The Waking Dreamer: Justice

Showing posts with label Justice. Show all posts

Wednesday, March 04, 2026

Open Hands

You may have gathered that I’m something of a people watcher. I find it fascinating to observe the way our society functions. Of course, all that observing I do is from my perspective, and therefore it’s limited and biased! Unfortunately, I’m not always as aware of that fact as I should be, and as a result, I have an unfortunate tendency to pass judgment on people about whom I really know very little! I’m afraid that the inconvenient truth is that we all can do that from time to time. The hard part of it is that it’s not a very generous outlook. I have to confess that I’m not very “generous” when it comes to “Superbowl Sunday.” I must admit that part of that comes from the fact that some of the players in the game will make more in one evening than most people will make in their whole lifetime. But then that can be true of a lot of top athletes in other sports as well, including the ones that I love to follow.

I think what concerns me about what I see in connection with the Superbowl is how much money we’re spending this weekend—essentially on our own entertainment. For example, this year retailers are projecting that we will spend twenty billion dollars in connection with the Superbowl. That’s just consumer spending. That’s just what we’re expected to spend on TV’s, fan gear, and food for hosting parties. To put that in perspective, the agricultural production in the state of Nebraska for the whole year is around twenty-five billion dollars, if I have my figures correct. We’re going to spend that in one weekend. When you think about everything that goes into “Superbowl Sunday,” I’m not sure anyone can measure the total amount of money that we Americans will spend on this event. To my eyes, eyes that admittedly can be judgmental at times, that can seem like an awful lot of self-indulgence.

By contrast, when I read our Scripture lessons for today, I’m reminded that one of the central messages of the Bible is that we who claim to be people of faith in the God of Exodus—the God who looked on the oppressed people with compassion and who liberated the captives—are called to embody that spirit in the way we relate to people around us. And over and over again, the Bible defines that in terms of practicing “justice.” What I find striking in our lessons for today is the clear and concrete way in which they define practicing justice! The prophet Isaiah says this means that we’re to “free those who are wrongly imprisoned”; we’re to “lighten the burden of those who work for you”; we’re to “let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people” (Isa. 58:6, NLT). More than that, we’re to “share food with the hungry,” “give shelter to the homeless,” and “give clothes to those who need them” (Isa 58:7, NLT)! It seems clear that “justice” means “compassion” and “generosity.”

Unfortunately, we tend to take a different approach toward the needy in our world. That’s especially true with those who may challenge our sense that the world is an ordered and predictable place where we can rest assured that everything will turn out the way we want it to as long as we “follow the rules.” When we feel threatened by someone like that, we tend to fall into the pattern of judging them. We analyze them and assume we know why they “fell through the cracks.” When we adopt a “judging” mindset, it’s impossible to practice “justice.” Rather than opening our hands to share generously, when we live out of fear we tend to close our fists to protect what’s ours. But as I read our Scripture lessons for today, it occurs to me that the prophet Isaiah was trying to encourage people recover a spirit of generosity as a way of restoring their relationship with God and as a way of restoring their community.

The hard question that our Scripture lesson confronts us with is how we can find a way to open our hands to give the gift of generosity to the people around us. I would say it starts with faith. To learn generosity toward others, we have to overcome the fear that there might not be enough and trust that God will provide for our needs. There are times in our lives when we wonder whether there will be enough, and it can be hard to trust that God will provide. But as I look over my life, I realize that there was always enough. Learning generosity starts with trusting that God will provide for our needs. I think generosity also comes from cultivating a spirit of gratitude. When we recognize that we have received far more than we could deserve or expect, it leads to sincere gratitude. And when we’re grateful for our lives, we can be a lot more willing and able to relate to others with generosity. And I think practicing generosity takes a good dose of humility. When we remember how many times we’ve failed and instead of getting what we deserved God’s grace has let us off the hook, we’ll be more likely to extend that grace and let others off the hook.

Generosity is not easy to learn. And it can be even harder to practice. It’s hard to know when someone is truly in need and when they’re just scamming you. And it’s hard to know how much you should give a person who is destitute. And it’s risky, because you can’t control what they’ll will do with the help you give them. But for my part I would say I think practicing generosity is worth the risk. Again, I think it’s important to hear what the prophet Isaiah says about practicing generosity as a way of restoring our not only relationship with God, but also as a way of restoring our community and our society.

At the end of the day, we who profess faith in the God of Exodus, the God who liberated his oppressed people out of his great love for them, are called to practice the same generosity toward the oppressed people in our world. We who have received the gift of being let off the hook time and again by God’s grace are summoned to extend that same grace to those who fall short, for whatever reason. We who have experienced the open hand of God giving us all that we need and more can do no less than open our hands and extend them to the people in need around us.

The Bible can get uncomfortably specific about whom that includes. Isaiah says that we practice the generosity we’ve received from God when we stop hiding from those who need our help (Isa 58:7, NLT). I don’t know about you, but I’ve been there, and it can be uncomfortable. It can be hard to practice generosity, but when we open our hands and offer generosity to those around us, particularly those in need, we’re demonstrating the difference God’s grace has made in our lives. Jesus calls that living as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. The good news is that in 2024, the last year for which we have statistics, our charitable giving as a society totaled almost 600 billion dollars. The not so great news is that’s only about two to three percent of our national economy. Of course, it’s hard to measure generosity simply in terms of dollars. It’s clear that there are a lot of people who are giving a lot to help a lot of people. But there’s always room for improvement. I think we all have room to grow when it comes to practicing generosity in our daily lives. I think that’s at least part what Jesus had in mind when he said, “you are the light of the world.” I think he wants us to show the difference God’s grace makes in our lives every day by opening our hands and giving the gift of generosity to the people we encounter.

Saturday, January 17, 2026

Setting Things Right

Matthew 3:1-17[1]

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want the world to be a better place for their children and grandchildren. I say that because it seems to me that the level of division in this country has gotten to the place where we see people as “enemies” and as a “threat” simply because they hold different points of view. One of the things that most of us disagree about is what it will take to make the world a better place for our children and grandchildren. Some think that we need a free market that encourages those who have wealth to invest it in our economy. Others believe we need equal opportunities for people of all walks of life. Some will say we need to invest more money in educating our children. And there are many who believe that people need to return to church as a way of making God more central to their lives. I’m sure all of these views make some valid points. But I’m also sure that not all of us are ever going to agree completely on what it will take to make a better world.

I would say that our gospel lesson for today actually addresses the question of what it will take to make this world a better place. It talks about the ministry of John the baptizer, whom many in his day considered to be a prophet. And like the prophets of old, when some of the Jewish leaders came to present themselves for baptism, John told them to get their lives right with God first. I think it’s easy to miss that message from the prophets. More often than not, prophets called people to return to God, just like John the baptizer. Part of the problem is that the way they called people to return to God was by insisting that they practice true justice. If you read the story of the Jewish people, you find that their leaders were inconsistent to say the least about leading the people according to God’s standards for justice.

