I had the joy of speaking at an MLK event last week. We joined a march from City Hall to a local church. Those who stayed at the church joined in song, prayer and reflection. The event leader introduced me, among things, as an Eagles fan. I had an uphill climb!
But I’m confident I won the crowd over with my message “Late to the party.”
When it comes to justice, some people will be late to the party. To be sure, some people don’t want to come to the justice party. They like the old party.
Even so, we keep celebrating God’s justice. In a sense, we party when we see glimpses of justice rolling on like a river (Amos 5:24). We thank God when justice reigns and cry out when it does not. My point was that as we continue to pursue justice, others will finally join the effort.
Thanks be to God!
And I also wanted to emphasize how much the Lord desires justice among us. This isn’t a random idea we created. It has always been a vision of God for how we live as God’s people.
Moses taught the Israelites in the wilderness what it meant to be faithful to God. Can you guess one of the things he taught them? They were to practice justice. He reiterates what he wants the people to know: Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue (Deuteronomy 16:20).
Only justice?
What about love, compassion and truthfulness? What of holiness? Well, is not justice fulfilled a form of them all? How can we say we love our neighbor if we can’t be bothered with the reality of the injustices they face? How holy are we if injustice doesn’t bother us enough to do something about it?
Speaking of MLK, I read an article yesterday that mentioned a plaque in Dallas dedicated to him. Apparently, the plaque quotes Micah 6:8 but attributes the words of the prophet to MLK.
But they are God’s words of justice. God’s desire for our connected lives.
This is always going to matter to God. So, it’s time to get to the justice party!
Stay blessed…john