done. When justice is done, there will be peace (i.e., no disruption, no anger, no protests).

Except, for Christians and their Jewish “relatives”, the better phrasing should probably be, “know justice; know peace.” Or in more Godly language, “know justice; know shalom.” This is not a small distinction.

Shalom implies a community unified around God (and often not our pet issues), where harmony and care for one another prevails. As alluded to in the opening paragraph, people often don’t want it. In particular, this is about getting our way and our stuff. Capitalism, Marxism, (Marxism’s altered sibling) Communism, bartering all involve people. Therefore, any of them have issues. There is no perfect economy.

Abuse and oppression within an economy and community are definitely in contrast to shalom. It is also contrary to God’s intent.

Amos’ words are an attack on the rich and powerful. They are on an attack on those who are overly comfortable and reliant upon the desecration of the image of God in the poor. There are varying arguments one could have regarding the differences of today and in Amos’ time and what that means in regard to oppression and abuse. It’s that very argument that is the problem.

We seek our peace and not Shalom.

In a weekly group that discusses one of the devotionals over the previous week, one of the big discussion points has been the concept of justice. What justice is…is nebulous. We think we know what justice is (and in some circumstances we do). However, what justice is and how it works changes as the group grows larger. Justice between individuals is relatively simple (not easy). When one increases the number of people justice is no longer that way. Then, especially in the context of seeking justice for past harms, justice may actually be diminished into vengeance.

Thus, when we seek justice, first we must seek shalom.

※Reflection※
- How does shalom affect justice? Why is shalom the critical missing factor in our modern conversations about justice?
- How and why is “know” an important part of both shalom and peace?
※Prayer※

Lord, let shalom rest inside us and fill us. May we be instruments of your shalom in the world. Amen.
2021-07-08