As I’ve said many times, I’m not sure we really get what the prophets were talking about when they called people to practice justice. Part of the reason for that is that our idea of justice is very different from theirs. In our world, “justice” is something that happens in courtrooms. Justice is about arbitrating disputes and determining guilt or innocence and handing down punishments for crimes. So when we hear, “he will bring justice to all the nations” (Isa 42:1), we think he’s going to punish people. But in the Bible, God’s justice means food for the hungry, freedom for the prisoners, lifting up those who are bowed down under heavy burdens, and protecting the refugees, the widows, and the orphans. That tradition begins with Moses, and it runs throughout the prophets, and Jesus adopts it as well. In the language of the prophets, this kind of justice is what makes it possible for all people to thrive together. And that’s what the prophets call “peace.”

We see this also in our lesson from the prophet Isaiah for today. The mission of the “Servant” of the Lord is to “bring justice to the nations” (Isa. 42:1, NLT). That might sound ominous to our ears, but the way the prophet describes it is anything but ominous. Our lesson says it this way: “He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle” (Isa. 42:3, NLT). I like the way Gene Peterson renders it in The Message translation: “He won’t brush aside the bruised and the hurt and he won’t disregard the small and insignificant.” And the whole purpose of all of this was that he would “bring justice to all who have been wronged.” Or, as Gene Peterson puts it, “he’ll steadily and firmly set things right.” That’s what justice means. Setting things right in this world, especially for those who have been wronged.

That brings us back to our gospel lesson. There’s a strange dialogue between John the baptizer and Jesus. When Jesus presents himself to be baptized, John objects, “I need to be baptized by you” (Mt. 3:14)! Jesus’ response might seem confusing: “it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness” (Mt. 3:15). One would think that if anyone had “fulfilled all righteousness,” it was Jesus. Once again, I think The Message captures the meaning well: “God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism.” That’s how Gene Peterson interprets that phrase, “fulfilling all righteousness”: “God’s work” of “putting things right.” I think, in a very real sense, that’s what was going on. In his baptism Jesus was “fulfilling all righteousness” by making a public declaration that he was going to take the side of God’s justice in the world. He was going to promote God’s work of setting things right and lifting the burdens from the oppressed.

When Jesus announced at his baptism that his ministry would be following the path of setting things right for “the bruised and the hurt” along with “the small and insignificant,” I’m sure there were some who were shocked. Others may have even been offended. But Jesus was following the path that the prophets of old had laid out. I’ll have to admit that my understanding of what the Bible has to say about justice and about “setting things right” changed dramatically after I really read the books of the prophets in a way that I finally paid attention to what they were saying. When you pay attention, what you find is that more often than not, the prophets were calling out those in power for taking advantage of those who were weak and vulnerable. And if we pay attention to what Jesus was about, it seems to me that his declaration to John the baptizer that he was there to set things right was consistent with what the prophets had preached long before him. If we read Matthew’s Gospel we find that’s exactly what he did. He went about setting things right by feeding the hungry, lifting up those who were burdened, and caring for the most vulnerable, especially refugees, widows, orphans. From a biblical standpoint, that’s what justice looks like. That’s what setting things right looks like.

I sometimes think about a story my grandpa Brehm used to tell me. During the Great Depression in the 1930’s, my grandpa ran a grocery store in McAllen, TX. Most of his customers were able to pay for their groceries, but there were always some who needed to buy food on “credit.” That’s not like paying with a credit card. That meant that my grandpa extended “credit” to them. And my grandpa told me that while they did their best to pay him, not everyone could. But he gave them their groceries because he knew they needed food for their families. Some may have thought my grandpa was crazy for giving food to people he knew could never pay him. But he gave it to them because he knew they had families to feed, the same as he did. And although he may never have seen the results, I have to believe that my grandpa’s generosity likely made all the difference in the world for some of those people’s lives. I have to believe It made it possible for them to give their children and their grandchildren a better life. I would say that if we’re looking for a way to make this world a better place for our children and grandchildren, perhaps that’s where we should start. We can start by heeding Jesus’ words: “When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat, and when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. When I was a stranger, you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35, CEV). I think that’s a good place to start trying to set things right in this world, trying to make this a better world for our children and grandchildren, as well as our friends and neighbors.

Tuesday, August 19, 2025

Returning to Peace

Luke 12:49-56[1]

Sometimes the Bible is easy to read. God’s love just seems to leap off the pages and fill our hearts. There are other times when the Bible is confusing. It just doesn’t seem to make sense with what we have been taught about God, about Jesus, or even about life. The way we tend to read the Bible doesn’t help. Because it’s the Bible, we tend to think every verse has to be just as important as every other verse. When we do that, we are “flattening out” the Bible by taking every verse at what seems to be the “face value” to us. Many people call this reading the Bible “literally,” and they’re proud of themselves for doing so. But that approach to the Bible leads to all kinds of confusion.

For example, 25 years ago, Bruce Wilkinson published The Prayer of Jabez, a book that became a New York Times bestseller. The “prayer” of Jabez comes from 1 Chronicles 4:10. We know next to nothing about Jabez. He’s just a guy who shows up in the extended genealogy that occupies the first ten chapters of 1 Chronicles. And basically, the prayer that Jabez prayed was for God to make him prosperous and protect him. Nothing wrong with that. But also not a model of devotion to God. We have another prayer in the Bible that does a much better job of modeling devotion to God. It’s the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. And there’s good reason why we’ve been praying “The Lord’s Prayer” for centuries, not the “prayer of Jabez.” There just really is no comparison between the two!

Thinking the “prayer of Jabez” might be some formula for success is one example of the confusion that can result from flattening out the Bible. And I would argue that it’s not really reading the Bible literally. What it does is turn the Bible into a convenient “container” for whatever opinion or viewpoint of ours we want to claim is “from God.” But the Bible isn’t meant to reinforce what we think we already know. As our lesson from the prophet Jeremiah for today puts it, “‘Does not my word burn like fire?’ says the LORD. ‘Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?’” (Jer 23:29). That sounds ominous, but the idea is that when the Lord truly speaks, it tends to shake up our lives. The Bible is not meant to just keep us comfortable!

Part of the problem is that when we read the Bible we tend to forget how language works. We use language in all kinds of ways that don’t make a lick of sense to take the words at face value. For example, if we say someone is “barking up the wrong tree,” we all know what that means, because it’s a figure of speech in common usage. Can you imagine someone coming along from another planet centuries from now investigating these “earthlings” and how they lived their lives scratching their heads and trying to figure out why they were acting like canines and “barking” at trees? It’s a bit of an exaggeration, but I think you get the point. The way we use language doesn’t always work “at face value.” We’re so used to it that we think it’s “face value.”

