"God has told you, O mortal, what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6:8This is one of my favorite Bible scriptures, yet, I often say things like "it is what it is" and "life isn't fair" to rationalize my call to inaction. God calls us to seek justice. Our reading this week describes retributive and restorative justice. "Retributive" is more the legal system while "restorative" is what I would consider social justice. We are all different in our perceptions and beliefs so how can we demonstrate our Christian beliefs to the world? Old Testament prophets' call to action involves our whole community or nation. "These actions are deeds of mercy that show compassion for others and are directed toward individuals. These actions contain the seeds of justice. Seeking justice, means we work for what God intends for the world" (A World Worth Saving, p. 64).
Is it so hard to know what God calls us to do? I feel I must pray with a compassionate heart to learn God's will. "If our lives reflect Christ and if we die and rise with Christ as our baptismal vows and scripture say, then we also rise from the injustice of the world to a deeper sense of God's justice for creation. Christ calls us to rise so that God's justice may be realized through acts of love, mercy, and compassion." (A World Worth Saving, p. 73)
Join us at 6:15 in Fellowship Hall at St. Mark Presbyterian Church to continue the discussion of the book.
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