Justice, Pt 6: The “Doing” of Justice
About the Series
Justice is one of the most important themes in the Bible. What is Biblical Justice? Does our view of justice line up with our actual practice? In this series we are doing a deep dive into scripture, then (hopefully) coming back up with a new imagination for biblical justice and how it might shape our lives and speak into the social issues of our day.
Review the last practice (10 min)
Last time you were invited to read and sit with some passages of Scripture (Genesis 1:26-27, Isaiah 5:1-7, and Isaiah 60:1-3) alone or with a companion noticing God’s love for you and others. What did you do? How did this go? What stood out to you from this time? How did God speak to you or inspire you? What came from this time in connection with living into God’s grace and the call of biblical justice? Share your experience.
Read the Teaching Recap (5 min)
This week we looked how the doing of justice was God’s very heart for His people Israel and still IS for us today. We hear the why of justice in Scripture and we are offered some ways on how to do justice today.
Why Justice?
In the Bible, God always stands with the minority and marginalized: widows, orphans, immigrants— the poor and suffering. These were three kinds of people repeatedly spoken of by God in Scripture.
Why is it hard to name or see God’s justice within our own context? What is God truly interested in?
In Isaiah 58:2-9, we hear God’s response to Israel ’s questions and why He had remained silent to their day by day seeking, morality keeping, and meticulously religious worship.
What was God truly interested in? God’s desired interest was for Israel to loosen the bonds of injustice, to let the oppressed go free, to share bread with the hungry and bring the homeless into their homes. The very heart of God for His people (and for us) throughout the Scriptures is to be engaged in justice. Review these passages if time allows:
Isaiah 1:15-17
Zechariah 7:4-10
Psalm 68:5
James 1:27
Doing Justice?
The vision for Justice and Mission (JAM) in our church community is to bring about justice through three stages:
Relief —for the church to raise money, meet immediate needs like food, clothing etc. At Refuge this has been and currently is done through Shine, Ukraine Giving Campaign, Change for a Dollar, Benevolence, etc.
Development—for the church to set a long-term goal of building genuine and trusting relationships, where mutuality is created, where providers and learners become recipients. This takes time and consistency. At Refuge we are beginning to move into this stage through our Shine partnership with Marie Hughes Elementary. Our hope and dream is to be able to offer mentors, friendships, build businesses, etc.
Reform—for the church and organizations to truly do justice, it means fixing situations that have gone awry, and liberating systems, so people can live life as God intended—a life of Shalom. Very few organizations and churches get this far but we can be hopeful that this will one day happen.
Discussion & Prayer (40 min)
Reflect and share. Take some time to reflect on the why of justice using one or a few of the questions:
What makes it hard to name or see God’s justice in our own contexts?
Do you relate to the statement “not religion but relationship” shared in Toshi’s example? If so, how?
In reference to the Scripture passages— Isaiah 58:2-9, Isaiah 1:15-17, Zechariah 7:4-10, Psalm 68:5, James 1:27—what resonates with you about God’s very heart and desire for justice?
Discussion. Spend time exploring your hopes and dreams of doing justice using the three stages (#1 Relief, #2 Development, #3 Reform). What does this or could this look like in your own life? In the life of our church? Keep in mind the invitation is to move from or through 1-3.
Prayer. Close your time praying over the hopes and dreams shared together.
Practice of the Week (5 min)
“Stop hearing, start listening; stop looking, start seeing.” This week, using your imagination, prayerfully ask the Lord about what He wants to show you regarding His heart of justice. Pick one of these practices to try:
Spend 5-20 minutes recalling and reflecting on one of the village stories Toshi shared. What might God be speaking through the image?
Sit with this IMAGE of a mountain with a river flowing down. Prayerfully use the image to wonder what God might be saying to you.
Feel free to try this practice with a companion and share your responses.
