Sustaining the Soul of Equal Justice
with Theological Horizons

In Just Mercy, Bryan Stevenson writes about the hope that is required in a hopeless place.  “Václav Havel, the great Czech leader, said that ‘hope’ was the one thing that people struggling in Eastern Europe needed during the era of Soviet domination. Havel had said that [while they wanted money, recognition and diplomatic pressure], the only thing they needed was hope. Not that pie in the sky stuff, not a preference for optimism over pessimism, but rather ‘an orientation of the spirit.’ The kind of hope that creates a willingness to position oneself in a hopeless place and be a witness, that allows one to believe in a better future, even in the face of abusive power. That kind of hope makes one strong.”

And while the work of equal justice is admirable, it is certainly not easy. It often leaves you wanting more from others, more from yourself, and most especially more from God. We hope to nourish you with prayers, liturgy, and reflective questions to orient your mind and heart towards the great love of Jesus Christ who liberates and redeems. In return, may you go forth with confidence to love and serve the Lord with the sure hope that he has already gone before you. 

HOPE IS NOT JUST A FEELING

Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, a Lutheran Palestinian theologian, says that hope is not the same thing as optimism because it’s not a feeling. “Hope,” he says, “is what you do.” When one is hopeful they live an act in hopeful ways in order for a different way of living to break in and take hold in the world. They believe that change is possible. The world is not ours to save but the invitation of those who follow Jesus is to join in in his work of healing and repair, to be his ambassadors of reconciliation. Take a moment to reflect on your hope. Is it active?

A PRAYER by Cole Arthur Riley | Black Liturgies

God of Sorrows, we cry holy for a God who is moved to tears when met with the conditions of this world. We are grateful that You are not a God who drags us out of our pain before we are ready - One who is not threatened by our tears but beholds them as holy. This day, help us to make space for a faithful examination of injustice, death, and decay in this world. We confess that we so often reduce salvation to the personal; let ours be a salvation tethered to the liberation of the world. And so form us into people who truly see the world, in all of its beauty and depravity. And when we find ourselves tempted to look away, steady us, that we may see with clarity our most desperate need for a Christ.

As we remember God hung from the cross, let us bear witness to oppression, famine, war, neglect, loss, exclusion, loneliness, grief–all suspended by sin itself–let us resolve to see and name it all. That we would daily apprehend the breach between what we were created for and the distortion we see in the systems and powers of this world today. Let us grieve the chasm. And as we allow ourselves to weep with You, let us hope with You in the coming restoration of all things.

Glory to the One who met the cross with tears on His face. We look to You. Amen.

A MOMENT TO REFLECT by Eddie Howard | Charlottesville Abundant Life

“This scripture reminds me that God's mercy is new every morning, and I cannot take anything into tomorrow no matter what comes before me. I have to believe in the equality of God's word to sustain me each day that He gives me on earth. To me, this is the love of God in full effect over my life while I ‘wait’ on him through my service to mankind. And like the Jews, for years I set out a cup of coffee (Elijah Cup) before God as my expectation and reminder of His return. I believe that God's desire to dine (‘I stand at the door and knock’) with and protect me (from myself mostly) is the ultimate forerunner to equal justice. Because of where I come from I have to believe and depend on His ability to sustain me through His presence everyday.”

THE ART OF WAITING

If “the arc of the moral universe is long, but bends towards justice” (Martin Luther King, Jr.), it  follows then that implicit in the work of justice is the act of waiting. In fact, much of the change we hope to see in the world does not always come in our lifetime but we work with hope and wait with expectant hearts. Henri Nouwen says that waiting is an essential–though unpopular–part of the Christian life. But this does not mean simply sitting around. He writes: “Those who are waiting are waiting very actively. They know that what they are waiting for is growing from the ground on which they are standing. That’s the secret. The secret of waiting is the faith that the seed has been planted, that something has begun. Active waiting means to be present fully in the moment, in the conviction that something is happening where you are and that you want to be present to it. A waiting person is someone who is present in the movement, who believes that this moment is the moment. (from “Waiting for God”)

REFLECTION

As you think about these readings and your own work, consider any of the following questions for personal reflection:

1. If I could name one thing I am urgently waiting for in this life, what would it be?  What does this waiting feel like?  What insight, activity or example helps me to marry an impatience with injustice with a patience for God's timing?

2. What practice or Scripture brings me into a posture of expectation for God's new mercies in the morning?

3. Where am I lacking hope in my work toward justice?  Where can I borrow a belief that God can and will make all things new?

4. Where do I feel insufficient in my daily responsibilities? How can I ask God to meet me in these feelings, and fill me with his comfort? 

We  leave you with the great news that “ God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). God does not ask for perfection; far from it. May you go in peace to love and serve the Lord, trusting that he is right beside you and loves you beyond measure.