I bring this up because there are people who somehow think it’s scandalous to think that Jesus may have used figures of speech. We all know that he told parables to make a point. There are still some people who want to insist that some of Jesus’ parables were factually true. That’s because for us, truth has to be “factual” in an objective sense for it to be “truth.” We forget that truth can sometimes be conveyed much more powerfully through a poem or a work of art than through a paragraph. That commonsense approach to the “truth” of the Bible leads us to what I would consider a truly “literal” way of reading it. We recognize metaphors, idioms, figures of speech, and even exaggeration for what they are, and seek to discern the original intention behind the words. It’s not as convenient for us as just throwing out a verse and claiming it supports our favorite opinion, but it’s more consistent with the truth of Scripture.

That’s a long introduction for our Gospel lesson for today. The reason is because when you simply read our Gospel lesson for today at “face value,” it’s confusing at best. And to some it could be downright disturbing! Here Jesus tells us that he has not come to bring peace to the world, but rather “fire” and “division” (Lk 12:49, 51)! And in another gospel, he says he came to bring a “sword” (Mt 10:34)! That sounds so contrary to what we believe about Jesus that it may be painful even to hear it! How are we supposed to reconcile the idea that Jesus came to bring division and not peace with the joyful announcement at Jesus birth in this same Gospel of Luke that he came to bring “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14)?

In the first place, we have to understand that Jesus was speaking to a world in which religion was used to keep a few in power and privilege in a way that beat down most people. The religious powers of the day used the language of “clean” and “unclean” to maintain their position and power and to keep most people “in their place.” After all, if being “unclean” means you can’t get too close to God, then you have to rely on those who are “clean” enough to represent you. That gives them all kinds of power over you! I’m afraid the language of “sin” and “forgiveness” still creates a similar situation for many people to this day.

Into that world, Jesus came offering God’s love freely to anyone and everyone. He preached the gospel of God’s goodness to all people, regardless of their place in society or lack of place in society. And all his talk of a kingdom of God where the first are last and the last are first overturned the way the whole world worked. It was like setting fire to the whole religious establishment, and with that, their whole way of life. It was like smashing the “rock” of religious oppression in pieces. Jesus’ message threatened everyone who had worked hard to climb their way to the top of the social ladder by virtue of their “holiness,” or their wealth, or their power. As you can imagine, a lot of them didn’t like that. It was a threat to their very way of life. And they responded to him with rage and hatred, and they killed him for it.[2]

When you look at our Gospel lesson in that light, I think it makes sense to recognize that Jesus was exaggerating when he said he came to bring division rather than peace. Of course Jesus came to bring the peace of God’s kingdom. He makes that clear with virtually everything he said and did! But the whole Bible is equally clear that God’s peace comes with a cost. It comes only by righting the wrongs in this world, especially those that benefit the privileged few. God’s peace comes only by exposing the untruth of structures that beat people down in this world.

That kind of message is always going to divide people. Those who benefit from the how things stand will fight tooth and nail to oppose anyone who tries to change things for the benefit of the “least of these,” as Jesus calls them. And at times, they’ll quote the Bible to keep things as they are. At times they’ll kill the people who are trying to benefit the “least of these.” The sad truth is that we still live in a world where “holiness,” wealth, and power determine one’s place (or lack of place). But seeking the peace of God’s kingdom will always be perceived as a threat by those who benefit from beating down others. I think Jesus was warning all who would seek the peace of God’s kingdom that their work would be met with hostility and even violence.[3] I think that’s why Jesus used exaggeration in our lesson for today. History has borne out the truth of his warning. We must be clear: Jesus never endorsed violence.[4] But he knew how far people would go to protect their status and power. And yet he called the people of his day to return to God’s peace, a peace that exists only where there is true justice and compassion. And he calls all who would follow him to extend that peace to the people of our day. It’s not going to be easy. It’s not always going to comfortable. But if we’re going to follow Jesus and align our lives with God’s kingdom, there’s really no other way but to seek peace by helping the “least of these” have a place in this world.

[1] © Alan Brehm 2025. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 8/17/2025 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. J. T. Carroll, Luke: A Commentary, 275–276: “The depiction of Jesus’ fire-dealing, division-engendering mission in 12:49–53 thus stands in tension with some aspects of the preceding narrative but also anticipates the heightened conflict that his activity will provoke en route to Jerusalem.”

[3] Cf. Jürgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope, 18-19: The promises that the hope inspired by the Gospel makes “must stand in contradiction to the reality which at present can be experienced,” which is a reality of suffering and death. Cf. also ibid., 103, 118, 225-226, 330. For this reason, he says (p. 324) that “Christians must venture an exodus and regard their social roles as a new Babylonian exile” in which they must proclaim the hope of the Gospel and work for the transformation of society.

[4] Cf. Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics 3.2:60-61: “That Jesus comes to bring about the ruin of any man is a thought which is wholly foreign to the New Testament.”

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Searching for Goodness

Psalm 146[1]

In some ways, it’s easy to see all that is good in this world. We don’t have to look any farther than the freshness of a beautiful morning, or the vibrant colors of a stunning sunset. The world of nature is so full of beauty we have to make an effort not to see the goodness all around us all the time. And then there’s our human family. Yes, relationships can be challenging, but if we direct our attention to what is right about our relationships, it’s not hard to find plenty of people in our lives who are good and kind and loving. You know, the ones who know us, flaws and all, and still treat us with love and respect. You know me well enough that it shouldn’t surprise you that I find children to be some of the most consistently beautiful people in this world. All of that and much, much more leads us to conclude with Louis Armstrong, “and I think to myself, what a wonderful world!”

But there is another side to life in this world, what one contemporary voice calls the “tragic” side of life.[2] Yes, there are a lot of good and kind people in this world, but there are also a lot of hurt people who hurt people. Right now, at this moment, there are perhaps more people in our world who are affected in some way by war than at any other time in history. So much so that it’s hard to accurately estimate just how far the violence of war extends. But perhaps an even more “tragic” side to our experience with this life is that most of us know that we live in a world where “bad things happen to good people.” Whether it comes from other people or simply from “life,” when this happens it can be hard for us to see any goodness in the world at all.

This can pose a serious challenge to our faith. We believe in a God who is loving and all-powerful. But for some of us, the pain and suffering in this world make it difficult if not impossible to believe in such a loving God. Surely a loving God would intervene on behalf of the innocent who suffer, especially the children. Of course, it makes much more sense to say that much of the suffering in this world is caused by people rather than blaming it on God. But we’re still left wondering, in view of all the pain in this world, whether God is either loving or all-powerful. Some would say God is loving but can’t do anything about the suffering in this world. I don’t think that helps very much. Others would take the darker option and conclude that God is neither loving nor good, precisely because he could do something but chooses not to. Either way, we’re left with a crisis of faith. And questioning God’s goodness can leave us wondering if there’s any good in the world at all! That’s a pretty dark place to be.

I’d like to be able to tell you that the Bible gives us a clear answer to this dilemma. But it doesn’t. What it does do is continue to insist that God is both loving and all-powerful. Take, for example, our lesson from the Psalms for today. The Psalmist affirms that God is all-powerful, saying, “joyful are those … whose hope is in the Lord their God. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them” (Ps 146:5-6, NLT). Throughout the Bible, God’s creation of all the heavens and the earth, along with all that is in both the heavens and the earth, stands as the fundamental witness to God’s power. God alone is the one who had the power to create all the heavens and the earth, and everything in them. That means that God also has the power to “keep every promise forever,” so that we can find joy in life by placing our hope in God. That remains true even in the midst of the confusing mix of good and evil we have to contend with in this world.

