Justice for God’s People

Justice for God’s People 

Luke 18:1-8: Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.'" And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them.  

As God’s people in the world we have received God’s Law in many ways.  It the Biblical books of Exodus and Deuteronomy we have received God’s Law written on stone (the Ten Commandments).  As Christians we believe the Bible contains God’s law. It also contains lots of other things; poems, hymns, history, legend, foundational stories of our faith and life.  In fact, story and myth communicate more to many of us than do laws.  They even help us to understand law in ways that often make more sense than codes and codicils. 

I believe that was the goal of God’s communication through the Prophet Jeremiah during the exile in Babylon.  It is just possible that this message will serve us well on our journey of life and faith. 

Jeremiah 31:27-34: The days are surely coming, says the LORD, when I will make

a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. It will not be like

the covenant that I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to

bring them out of the land of Egypt-- a covenant that they broke, though I was

their husband, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the

 house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and

I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 

Jeremiah is proclaiming that God is putting the divine law on human flesh, not just any flesh, but the heart, the traditional source of life, thus proclaiming that life in this world is important to

God.  That what happens in this world is important.  That God desires justice for all people. 

Franciscan Friar and Roman Catholic Priest, Richard Rohr believes that when we pray for others, that what we are doing is bringing thinking down from our head to our hearts.  Rohr suggests that:  

next time resentment, negativity and irritation come to our minds, that we move

that thought or that person into our heart space.”  The heart, according to Rohr is

surrounded with silence, surrounded with blood which is warm and life giving.  In

this place it is impossible to comment, judge, create story lines and remain antagonistic.  In this place we do not create or feed on contraries, but on life, embodiment and love.  Love lives and thrives in heart space.  It has kept me from wanting to hurt people who have hurt me.  Could this be what we are really doing when we say we are praying for someone?  That we are holding them in our heart. (Immortal Diamond, Richard Rohr) 

The Law written on the heart makes our faith real.  Faith becomes about flesh and blood, new life; “the word became flesh and dwelt among us,”(John 1:14)  and it becomes dangerous! 

When God’s Law is written on our hearts, we are able to find God within us as well as beyond us.  This is an exquisite balance that I believe religion is able to achieve.  People who find this balance that both Jeremiah and Jesus had, find a wholeness and tend to blossom and flourish.  As we flourish in our faith we move beyond being mere conformists or mere rebels who just take sides on everything—no wisdom required.  Sounds like a pretty good place for Christians to hang out. 

When we live into this Law Written on the Heart, this law of flesh and blood, we have nothing to prove.  We only need say with Mary, “the almighty has done great things for me and Holy is His Name.”(Luke 1:49)   We can also say, must also say, the Almighty has done great things for all of God’s children, not just those of us who know God through Jesus. 

Those of us who are God’s Children, those with God’s Law written on our hearts, might just become co-creators with God, might just become the people who can help God put back together our sometimes sad and fragmented country and world.  Not lording it over others, but welcoming them, even those who are different, into this place, this world God has given us as home.