February 9, 2020: What Is Justice?
February 9, 2020 Rev. Rhonda Blevins, DMIN
What Is Justice?
Isaiah 58:1-12
Shout out, do not hold back! Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments,
they delight to draw near to God.
“Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day,
and oppress all your workers.
Look, you fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush,
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?
Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you,
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.
If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
The Lord will guide you continually,
and satisfy your needs in parched places,
and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water,
whose waters never fail.
Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.
______
As I’ve been preaching from the Old Testament passages from the lectionary since Advent, we’ve been reflecting together on several passages from the book of Isaiah. One of the recurring themes from these passages—something that pops up a lot in the book of Isaiah—is the concept of “justice.” So I’ve talked about justice in different ways and forms. Then last week the lectionary took us to Micah 6 in which we were told that what God wants from us is to “do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with” our God. Someone told me after worship last week, “You know, I’ve been hearing you talk a lot about justice lately , and I’m not exactly sure what you mean by that.” I thought that was really good feedback.
So today, we read yet another passage from Isaiah that’s all about justice. In the text, God is portrayed as upset with the people for fasting and performing outward acts of worship and piety, but then they go participate in and perpetuate systems of injustice. God wants their fast to break the “bonds of injustice” (verse 6). What God wants, once again in Isaiah, is justice for God’s people. But to go back to last Sunday’s feedback, maybe we should start with the question, “What is Justice?”
Here to help me unpack the answer to that question is my dear friend, Rev. Fritz Gutwein. Fritz is an ordained minister; has spent much of his ministry working in para-church organizations that focus on issues of justice, including the National Council of Churches. Fritz grew up in this area, was ordained in Tampa, married his wife, Mary in Tampa. They’ve recently moved back after spending most of their adult lives in other states. I’ve known Fritz for about fifteen years, and he is someone who has taught me about the biblical concept of justice, what it means, and at times even, how by my own ignorance, I participate in and perpetuate systems of injustice—how I can be a “cog in the wheels of injustice” without even recognizing it.
INTERVIEW
Welcome, Rev. Fritz, and Rev. Fritz’s fabulous mustache!
1. For starters, the word “justice” can be confusing. How would you define a “biblical concept of justice?
I like to think of biblical justice in our 21st Century American context as “fixing broken systems,” or making sure our society and economy work for everyone. Throughout much of history, including our own time, those with power have made sure society worked for them without much regard for others. God calls us to not only help people who are suffering, but to ask why and if there is anything we can do about it.
2. What’s your take on this passage from Isaiah I read earlier?
I think it is God calling us to open our eyes, it is God reminding us through the prophets that God cares about those who suffer, and that we, God’s people, the Body of Christ in this world need to alleviate that suffer and address its causes.
3. One of the gifts/curses you’ve given to me over the years, is that you’ve helped me see how, through my own apathy/ignorance, I am a “cog in the wheels of injustice.” In other words, you’ve shown me some ways in which I participate in systems of injustice. What are some ways many of us participate in unjust systems without being aware?
The key is to make ourselves aware, and then the ways we participate in unjust systems will become known to us. My favorite way to do this is to step outside of my comfort zone and to encounter people who live on the margins of our society, people who are suffering. I try to look for opportunities to go beyond studying about an issue or “doing good deeds” to have a real conversation, a real encounter with people, that has the possibility of opening my eyes to how me how my choices might not work for those who are vulnerable.
4. When I first met you, you had just come back from a trip to Nicaragua where you studied fair trade coffee. What is fair trade coffee and why does it matter?
I went to Nicaragua to meet with coffee farmers and learn about their lives and how my choices impact their lives. Fair trade coffee is the idea that coffee farmers, especially, small, independent ones, should get a negotiated fair price for the coffee they grow. That there should be income stability so they can survive the times coffee prices fall dramatically. This matters because it helps small farmers compete and thrive in a global marketplace.
5. Sometimes when pastors talk about real-world justice issues, they can be accused of “bringing politics into the pulpit.” Do you think justice issues have a place in church? Why or why not?
When people of faith talk about real world justice issues it is hopefully about our response to those who are suffering and how the church as the hands and feet of God can alleviate the causes of that suffering. There is a very specific theological term for it. Can I say “giveadamn?” Our president at Bread for the World calls it “organized giveadamn.” That means that as people of faith we believe that we should care about those who are left behind and then organize ourselves to help and to call on those who have the power to fix it to do so. This congregation already practices “organized giveadamn” by organizing the Beach Walk. To do that is impressive, to do it in this community is a strong witness. Congrats.
6. You’re currently working for an organization called “Bread for the World.” Tell us a little about what “Bread” does?
Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad.
By changing policies, programs, and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist, we provide help and opportunity at home and far beyond where we live.
We can end hunger in our time. But churches and charities can’t do it all. Our government must also do its part.
With the stroke of a pen, policies are made that redirect millions of dollars and affect millions of lives.
By making our voices heard in Congress, we make our nation’s laws fairer and more compassionate. We leverage big changes for people in our country and around the world who struggle with hunger.
Bread equips people to write personal letters and emails, meet with their members of Congress, and to work with others to end hunger. Working through churches, campuses, and other organizations, we engage people in organized advocacy.
Each year, Bread invites churches across the country to take up an Offering of Letters to Congress on legislation that impacts hungry and poor people. We organize advocacy campaigns to pass or block federal legislation that will help end hunger and poverty.
Bread works in a bipartisan way. Our network of thousands of individual members, churches, and denominations is active in every congressional district. We speak the truth to power with a moral and Christian voice and at the right time. And together, we are building the political will to end hunger and poverty.
7. So, in just a little bit of time, you’ve heightened our awareness about how we might be participating in oppressive/unjust systems (just like the people God was upset with in Isaiah 58). But here’s what’s tricky: I drank un-fair trade coffee this morning. I’m wearing clothes that were probably made by women or children in some other country under slave-like conditions. I haven’t written lawmakers about issues of poverty and hunger for a good decade now. It’s a lot to take in. If you could recommend ONE THING that I can do to break the cog in the wheel of injustice, what might that be?
Well, I do work for Bread for the World now. So, I’ll support the home team and say to call or write your members of Congress and ask them to support an increase in global nutrition funding this year. Bread’s focus this year is on global nutrition programs for young children and expectant mothers. We know that the first 1,000 days of a child’s life, from conception to two years old, are critical to that child’s development. If they and their mothers don’t get appropriate nutrition at that time their bodies and brains can’t develop, and this is irreversible. The good news is this can be prevented and that’s what we’re working to accomplish.
CONCLUSION
Going back to where we started in Isaiah 58: the prophet declares God’s blessings upon the people, but the blessings are contingent upon the people breaking the bonds of injustice. Let’s close today with the last six verses of this passage, this time from the Message:
“This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Do this and the lights will turn on,
and your lives will turn around at once.
Your righteousness will pave your way. The God of glory will secure your passage.
Then when you pray, God will answer. You’ll call out for help and I’ll say, ‘Here I am.’
“If you get rid of unfair practices,
quit blaming victims,
quit gossiping about other people’s sins,
If you are generous with the hungry
and start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your lives will begin to glow in the darkness,
your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go. I’ll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—
firm muscles, strong bones.
You’ll be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You’ll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew,
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You’ll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore old ruins, rebuild and renovate,
make the community livable again.
That’s what I mean by “justice”! May we break the “chains of injustice” that our lives might glow in the darkness!
Amen.