I think it’s important here to sort out what God has and has not promised. God has not promised to give us everything we want in life, in the way we want it, when want it. What God promises us is, in a word, justice. That might not sound very appealing. We think of justice in terms of crime and punishment. We think God’s justice is the opposite of God’s mercy.[3] But listen to the promises of our Psalm for today: “He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The LORD frees the prisoners. The LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are weighed down. The LORD loves the godly. The LORD protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows” (Ps 146:7-9, NLT). What God promises is to right the wrongs, to provide for those who have no means to provide for themselves, to show compassion and mercy to those who are the least and the left out and the passed over and the shut out. That’s the kind of justice God promises.

This gives us one way to find goodness in this world. Wherever there is restoration for those who have been wronged, wherever those who suffer want have their needs provided, wherever those who endure oppression find freedom, wherever God cares for the last and the least and the left out, we can see God’s goodness at work in this world, right here and right now. But we have to have the right frame of mind to be able to see these things as the fulfillment of God’s promises and find joy and hope in them. And the frame of mind we need to see God’s goodness all around us is one of generosity, compassion, and mercy. That’s because the essence of the promises that our Scripture lesson says God will keep is generosity, compassion, and mercy. When our mindset is one of selfishness, or stinginess, or criticism, or we’re stuck in fear, anger, or envy, it’s hard for us to even see God’s mercy at work in this world, let alone rejoice in it.

I think Jesus embodies a mindset of generosity, compassion, and mercy. Of course, he was well aware of all the wrongs in the world. And it grieved and even angered him when he saw them. But at the end of the day, Jesus lived with an unwavering confidence in God’s generosity, compassion, and mercy. As a result, he went about extending that generosity, compassion, and mercy to others—even to those who opposed him, even to those who were trying to kill him! That’s what he was doing when he healed a gentile woman’s daughter, even though both of them would have been despised by most of the Jewish people of their day. Or when he cared for a deaf mute, who would have been very easy to overlook and ignore. When we look at people in need with a critical or judgmental mindset, it lets us off of the hook and makes it easier to just walk right past them.

But as our lesson from James puts it, “Mercy overrules judgment” (Jas 2:13, CEB). In our reading from the New Living Translation we heard that verse rendered, “if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.” But most other versions translate it more like the Common English Bible: “Mercy overrules judgment.” That’s a principle that relates not only to God’s judgment, but also to our attitude toward being judgmental. “Mercy overrules judgment.” Always! One reason for that is because exercising mercy not only opens our hands so that we share with those in need, but it also opens our eyes to see how God is keeping his promise to show mercy and compassion to us all.[4] I think that’s the key to being able to see what is good in this world, even though a lot of bad things happen. When we learn to see God’s mercy at work in this world, we can also see the good all around us.

[2] Cf. John Caputo, On Religion, 1^st edition, 118-25, where he defines the “tragic sense of life” in terms of the question “Does anyone know or care that we are here?” (118), a question he suggests we must ask “In this world of time and happenstance, of good fortune and bad, of pleasure and pain, of surpassing joys and nightmarish cruelty and unhappiness” (119). In the context of this unavoidable dimension of human life, he defines faith as “faith that there is something that lifts us above the blind force of things, a mind in all this mindlessness” (125). It is faith “That there is something … or someone … who stand by us when we are up against the worst, who stands by others, the least among us” (125), which amounts to saying “yes” to life “for what it is, neither more nor less, without any additions or subtractions” (120).

[3] Marcus Borg, The Heart of Christianity: Rediscovering a Life of Faith, 127: “The opposite of God’s justice is not God’s mercy, but human injustice.” He goes on to define the “passion for justice” on God’s part reflected in the Hebrew Bible as directed toward human social structures that are “politically oppressive,” “economically exploitative,” and “religiously legitimated” (130). The answer to these unjust social structures is the Kingdom of God, which represents “what life would be like on earth if God were king and the rulers of this world were not” (132)!

[4] Cf. Hans Küng, The Christian Challenge: A Shortened Version of ON BEING A CHRISTIAN, 295-97: “man [sic] can accept the identity, value, and meaningfulness of reality and of his own existence in particular only with a ‘basic trust.’ … if man [sic] wants to realize himself at all, if as a person he wants to gain freedom, identity, meaning, happiness, he can do so only absolute trust in him who is able to give him all this.” This basic trust is defined as “trust in God, inspired by faith, as it was made possible by Jesus Christ.”

Wednesday, September 06, 2023

My Hope is Built on Nothing Less

Psalm 36:5-6[1]

It was a conversation like countless others. And the key question was, “If God doesn’t answer my prayers, what’s the point of trying to live for him?” Of course, the real question was about when “God doesn’t answer my prayers by giving me what I want.” To be sure, this was someone who was desperate—desperate—to find a way to save a loved one. The prayer wasn’t about landing a better job or buying a dream home. It was about saving a life, and the lives of all those affected. Surely God wants the same thing we want when it comes to something like that. And if God doesn’t come through for us when we pour out our hearts in prayer, then why pray at all? More than that, why even make the effort to hold onto our faith?

My answer was one that didn’t satisfy. My answer was that, like Job, we may ask the question, “Why?”, but we may never get an answer. My answer was that we cannot tie our faith in God to the outcome of our prayers. My answer was that we can’t know why God sometimes answers our prayers the way we hope, and sometimes doesn’t. When we’re desperate to save someone we love, that’s not what we usually want to hear. But in my experience, the reason we pray is because we place our hope in God’s love for us that never fails. The reason we keep practicing our faith is to remind ourselves that, come what may, God’s love for us never fails. The one thing we can always hold onto is the hope that God’s love for us never fails. Our hope is based on nothing less!

You may have noticed that we’ve been saying the same Assurance of Pardon all Summer. I don’t normally do that, but I wanted us to have the chance to really let the ideas of Psalm 36:5-6 sink into our hearts and minds. I like the way the New Living Translation puts it: “Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the ocean depths.” It’s one of my favorite Bible verses. It reminds me that we’re never outside God’s unfailing love. God’s faithfulness continues to embrace all of us, come what may. God’s purpose to set things right stands as unshakable as the highest mountains. And God’s work to right all wrongs will one day sweep over the whole world.

That’s a lot to take in, so let’s break it down. First, “Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens.” This affirmation starts out with God’s character. The fact that God’s character is defined by “unfailing love,” “faithfulness,” “righteousness,” and “justice” serves as the basis for everything we believe. This Psalm reminds us that our hope is based on nothing less than who God was and is and ever shall be, world without end! And the starting point for that hope is that God’s love never fails and never ends. More than that, the Psalmist says God’s love is as vast as the heavens. It extends to everyone and everything everywhere in all creation. This is the quality of God’s love: God loves us all with a love that will never let us go. The amazing kindness and generosity that God continually shows us every day isn’t accidental.[2] It’s based on who God is: “Your unfailing love, O LORD, is as vast as the heavens.”

