The Yearning for Justice
Thursday, January 8, 2009 -- Year One
Today's Readings for the Daily Office (Book of Common Prayer, p. 942)
Psalms 117, 118 (morning) 112, 113 (evening)
Isaiah 59:15-21
Revelation 2:8-17
John 4:46-54
The collection of prophecy in chapters 56-66 of Isaiah form a later compilation than the post- (or near post) captivity section of chapters 40-55. Within the 56-66 section, chapters 56-59 seem to be an integrated sub-collection, with today's passage at the end of chapter 59 composed as a conclusion to the sub-section.
This part of Isaiah addresses problems in the post-exilic community. The prophet calls for justice. "Maintain justice, and do what is right," he tells them at the opening of this section. He tells them to create a more inclusive community, embracing the foreigner and eunuch who wish to worship and participate. He calls for a renewal of worship that is sincere, and not just for show. Prayer should lead to compassion and concern for the less fortunate, he says. Do not attend just to the outward show, but to the inward spirit of the heart. Faith is not simply about believing certain things, but about compassion, heart-searching, and tolerance. With such a renwal of heart, real spiritual revival will happen. That is the message of Isaiah 56-58.
He closes by telling the people that the reason things aren't working out the way they should is because of the poor leadership which has failed to administer justice and allowed violence and corruption to flourish. The wrongdoing is a barrier that blocks us from God's blessing. "Therefore justice is far from us and righteousness does not reach us; ...for truth stumbles in the public square, and uprightness cannot enter."
The prophet declares that God will respond. God will repay the injustice and will return to redeem. The prophet closes with a renewal of the covenant that God's spirit is upon God's people and God's word shall not depart from them. It is the introduction to the next section beginning with chapter 60, a vision of a new city of peace and righteousness. "Arise, shine: for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you."
For many of us, these themes from the 6th century BCE sound fresh and alive. It has seemed for some years that truth has stumbled in the public square and justice has been far from us in this nation at this time. Compassion, heart-searching, and tolerance have been lacking, and many have excluded the foreigner and eunuch who wish to be in our community. Instead of righteousness, our leaders have condoned kidnapping, torture and imprisionment without process. Constitutional protections have been compromised. We relaxed economic oversight and allowed greed and irresponsibility to overwhelm the credit system -- which is actually a system of trust, a system of faith. It has been an ugly time, and we seem far away from our deepest values and ideals.
Some of the descriptions of Isaiah 59 describe our situation. "We grope like the blind along a wall, ...we all growl like bears. ...Our transgressions indeed are with us, ...conceiving lying words and uttering them from the heart."
No wonder so many of us have yearned for change. We pray that God will turn the hearts of our people back to our source. Like the prophet want a renewal of compassion, heart-searching, and tolerance -- a renewal of honesty, uprightness and justice. This is essentially a yearning for a return to God.
Christians proclaim the central character of God is love. The God of love is also the God of justice, for justice is the social form of love. Like Isaiah, we call for a renewal of justice in the land, not only for people, but also for the land itself, the natural world.
We have been living in Isaiah 56-59; we long for the vision of the renewed community of Isaiah 60-62.
Lowell
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Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: Morning Reflection Podcasts
About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.
Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life
Lowell Grisham, Rector
Audio podcast: Listen to an audio podcast of the most recent Morning Reflections from today and the past week. Click the following link: Morning Reflection Podcasts
About Morning Reflections
Morning Reflections is a brief thought about the scripture readings from the Daily Office of Morning and Evening Prayer according to the practice found in the Book of Common Prayer of the Episcopal Church.
Morning Prayer begins on p. 80 of the Book of Common Prayer.
Evening Prayer begins on p. 117
An online resource for praying the Daily Office is found at www.missionstclare.com
Another form of the office from Phyllis Tickle's "Divine Hours" is available on our partner web site www.ExploreFaith.org at this location -- http://explorefaith.org/prayer/fixed/index.html
The Mission of St. Paul's Episcopal Church
is to explore and celebrate
God's infinite grace, acceptance, and love.
Visit our web site at www.stpaulsfay.org
Our Rule of Life
We aspire to...
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
worship weekly
pray daily
learn constantly
serve joyfully
live generously.
Lowell Grisham, Rector
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville, Arkansas
posted by Lowell @ 7:55 AM
4 comments
4 Comments:
About these words: For many of us, these themes from the 6th century BCE sound fresh and alive. It has seemed for some years that truth has stumbled in the public square and justice has been far from us in this nation at this time. Compassion, heart-searching, and tolerance have been lacking, and many have excluded the foreigner and eunuch who wish to be in our community. Instead of righteousness, our leaders have condoned kidnapping, torture and imprisionment without process. Constitutional protections have been compromised. We relaxed economic oversight and allowed greed and irresponsibility to overwhelm the credit system -- which is actually a system of trust, a system of faith. It has been an ugly time, and we seem far away from our deepest values and ideals.
Lowell: I wish you had not expressed your personal political opinions. Now whenever I read your words I know that you are expressing condemnation for George Bush and favor for Obama. You have categorized evil with Bush and good with Obama. You have, as a minister and priest, failed to honor God first, for you have placed "the cause to be" upon men. You have committed adultery in the sense that you have stated that is it men who are the cause of things and therefore damned one human being while elevating (idolizing) another. George Bush is not the devil and Obama is not a god. These men are human beings and in need of the love and care of Father Lowell, God's representative on earth. We are all, each and everyone of us, victims of the earth -- aka, sinners. We need God and we need our priest, just as we are all charged by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to love our neighbor as ourselves. How about some compassion for the incumbent president and some humanness for the incoming! If anyone, anywhere, anytime; succeeds in God's will, it is due to their surrender to God. God is the single "cause to be" and never an earthling.
If I am wrong, talk to me.
Scott Hull
Justice for the Land? So land now has more right to justice than a baby in the womb?
Is it compassionate to give loans to people who clearly cannot afford them? Truly, truly it is not. The injustice is letting them have it so they can "keep up" with the Jones. If they knew Tony Rezko, like the Obama's, then yes, they too can have a mansion on top of a hill.
But then again, this is not BCE. This is the CE, Christian era. You can't take Christ out of the Era. I wonder why Lowell would even want to.
Lowell has been condemning the actions of many in the current administration for a long time, which is perfectly legal and reasonable thing for him to do. He has also been expressing hope that things will change in a new administration. He said this before Obama was the personification of that new administration. The job of all of us is to speak out when we see injustice and work for justice. I think Lowell does this very admirably!
Why doesn't Lowell "speak out" for the unborn?
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