justice is not an option

please note: when I use the phrase "the Church" in the following entry I do so in referring to the Church universal. I do so with pain because I love the Church. I believe in the Church. I believe God has called the Church to work by the power of the Holy Spirit for restoration. And, that is why I write this.

I wish I could put my finger on why justice always seems to be such a low priority for the Church. Over and over again when I am having conversations with other clergy, church leadership, or parishioners, and the topic of conversation turns to justice, I find that most people in the Church act like it's something nice to do when the budget works out or it's one of those things that the Bible gives us as a tool to "win souls for Jesus."
I will reveal a lot, perhaps, in saying that this is common attitude and one which I have suffered from most of my life. For me the passage in Micah 6:8 was always less of a battle cry and more of a befuddling mess. "O mortal, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with you God?" Do Justice? What does that even mean? How do I do justice? The enlightenment has taught me that Justice is an intangible, virtuous end that only an ordered, educated system can bring about. This isn't something that I can do. It's just something that we collectively hope for.
I am afraid that this toxic lie has found it's way into the Church. We have put it on the shelf. We have shoved it in the utility closet instead of bringing it to the table of the LORD's holy meal.
But Micah isn't just throwing in a nice phrase for us to remember when we see a person who needs our help. God is telling us that this is what being children of God means. This is what is required of us. No one understood this better than Jesus. He never let religion get in the way of what the LORD required. He healed on the sabbath. He looked with love at Romans. He gave food to hoards of people and even to a group of gentiles. And when Jesus talked about hell, (the two times he did), he spoke of people who did not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give water to the thirsty, and set the captives free.
Justice is not optional. It's not a part of our faith that we can consider tacked on for our convince. It's who we are. When we say that Jesus is Lord, we confess that the LORD's justice is what we will work for as we walk humbly beside our creator.
When we were in Denver I saw people living this. It was costly. Some people got jumped in neighborhoods in which they were trying to help. Others gave up a housing opportunity to live in a converted hotel and befriend people that needed some good neighbors. Some people gave up jobs to serve meals. Others decided to buy an old synagogue and start new ministries for people in need.
Justice is not optional. Denver reminded me that it can't be.
Grace and Peace

the poor we will always have with us

I don't usually get that nervous when I preach anymore. I have learned to so completely lean into God that I don't consider it to be much about me. But, while we were in Denver I was asked to lead a one-hour bible study five minutes before it started. I didn't have anything. I didn't have words. But, I did have 40 hungry homeless that were in need of bread and something else that only God could provide. So I prayed as I was being introduced and then began to press into God. After we were fed by the word, we dined together at the table of conversation. And, over a bean soup I conversed with three others about something so profound I don't even remember what it was. They had words. I did not. As we said our good-byes and they hugged me like they really meant it, the women in the group said, "don't forget us." I have to confess, I shrugged it off. Who amongst us that have been on some kind of service trip haven't heard this phrase before? And we always give the same response..."I won't." But we do.

Don't forget us. I knew what she meant. Come back. Give more. I got the message.

But then something happened. I was reading in the gospel of Mark this afternoon and in chapter 14 there is this story of Jesus getting together with his friends for a meal a few days before passover and a woman breaks up the party. She strolls in with some perfume that cost way too much money (I see nothing changes), and she breaks it open and pours it over Jesus' head. she then gets scolded by the disciples who tell her and Jesus that it would have been better if the perfume would have been sold and the money given to the poor. But then Jesus says something I have always misunderstood. "The poor you will always have with you." Jesus loves what this woman did. And he reminds his disciples that the poor with always be with them. Now when I have read this in the past I have always assumed that Jesus meant that there would always be poor people. This is just the product of the broken system. The world is in need of restoration and until that happens we will have the poor. But, I think there is something more happening here. Jesus is with his closest friends. People who are to follow him. To do as he does. Jesus isn't saying well they will always be around. Jesus is talking about the expectation of proximity. It is as though he were saying to them, "The poor will always be with you, right? You aren't going to leave them are you?" Jesus is expecting the poor to always be amongst the Church. The followers of Jesus are charged with taking care of the poor. Those who love the LORD are to make sure that the poor are taken care of. That's our job. That's who we are called to be. The poor will always be with us. Or at least they should be.

So when this woman hugged me and said don't forget us and I said I won't. I think something else was going on. I believe I was being reminded of something. The poor we will always have with us. Or at least they should be.

I think James says it best: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Don't forget us...I won't

Grace and Peace

Back From Denver

After 2000 miles and 10,000 feet worth of elevation change, we are back from our service in Denver. It was a wonderful time in which the risen Christ was made evident in a number of ways. After spending some time thinking about these things, there are three aspects of the trip that I wish to share with you and these will come out over the next few days.

1. the poor we will always have with us
2. justice is not optional
3. the collapsing of time and space in the eucharist

Thanks for all the prayers and thoughts as we served...you sustained us through the power of the Holy Spirit

Grace and Peace

Off to Denver

Tomorrow morning I will be heading toward the mountains along with seven other of Rolling Acres faithful. We will be heading into Denver for a long weekend to do some mission work in the city. We pray for a good experience and that we will be willing to do whatever is required of us so that the grace and truth of the living God may be evident. We hope that this will be the first of many adult mission groups to go out from our Mason City church and we hope that God continues to work in the lives of those going this year and in the lives of those who are being called to a future experience. I will be sure to share more about the experience upon our return. Until then,

Grace and Peace