The next affirmation is, “your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.” That might seem obvious to us, but in a time when people could only speculate what was up there in the sky, the idea was that God’s faithfulness extends even beyond the limits of our knowledge. Like God’s love, God’s faithfulness extends to everyone and everything. In a world where promises are made to be broken, it may be hard for us to believe that the God who loves us is completely trustworthy and reliable. But this is another of those foundational declarations about God: God is the one who never, ever gives up on us. Whether or not it comes when we expect it, God will make good on every promise.[3] “Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.”

The next affirmation is “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains.” We assume that God’s “righteousness” also refers to his character. And it does. God is the one who always does what is right. But it goes beyond that. God is also the one who is always working to make all things right. You have to read carefully, and it’s sometimes hidden in our English bibles, but God’s character as “righteous” leads him to always work to make things right.[4] And because this is a matter of who God is, his intention to make all things right in this world is as firm and unshakeable as “the mighty mountains.” You could sooner bring down Mount Everest than you could thwart God’s purpose to make things right! “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains.”

Finally, this verse affirms that “your justice [is] like the ocean depths.” We’re familiar with the idea that God’s character is “just.” But it may not be one that we find comforting. For us, “justice” equals punishment. But in the Hebrew Bible, God’s justice sets out to help the helpless and to heal those who are hurting. God’s justice brings peace to those who are oppressed and freedom to those who are bound in any way. Even when it comes to those who may be in the wrong, God’s justice comes as grace and mercy. God’s justice is about his determination to right all the wrongs in this world. And this intention is as powerful and unstoppable as the force of water in the ocean! “Your justice [is] like the ocean depths.”

This is the reason why I keep putting my faith in God, no matter what life may bring. It’s because God’s unfailing love upholds everything and everyone in all creation! That includes the whole universe![5] I keep hoping for God’s kingdom to prevail despite all that’s wrong in this world because God is always faithful to everyone, everywhere! When what is happening feels discouraging or even beyond the limits of my faith, I remember that God’s purpose to set all things right is as firm and sure as the mighty mountains! And I also remember that God’s justice, peace, and freedom will one day sweep over the whole world like the waters of the ocean! When life is such that it feels like “all around, my soul gives way,” I return to this verse to keep anchoring my faith and my hope on nothing less than God’s unfailing love, faithfulness, righteousness, and justice! I hope that this verse might inspire you to do the same!

[2] Cf. H.-J. Kraus, Theology of the Book of Psalms, 44.

[3] Jürgen Moltmann, Theology of Hope, 115:God is the one on whom we can continue to rely “all the way from promise to fulfillment.”

[4] Moltman, Theology of Hope, 204: “The ‘righteousness of God’ is God’s faithful love directed toward the goal of setting all humans right with God, with themselves, with each other, and with the whole of creation; thus it refers to God’s redemptive purpose to bring about a new creation.”

[5] James L. Mays, Psalms, 156: the “attributes of the LORD are said to be cosmic in dimension. Heavens and clouds mark the upper limit of the world; mountains of God and the great deep are terms of immensity.”

Monday, December 05, 2022

Fill The Whole World With Peace

Isaiah 11:1-10[1]

This is the time of year when our thoughts turn toward “peace on earth.” It was, after all, the promise the angels made to the shepherds on that night so long ago. I must confess that I’m not sure we want true peace, lasting peace, peace that benefits everyone equally. I think most of us at this time of year just want a little “peace of mind.” And there’s a big difference between peace that benefits everyone equally and a little peace of mind. We can find a little peace of mind by simply watching TV, or working in the garden, or reading a good book, or listening to relaxing music, or taking a nice hot bath or shower. But true peace, lasting peace, peace that benefits everyone equally takes a lot more work than that.

For many of us, peace at this time of the year means that we lose our cares and worries, our fears and frustrations in the distractions of decorating and cooking and shopping and entertaining ourselves and others with Christmas festivities. And I get that. We all need to take a breather from time to time from the pressures we feel in our lives. When we face head-on the problems in our families, in our community, and in our world, it can all be whole lot more than a little overwhelming. Think about it: a housing market that’s priced a lot of people out of housing. Grocery bills that have gone up, or grocery lists that have had to be shortened considerably. More and more mass shootings, in schools and stores and workplaces. The feeling that we’re a nation badly irreparably divided against one another. A war with no end in sight. I honestly don’t blame anyone for wanting to take a break from all that right now.

But at some point, we’re going to have to think about true peace. Surely all of us want what the writer of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” said: we want God to come and “fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.”[2] But I think we get hung up because true peace comes at a cost. As Pope Paul VI said on January 1, 1972, “if you want peace, work for justice.” Those of us who were alive at that time remember that it was a time very similar to this one. We were at the end of the Vietnam War, which had severely divided this country, setting family members against one another. Peace was not something that seemed any easier to achieve at that time than it does today. And I don’t think the Pope meant to suggest it would be easy, because achieving peace through justice takes hard work.

Our lesson from the prophet Isaiah for today addresses the peace that comes from justice. The prophet looks forward to a “branch” coming from the “root” of David’s family who will ^“give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited” (Isa 11:4, NLT). He speaks of one who would come to lighten people’s burdens, to right the wrongs, to restore all things in such a way that makes it possible for everyone to live the lives God intended.[3] This promise was spoken to the Jewish people when there were threats looming on the horizon. They were still relatively safe at home; they had not yet reached their darkest point in exile. But all was not well. The prophets like Isaiah pointed their fingers at the Jewish leaders for neglecting their duties when it came to caring for the least and the last and the left out in society, duties spelled out in our Psalm reading for today.[4] Instead the leaders relished their power and prestige and forgot about the widows and orphans and immigrants in their midst. And we know, as Martin Luther King said, “injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere.”[5]

That’s why Isaiah spoke of the coming of one who would set things right. And the result of the justice the coming one brings would be peace: “Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with knowledge of the Lord” (Isa 11:9). The idea is that the coming one will teach the people the “knowledge of the Lord” so well that they will live in peace with one another. And the prophet said this peace would not only be for the Jewish people, but that all the nations would benefit as well: “In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place” (Isa 11:10, NLT).[6]

But more than that, the prophet speaking in the name of the Lord promised that the peace brought by the coming one would also restore the world of nature. Isaiah says, “In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all” (Isa 11:6, NLT). In a very real sense, Isaiah looked for a time when the peace found in the garden of Eden would fill the whole world. And that kind of peace would reunite even the natural world. Can you imagine a world where wolves lie down with lambs, taking care of them as if they were their own young? I think the prophet Isaiah could, and he believed that when the coming one brings true justice and lasting peace, it will change the face of the whole world. The peace he will bring to Israel will embrace all the nations, and it will even restore harmony to all creation.

