A series looking at justice, another of the most important words in the Bible, that knits the bible together cover-to-cover.
| Video Message | Resources |
| Week 1: The God of Justice | Monday Memo notes Doing Justice this Week How can you “do justice” this week, drawing from what we covered in the sermon? 1. Spend some time thinking through what forces and groups have influenced how you view “justice,” and perhaps how they’ve limited your perspective. 2. As you listen to the news or hear about different issues, prioritize how they might affect the most vulnerable, the poor, or the marginalized…and in so doing, know that you’re beginning to look at things more like God does. 3. Ask God for the opportunity to a) pull someone out of the river, and b) help someone not fall in the river (or speak up for those who are in danger of falling into the river.) 4. One day this week try to stay conscious of the fact that God wants justice for each and every person you see or with whom you interact. God doesn’t just love them as beloved children; God wants justice for them. This kind of intentional practice will change both your heart and the way you see the world. |
| Week 2: Do as God Has Done for You (The Mosaic Law) | Monday Memo notes Justice in the Mosaic Law this Week 1. Probably the best thing you could this week is read some of the moral and social law in The Torah, given that – you know – we as Christians aren’t known for spending a lot of time there. As you read these passages, remember that they are guidelines or a direction, and are spent to shape our moral conscience so that we respond to situations or needs that the O.T. Law never anticipated: – Exodus 22.21-27 – Exodus 23.1-9 – Leviticus 19.9-37 – Deuteronomy 15.1-18 – Deuteronomy 16.18-20 – Deuteronomy 24.10-21 If it helps, here are some questions to ask as you read these texts (as provided by Christopher J. H. Wright, from his book on Old Testament ethics): – What kind of situation or behavior is this text trying to promote or prevent? – Who is the law aiming to protect? – Who would benefit from this law, and why? – What misuse of power is the text addressing? How is it channeling or redirecting power and influence? – What rights and/or responsibilities are inherent in the text? – What vision for society does the text have? – What moral values is the text trying to shape within God’s people that can be used in other situations? – What sanctions or penalties are in the text? What blessings? 2. Read a little Jonathan Sacks (former chief rabbi of the United Kingdom) on justice in the Mosaic Law: Tzedek: Justice and Compassion and The Parameters of Justice 3. Try this 40 min. podcast from The Bible Project on what the Mosaic Law is and isn’t…we might not agree with it 100% but it’s a good place to start: The Reason the Old Testament Laws Exist • The Law Ep. 1 |
| Week 3: We’re Not Animals (Wisdom Literature) | Monday Memo notes Justice in the Wisdom Literature this Week Remember from the first week of this sermon series that in the Old Testament “justice” and “righteousness” are closely related terms…justice results in righteousness, that is, good character and right relationships. Do some reading this week in Proverbs on both justice and righteousness: BibleGateway – Keyword Search: just BibleGateway – Keyword Search: righteousness BibleGateway – Keyword Search: righteous Reread and pray through “the Psalm of Liberation” (Psalm 146) that started our worship service yesterday. Do it a few times this week. Pray it for our church, our country, and for people you know. After all, Psalms are the prayer book of the Bible…Psalm 146 NRSVUE – Psalm 146 Praise for God’s Help Want to learn a little more about “The Wisdom Literature” of the Old Testament? Here are brief introductory videos (each 3-6 min. in length) on Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes: The Book of Job’s Wisdom on How God Runs the World The Book of Proverbs • What It Teaches About Being Good at Life The Disturbing But Surprising Wisdom of Ecclesiastes |
| Week 4: Holy Anger and Unholy Religion (The Old Testament Prophets | Monday Memo notes More in the Prophets this Week – Probably the best thing you can do this week is read a section from the prophets each day, just to get more familiar with their perspective and passion: – Monday reading: Isaiah 58.1-12 NRSVUE – Tuesday reading: Isaiah 5.8-25 NRSVUE – Wednesday reading: Amos 5.1-24 NRSVUE – Thursday reading: Jeremiah 5.1-13 NRSVUE – Friday reading: Ezekiel 16.1-52 NRSVUE – Saturday reading: Amos 6.1-8 NRSVUE – Try using some of your personal spiritual time this week as a “holding space” for your anger – in that time, lament, be willing to feel your smallness or helplessness in the face of so much injustice, and ask God what specific difference God wants you to make. – If you’re interested in learning more about prophets, and in some small way how each of us as Christians are called to be one, try these: A week’s worth of brief excepts from Richard Rohr’s book “The Tears of Things – Prophetic Wisdom for an Age of Outrage”: The Path of the Prophet Archives An interview with Walter Brueggemann on being prophetic and not burning out: Being Prophetic, Avoiding Burnout, & Journeying with the Prophets – Questions That Matter – And these resources talk through the theme of justice specifically within the O.T. prophets: – The Social Justice Prophets – The Prophets of the Hebrew Bible and the Primacy of Social Justice – ‘Let justice prevail’: Biblical prophets’ lessons for modern life |
| Week 5: The Favorable Year of the Lord TODAY (The Gospels) | Monday Memo notes More on Justice and Jesus – Here’s a short piece that’s a good overview of justice in the Gospels: Jesus’ Kind of Social Justice – Greg Boyd – The resurrection of Jesus was, in part, God’s defiant “NO!” in the face of Jesus’ state-sponsored execution, itself a grave act of the worst kind of injustice: Jesus’ Resurrection and Social Justice – One of the books we’ll recommend to you next Monday, after our series on biblical justice concludes, is one that focuses on justice in the Gospels, entitled “Jesus and Justice” by Joash Thomas. Here are a) a short interview with the author about the book, b) a longer interview, and c) a free preview excerpt from the book, all on YouTube: – The Justice of Jesus: with Joash Thomas – Christian Colonization and Its Effects: Joash Thomas Tells The Truth | The New Evangelicals – The Justice of Jesus: Reimagining Your Church’s… by Joash P. Thomas – And here’s another book we’ll recommend to you next week, “What if Jesus was Serious about…Justice?” The first link is to an interview with the author, and the second is to a preview of the book itself: – What if Jesus was Serious About Justice? A Conversation with Skye Jethani – What If Jesus Was Serious about Justice?: A… by Skye Jethani |
| Week 6: | Monday Memo notes |