Justice, mercy and walking humbly

One of things that I love doing with my closest friends is what we call “unpacking reality” I love to share and listen to ideas about how the world ticks and how it should tick. Recently I remembered a conversation I had with Ian Render, and he asked me “What is it about Jesus that attracts you?”

I answered “ The fact that he lives for justice”

That’s kind of what I see before us today: all three of today’s readings are bluntly reminding us that as Christians we are to live for justice too.

Proverbs paints a target on our hearts and our minds when it says “2 The rich and the poor are all created by the Lord.”

I love that, so hard hitting and it levels out the playing field in a way that can’t be denied. In God’s eyes we are all the same, that is an idea, we’ve all heard and know right?

In fact, here is the first pause for our morning; Take a moment to think about how that idea might come to life inside your journey: also take a minute to think about what things would be like if this idea was adopted worldwide?

What’s interesting about this scripture is: it seems to me to be a lesson in what do as well as a lesson in what not to do. Confused? It’s cool: we’ll keep going.

So, what are we called to do?

I like the idea of living generously while nourishing dignity. The people around us and the world’s.

It might be tempting to look at this and think “This doesn’t apply to me, I don’t advantage of the poor!” and you’re right, this is aimed at the wealthy.

Try this: perhaps we need to take some time to think about how we respond to The injustices we see and our power in the world.

I can just hear you say “Power, I don’t have any of that!”

Well, you do, we all do: Do you know what I mean by that?

I am talking about power in the broader sense: we all have people that we have impact on or influence over, that might be due to a particular role we have in their life or due to that beautiful gift we can choose to give each other, Trust! Relationships have power because that have an impact on us.

This might be a good point to have our second pause: take a moment to think about the relationships and situations that you have influence or power in.

As Christians, we should always on some level, be thinking about our influence on those around us.

How we use our voices?

How we use our talent?

How we express our thirst for justice?

Take a moment on that.

Through today’s reading we are invited to participate in both a spiritual and social advocacy. We have three P’s before us

• Pain
• Poverty
• Promises

The first two are confronting, the third one points to hope and reminds us that part of our calling is to bring those promises to life. The wonderful words proclaim on Sunday should always have substance to them.

This idea is continued as we look at the James. In Chapter 2: Who is he speaking to? His audience are Christians; people who have faith in The risen Lord. It seems to me that he’s making sure That there is no misunderstanding as to what a Christian is.

A Christian is someone who speaks and someone who does!

James is also reminding his audience not to get caught in the labels/ status trap. There are couple ways we could go here, the first is to watch that we Don’t judge through the lens of appearance, hair, shoes or lack thereof, Smell or social skills.

The second, is not to judge through the lens of status, you know that persons’ smarter than me, they do more for God than me: they are more important than me.

Much like our first reading, James is reminding his audience that the spiritual/ social justice path is one of assumed equality. Our Job is to add equity to the recipe: we do that making sure that those around us have what that they need not only to survive but to thrive. Think about your own experience: what have you needed to thrive?

• Food
• Shelter
• The basics, you know?

And we all need community: people to embrace our passions, pain and questions, people who are willing to walk into the complexity of what it means to be human.

James is offering his audience and us the chance to glimpse and create a community based in the three best things: Faith, hope and love.

Perhaps there’s even a fourth element for us to take hold of today, courage.

Courage, could be considered our lead in word as we look at todays Gospel, we could say that this reading contains raw examples of love, faith and courage: If we look at Mark 7:24-37: we see a familiar situation for our Lord, one that is repeated in Mark. Jesus is travelling for ministry, he wants to keep it quiet, it doesn’t work out he’s discovered and confronted: What does he do? He behaves in ways that does not match up with the nice, passive Sunday school image of Jesus that we’ve created. We must visualise this for ourselves. I don’t know about you but I can just see him looking this poor, tortured woman in the eye and saying “The children must be fed, it isn’t right to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs”

What’s he getting at here? Well, on the surface level; he’s staying No, why should I help you? You’re the wrong kind!

Don’t worry, you’re right to be shocked and confused, in fact I would be worried if you weren’t. Where do we go if we look beyond the words?

To the substance of the interaction? Jesus seems to be very bluntly challenging the tribal assumption that God is for a particular group over Another. What’s interesting about this interaction is that it’s not one of those nice comforting situations, you know: “God loves you, your daughter is well” it’s jarring, confronting and raw. The woman’s response is fascinating too isn’t it?

instead of caving in and leaving. She pushes in with raw love and courage and things change.

This might be a good time for a third pause. Take a moment to think about how love has worked in your life: The times where love has been A gentle persistent force and the times where you have had to push through with love to change things. I’m sure many of you have had to do something like this as family or a parent? Social and relational change does not always happen politely, there often must be a degree of shock Value to move people forward. The other takeaway for us from this raw interaction might be a warning of sorts to not assume that we are right and that we have life all sewn up. The is always something to learn or to reflect on.

Our journey into courage continues with the healing of the deaf man.

Again, this is not a nice polite situation, it’s confronting messy and filled with love. The love displayed in the actions of the people who bring the man to Jesus: and the love that Jesus displays to him.

Jesus meets him where he is: in wholeness.

Jesus’ actions here are also loving shocking. He puts his fingers in the man’s ears, spits puts it on the man’s tongue and says “Effatha” which as The text tells us means “Open up” I love the imagery of that word.

Perhaps we could make that a church phrase, and begin looking for ways to open up.

Opening up, is what all three of our readings point to.

We are being encouraged to open up and think about how in the eyes of God we are all the same.

We all at some point deal with pain and poverty: and we all carry power and influence in the world – how do we use it?

James, is offering us freedom from judgement of both ourselves and others, we are being offered the chance to look through the lens of grace and to reflect on how we choose to live out our faith.

Mark, is inviting us to open up to the idea that love is a raw, messy and undefinable experience, with no limits; In God’s love there’s no such thing as a wrong, race, gender or tribe- There’s no one who doesn’t belong and who isn’t of value.

As we continue to live in a world influenced by Covid 19, as those who choose to attach the name of Christ to our lives: We must ensure that we aren’t engaging in the wrong kind of social distancing and that we aren’t placing limits on God’s love or our own ability to love.

We must ensure that when we communicate our values, concerns and passions: that we do it in such a way that in the words of Cornel West “We need to lift every voice that needs to be heard” Not just the ones that provide us with a comforting echo. I hope you’ll join me brave journey one that will help us shape the world.

Rather than worrying about the shape of the world.

Amen