All that may sound just too good to be true. And I understand that, because that kind of justice and that kind of peace is beyond what any of us can do. Filling the whole world with peace is a God-sized task. It will take the power of God, working through Jesus Christ, to bring about that kind of world. But I would say we still have a part to play in all of this. Those of us who know the “peace” that God has brought to the human family in Jesus Christ are called to be peacemakers in this world. And I believe that peace is “contagious,” like kindness. When you spread it around, it just keeps going. As Dr. King also said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.”[7] When we treat people with a little more respect, a little more kindness, a little more dignity, perhaps they’ll “pay it forward.” When respond that way even to those whom we may view as a threat, I think it might just change the world.

[1] © 2022 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 12/4/2022 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE. For a video recording of this sermon, check out my Pastor Alan YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/dfgpUBt06sc .

[2] See the history of the English versions of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_Come,_O_Come,_Emmanuel , accessed on 12/1/2022.

[3] Cf. Jürgen Moltmann, The Way of Jesus Christ, 121: “God’s justice and righteousness brings shalom [peace] to both his people and land.”

[4] That this is to be the role of the King in Israelite society is made clear by the Psalm lesson from Ps. 72, especially Ps. 72:4 “May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the needy, and crush the oppressor.” Cf. J. Clinton McCann, Jr., “The Book of Psalms,” New Interpreters Bible IV:963: “Everything said about or wished for the king depends ultimately on God’s justice ... and God’s righteousness. Justice and righteousness are first and foremost characteristic of God’s reign .... In short, the role of the king is to enact God’s rule” (emphasis original).

[5] Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 16 April 1963. Accessed at https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html on 12/3/2022.

[6] This is essentially St. Paul’s point in the reading from Romans 15:4-13 (especially 15:8-12). Cf. N. T. Wright, “The Letter to the Romans,” New Interpreters Bible X:747: “It is not that God has done one thing for Jews, and another thing for Gentiles; God has designed mercy for all (11:28-32).” Referring to God fulfilling his promises, he adds, “The promises were both to Israel and through Israel to the world” (emphasis original).”

[7] Martin Luther King, Jr., “Loving Your Enemies,” in Strength to Love, p. 47. Cf. a similar statement in Martin Luther King, Jr., “Where Do We Go From Here?” SCLC Presidential Address, 1967 (Quoted from J. M. Washington, ed., A Testament of Hope: The Essential Writings of Martin Luther King, Jr., p. 249): “Through violence you may murder a liar but you can’t establish truth. Through violence you may murder a hater, but you can’t murder hate. Darkness cannot put out darkness. Only light can do that.”

Thursday, August 18, 2022

Disruptions

Luke 12:49-56[1]

I would say that the word “disruption” has become something of a “four-letter-word” for most of us. We’ve all had about as much “disruption” as we’d care to deal with for a while, thank you very much. After more than two years of changes that have affected all of life, from top to bottom, some of us may still be holding on to the pipe dream that someday, somehow, things will go back to “normal.” The rest of us have realized that’s not going to happen. The world has changed. Those changes have shaken up everything, and they will continue to do so for some time to come. We can either try in vain to hold back the tide, or we can start learning to use the disruptions in our lives to move forward into the “new normal.”

I would also say that we don’t tend to think of our faith as something “disruptive.” Our faith undergirds and supports the way we live our lives. We look to Jesus to give us strength for today and to comfort our fears about tomorrow. The image of Jesus welcoming children, feeding the hungry, and embracing the outcasts, is one that we cherish. But I’m not sure we can recognize how disruptive most of those activities were and still are today. It’s hard for us to imagine an angry Jesus, driving people and livestock out of the courts of the temple because they were keeping people from using them as a place to offer their prayers to God his Father.

All of that leads me to say that I think what Jesus says in our Gospel lesson for today must sound shocking to most of us. We’re used to thinking of him as “gentle Jesus, meek and mild.” But here he says that he has come to bring fire and division, not peace! That sounds so contrary to what we believe about Jesus that it may be painful and confusing to even hear it. Is this really the same person whom the angels celebrated with the joyful announcement of “peace on earth” (Luke 2:14)? After sending out his disciples to bring “peace” to as many towns and villages as possible (Lk 10:1-12), did Jesus decide to scrap the plan? What is this “fire” and “division” Jesus is talking about?

One of the things we have to understand about this lesson is that Jesus lived in a world that was rigidly structured around certain classes of people. And in that day, your place in the world was based on how “holy” you looked, at least on the outside. Or it was based on how much you owned, and how many people you could force to do your bidding because they “owed” you. Into that world, Jesus came offering God’s love freely to anyone and everyone. He preached the gospel of God’s goodness to all people, regardless of their place in society. And all his talk of a kingdom of God where the first are last and the last are first overturned the way the whole world worked. It was disruptive, to say the least!

Jesus’ message threatened everyone who had worked hard to climb their way to the top of the social ladder by virtue of their “holiness,” or their wealth, or their power. When Jesus offered release to the captives, freely, and without any conditions, he undercut the position of all those who stayed in power by keeping people in chains. When Jesus offered forgiveness to sinners, again freely and unconditionally, he undermined the whole religious structure that that was based on how “holy” people looked on the outside. As you can imagine, a lot of them didn’t like that. It was a threat to their very way of life. And they responded to him with rage and hatred, and they killed him for it.

Think about it: when anyone has the nerve to look at the way things are and say, “this isn’t right,” it has an unavoidable effect: it divides people. Those who benefit from the how things stand will fight tooth and nail to oppose anyone who tries to change things for the benefit of the “least of these.” That’s why Jesus said he had come to bring division. He didn’t shy away from exposing the wrongs in society. The truth behind our Gospel lesson for today is that Jesus did come to bring peace, but it’s a kind of peace that comes with a cost. The peace that Jesus brings will only come from righting the wrongs in this world, especially those that benefit the privileged few. It’s a kind of peace that will only come from exposing the untruth that maintains the brokenness of our world.

The Peace that Jesus came to bring into our lives also brings with it the strife and division that God’s truth provokes among those who benefit from sticking with “business as usual.” I think Jesus made this shocking announcement about bringing fire and division, even into people’s families, in order to warn his disciples that those who benefit from the way things are won’t like it when we really start “seeking” the kingdom of God. That’s where the The bottom line is for us: how far do we go in advocating this kingdom where the first are last and he last are first? After all, we do have to live in this world where “holiness,” wealth, and power still determine one’s place in the world.

When we start talking about God’s love extended to everyone freely, some folks are going to be offended. When we really buy into extending God’s goodness everyone without any conditions, some are going to get angry. When we get serious about advocating for the values of God’s kingdom where the last are first, those who like the way things are will call us all kinds of names. Or worse! Truth be told, most of us prefer to avoid that kind of conflict. We don’t want to “rock the boat.” But if we’re serious about wanting to follow Jesus, we’re doing to have to figure out just how far we’re willing to take it. And that may mean that we’ll have to learn to accept the ways our commitment to Christ will bring disruptions into our lives.

[1] © 2022 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 8/14/2022 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE. For a video recording of this sermon, check out my Pastor Alan YouTube Channel: https://youtu.be/R682Y3Zk_b8

Monday, February 14, 2022

Tables Overturned

Luke 6:17-26[1]

I think most of us approach life in a way that we are trying to make the best of it. We take care of our families, we work hard, we save for the future, and we do good in the community. It’s all part of what it means to “be a good person.” And we hope that “being a good person” will translate into having a good life. I think we tend to want our faith to fit in with our ideas about life in general. Believing in God, going to church, helping those in need are part of what it means to “be a good person.” And like the other areas of our lives, our practice of faith is a matter of doing the best we can to have a good life. It makes up what we believe constitutes the way life is supposed to work

With that in mind, I’m afraid that, if we’re truly paying attention, our gospel lesson for today may sound positively shocking. And I think it’s a normal response to find ourselves feeling uncomfortable with what Jesus says here. After all, he takes our “conventional wisdom” about the way life works and even what it means to have a good life and he turns it all upside down! More than that, what Jesus says here takes our beliefs about what it means to be a “good Christian” and turns them upside down as well. It can leave us feeling confused, because none of it seems to make sense with how we approach either life or faith.

Jesus’ beatitudes in Luke’s Gospel remind us faintly of the “usual” ones in Matthew, but they take a very different turn! Here Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh” (Lk 6:20-21)! And if that weren’t shocking enough, Jesus adds, “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep” (Lk 6:24-25).

If you’re not stunned by those words, it may be due to the fact that they run so contrary to our understanding of the way life works that we simply cannot hear them properly. Here we have a very specific, very concrete statement about what it looks like when Jesus says, “the first shall be last and the last first.” Jesus came to announce the coming of God’s kingdom into this world, and in our lesson for today he was spelling out what that looks like in real life so that we couldn’t possibly miss it. The problem is that it probably leaves us feeling like the folks in the Temple after Jesus had come through and turned over all their tables.

That’s exactly what Jesus was doing in our lesson for today: turning all the tables over. And the impact of his words and deeds continues to overturn our view of the way life works. For one thing, we tend to think that what Jesus came to do was to bring us salvation, which is something spiritual. And we tend to assume that what is spiritual isn’t related to “real” life. But Jesus turns that notion over. As we saw in his sermon at Nazareth, he came to preach the “good news to the poor,” “release to the captives,” and freedom to those who are oppressed (Lk 4:18). The Kingdom of God isn’t about a spiritual reward in heaven one day, but rather it’s about changing the way this world works.

As we begin to better hear Jesus’ words to us today, we may think that the kinds of issues Jesus is addressing belong to “social justice.” That has become a label that in many cases refers to something we see as separate from the gospel and our faith. It’s a “special” kind of action, perhaps even something optional for those who feel compelled to pursue it. But on the contrary, Jesus called his disciples to follow him in the work of the kingdom of God. And part and parcel of that work was bringing “release” to all who suffer due to the way the world works now.[2] It’s what I would call the “justice of God’s kingdom.” God’s kingdom is about changing the way this world works to reflect God’s mercy, compassion, and love. If we would align our lives with Jesus, we must align our lives with the justice of his kingdom!

Of course, what makes this Scripture truly disturbing is the fact that Jesus talks about poverty and wealth. We tend to like our faith to leave our possessions alone. We believe that what we have is something that we have worked hard for and that therefore it’s ours to do with as we see fit. But Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor,” and “Woe to you who are rich”! It’s not that our wealth disqualifies us from participating in God’s kingdom, but rather if we would follow Jesus and align ourselves with God’s kingdom, then we cannot complacently assume what we have is ours to do with as we please. Rather, our wealth creates a responsibility for us to use our means to further God’s mercy and justice in this world.[3]

If you’re feeling a little uncomfortable with all this (or a lot!), I would say don’t be surprised. It’s hard for us to hear Jesus say these things. I’ll give you fair warning: we’ve just begun our journey through Luke’s gospel this year, and he’s not through with us! Some may even be worrying that I’m suggesting all the “rules” by which we’ve lived our lives have to change. I think that’s a fair question. And I would say that that is exactly what Jesus is doing: completely redefining the way the world “ought” to work. It may be hard for us to see because most of us benefit from it, but the way the world works now is not right in God’s sight. And Jesus made it clear that what God is doing is about more than just “saving souls”; God is working to set things right. So if we want to follow Jesus, instead of making our faith fit in with our ideas about life, we have to make our ideas about life fit in with our faith! And that means if we want to follow Jesus, who turned over lots of “tables,” we must align our lives with God’s purpose and join him in the work of making things right in this world.

[2] Cf. R. David Kaylor, Jesus the Prophet, 104: “Jesus addressed the poor, the hungry, the discouraged, and the persecuted with the message that God is on their side, supporting them in their struggle, and that God’s just will focuses on their relief. Because people opposed to God are currently in charge, God’s kingdom is not now fully present, and God’s will is not now being fully done. But it will not remain so.”

[3] Cf. Stephen Shoemaker, GodStories, 217–18: “There are only two ways you can enter the kingdom and experience its joy. One is to be among the poor, oppressed, bruised, blind, and brokenhearted; those to whom God comes as healing, comfort, justice, and freedom. The other way is to be among God’s people who are going to the poor, oppressed, bruised, blind, and brokenhearted and bringing God’s healing, comfort, justice, and freedom.”

Sunday, December 13, 2020

Joy to the World!

Isaiah 61:1-11[1]

As I mentioned last week, for some of us this time of year is very difficult. It’s hard to feel like you’re a part of the “festivities.” Instead of joy, the “Holidays” bring sadness. As a matter of fact, I’m one of those people. I’ve dealt with this all my adult life. It relates to issues that go back to my family of origin, but that’s too long a story to tell here. Don’t get me wrong: I’ve always loved Christmas Eve services. Somehow, the “pall” that seems to hang over me during this time of year lifts with Christmas Eve. But otherwise, it’s difficult for me to “get into the spirit” of “Christmas cheer.” I know that I’m not alone in that. That’s one reason for mentioning it—so that others will know that they’re not alone.

For those of us who struggle with the “Holiday Season,” the promise of joy can seem hollow. The wounds we’ve endured in this life have so sensitized us to the suffering in our world that no amount of tinsel or lights or wrapping or sweets can distract us from the fact that it can all feel very hollow! While we are spending an incredible amount of money on ourselves, we are surrounded by people who are struggling just to put food on the table, just to keep the electricity going, or just to keep a roof over their heads. It makes it hard to get into the whole message of hope, peace, joy, and love when it seems like there’s precious little of it going around for those who need it most.

I believe our lesson from Isaiah for today addresses this problem. As I’ve mentioned before, this portion of Isaiah was addressed to those who had lost everything at the hands of the Babylonians. God had made good on the promise to bring them back to their homeland, but when they got there, the reality of their “salvation” fell far short of what they had hoped. They returned to a land that had been devastated by war and left a wasteland. Their lives were harder than ever, and it seemed that the God who had promised to deliver them had failed to make good on those promises. Their faith was spent and their lives seemed hopeless.

What’s more, after going through years of exile that were intended to teach them to follow God’s ways, they still hadn’t learned their lesson. They still failed to practice what the prophet spoke of as “righteousness” and “justice,” which refers to God’s intention that all people should thrive together, equally. Isaiah defines “righteousness” this way: “to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke” (Isa 58:6). He gets more specific: God’s intent was that they would share with the hungry, shelter the homeless, and clothe the naked (Isa 58:7). But they were too wrapped up with their own concerns to actually put God’s “righteousness” into practice.

As a result, God promised to come and set things right himself. And that brings us to the lesson for today. Here, one who speaks like “the Servant of the Lord” announces that God had anointed him to “to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners” (Isa 61:1). He promised to give the “oil of gladness” to those who were mourning—very likely because they were struggling just to survive. The prophet promised in the name of the LORD that God would cause “righteousness” to grow up and flourish like a lush garden! In other words, God promised to set right all that was wrong, to relieve their suffering, and to establish true justice that would enable them all to thrive together, equally.

We know of this message in the Bible—we call it “social justice.” But for some reason, we seem to miss how important it is in God’s saving purpose. We tend to think of our “eternal destiny” as the “important” part of “salvation.” From that perspective, anything we do to help alleviate suffering in this world is good, but it’s not “necessary.” It’s sort of something “extra” that those who are exceptionally caring do, but it’s not a “required” part of the Christian life. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth! Throughout the Bible, it is clear that the work of “righteousness” or “justice” that makes it possible for us all to thrive together is not a “side note” to God’s purpose. Rather, it central to God’s saving work in this world![2] And God’s promise to do this calls us all to take up the work of establishing “righteousness” in our world!

The thought occurred to me that perhaps this year we’re all having difficulty finding joy in the holiday season. This year we may not be able to observe all the “festivities” we would like. However, it might not be a bad thing for us to have to look deeper to find the joy of Christmas. True joy is about the promise that God would send us a Savior who would not only proclaim the good news, but who would also enact it by relieving suffering and setting all things right in the world. If we find it challenging to see that promise fulfilled in our day and time, we can remember that that God isn’t finished with his saving work. The promise points forward to the time when Jesus will complete the work of establishing “righteousness” so that all people can thrive together and enjoy the life God intends for us. I think that may offer a hope that can bring joy not only to us, but also to the whole world!

[2] Cf. T. E. Fretheim, “The Prophets and Social Justice: A Conservative Agenda,” in Word & World 28 (Spring 2008): 163, “God's concern about matters of social justice was believed to be so strong and so pervasive that it was built into the very heart of the covenantal promises. And God was and will be faithful to such promises.”

Monday, February 10, 2020

As If

Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 5:13-20[1]

If you’re familiar with the twelve-step movement, you’ll know that one of the principles for recovering a healthy pattern of living is called “acting as if.” In many cases, the way we feel or even our own thoughts are unreliable guides to healthy living. How many of us have skipped exercising because we just didn’t “feel” like it? Or how many of us have rationalized getting a second plate of food? The recovery movement recognizes that sometimes we have to take the actions we know to be right, establishing habits that are healthy, whether we “feel” like it or not. And when you “act as if” in this way, often your feelings and thoughts will follow your actions.

By contrast, “acting as if” is not a healthy way to approach spirituality. In fact, I would say that some of the worst atrocities committed in the name of God throughout history have been perpetrated by those who were “acting as if” they were devout believers. I think of the Salem witch trials in the early days of this country. Or the crusades, where the motto “God wills it” referred to the slaughter of Muslim men, women and children. And those simply seeking to wield power over communities and even nations have not hesitated to “act as if” they were motivated solely by their devotion to God. “Acting as if” has no place in the life of faith.

In our lesson from Isaiah for today, the prophet rebukes the people for “acting as if” they were sincerely devoted to God. They went through all the right “motions” of seeking God, but their actions betrayed their true motives: it was all about themselves and their own interests (Isa. 58:3). In fact, the prophet scolds them for thinking their “worship” of God was consistent with things like abusing their workers (very likely by withholding their rightful pay), quarreling and violence, and treating others with contempt and vicious gossip (Isa. 58:3-4, 9). This kind of “worship” of God was only a tragic form of “acting as if.”

But the prophet warned them that kind of spirituality is worse than a sham. Not only were they fooling themselves, more than that they were taking the Lord’s name in vain! In fact, when the prophets speak about the people blaspheming God’s name, it had nothing whatsoever to do with uttering any curse phrases. Rather, it was the fact that they claimed to be a people devoted to God, but their actions contradicted God’s explicit truth. They were “taking the Lord’s name in vain” because others would judge the character of God by the character of those who claimed to be his people. When we “talk the talk” but don’t “walk the walk,” we not only fool ourselves, we dishonor God.

The kind of spirituality that God has always sought is one that originates with our hearts being aligned with God’s ways. And it takes shape in actions that relieve human suffering in the real world. In our lesson from Isaiah, the prophet defines what this looks like in specific terms: they were to restore justice to the powerless, they were to feed the hungry, they were to show mercy to the destitute, they were to provide clothing for the naked, and they were to break every chain that kept the “outcasts” bound in misery and remove every burden that crushed the poor. In many ways and through many voices the Bible insists that those who truly know God will love others by practicing this kind of justice and mercy toward all, most especially the least and the last and the left out.

There’s another important word in our scripture readings for today: “unless.” Jesus said “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:20). I like the way the Good News Bible puts it: “you will be able to enter the Kingdom of heaven only if you are more faithful … in doing what God requires” (TEV). In other words, a true relationship with God will show itself in consistently living according to God’s character, God’s truth, and God’s ways. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus goes on to speak about what that looks like in a way similar to the prophet. He doesn’t just warn against harmful actions, but also harmful attitudes. For Jesus as well, merely acting “as if” doesn’t cut it!

In fact, the Bible reserves its harshest warnings of judgment for those who merely put on a show of being faithful to God. There has always been a temptation to wrap oneself in the external appearance of being spiritual. And the temptation has been to judge one’s relationship with God based on these outward trappings of religion. But merely going through the motions without a heart that is truly devoted to God and God’s ways is not only dishonest, it also dishonors God. Throughout history, leaders of all stripes have engaged in this kind of mockery of what is truly right in God’s sight. And throughout history, God’s prophets have consistently called them out for their hypocrisy.

There is no room for “acting as if” in the Christian life. In truth, however, we all do it to some extent. But one of the hard lessons of Isaiah is that when the worship of God does not lead us to respect and restore the dignity and well-being of our brothers and sisters in the human family, it is not the worship of God! Sharing the love we have received from God is the only criterion for evaluating the genuineness of our faith according to Scripture. If our faith is real, we will continue to work at loving God enough to love others—even our “enemies.” If it’s real, we will not be content with “acting as if,” we will take practical steps to put love into action.

The Waking Dreamer