letting anger go

Injustice as in God's righteous standard not being lived up to is part and parcel in this life. Of course we need to see God's righteous standard now in light of Jesus and the coming of God's kingdom in him, and the vision of shalom that this brings.

James informs us that we're to be slow to anger because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Human anger takes one aspect of reality, and our judgment of it, and makes it the all determining factor, when grace must be wed to truth so that we emphasize grace with the realization that we ourselves don't hold the entire truth, or anything that's true in its entirety.

If we harbor resentment, this will result in anger, and anger at least holds us back from expressing the love and truth in Jesus that God desires. But it often makes itself known in subtle and not so subtle ways which can be injurious to everyone. And violate the Jesus Creed.

If we don't let anger go it will increase, like a pot of water being heated on a stove. The steam will escape some way. And God will step in and rebuke us when we fail in this way. We shouldn't get this far, though at times we will. We need to be sensitive to pick up and accept God's rebuke and repent. We need to turn it over to God and let our anger go.

It is best if we could work through something entirely with one who we believe has mistreated us. Sometimes that's possible, but often it is not. Of course it's not like we're squeaky clean in the whole thing, as I pointed out in the post yesterday. But no matter what, we must turn over our perceptions and thoughts and all that is inside of us to God. And humble ourselves before God and let ourselves be humbled in the eyes of others even when we think it's not just, knowing that they don't know the worst about us. In time we will find ourselves walking in and with Jesus by the Spirit, if we persist in this way.

Any thoughts on this?

restorative justice

Rereading for the umpteenth time the chapter, "A Society for Justice," in The Jesus Creed, made me think of how we American Christians tend to look at justice in retributive terms, rather than restorative.

Scot McKnight brings up in the book in the chapter on forgiveness, a Jewish scholar, Solomon Schimmel, who sees a difference between forgiveness as understood in Judaism, and Christian forgiveness. Judaism, and what we call the old coventant underscores the fact that it is God who forgives, so that any forgiveness would hinge on that. And that repentance is required. The only instance of humans forgiving each other is when Joseph forgives his brothers for selling him into slavery in Egypt.

Christian forgiveness comes from the new teaching and the new covenant in Jesus. Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, doing good to them, blessing them, and praying for them. It involves "preemptive forgiveness" as when Jesus called out to the Father to forgive those who executed him. We see it at Stephen's stoning, as well, vastly different than what we see in the Old Testament. There is more to be said on forgiveness.

This restorative justice has serious implications on how we see life today. We must see it in the light of the fulfillment of the old covenant in the coming of God's kingdom now present on earth in Jesus, and in which we as followers of Jesus live. We need to live this out among ourselves, and then seek to see it carried out in our prison systems, something Charles Colson's ministry seeks to do.

So that both a murderer who is repentant, and their victims can actually work through the evil that has been done, face to face if both should choose to. And then find forgiveness and healing, through Jesus. This has yielded dramatic results in some places. And it's something I'm working on, as I think through the forgiveness that is needed, ongoing among us, and is part of the prayer Jesus taught us to pray.

Any thoughts you'd like to add here?

America and God's kingdom

I am thankful for my country, America, because of the religious freedom that is ours, here. A book that has recently awakened me to a new thankfulness, is Os Guinness' excellent book, The Case for Civility. And The Williamsburg Charter he was involved in, is worth the read.

I tend to agree with N.T. Wright that America is a case of empire, and is most certainly a kingdom of this world. The kingdom of God in Jesus alone deserves our full allegiance. The "kingdoms" of this world are destined to fall in judgment before the kingdom of God in Jesus, to which we in Jesus belong now.

However as the salt and light in Jesus that we are, we must not withdraw, but seek to bring God's kingdom in Jesus everywhere and on everything. A good place to start is to be praying the prayer Jesus taught us to pray. And to pray as we are taught by Paul in God's word.

How do you see it?

"Climbing - justice" from L.L. Barkat

From Stone Crossings: Finding Grace in Hard and Hidden Places

Through a social issues reading club started by L.L., which met at her house, L.L. and some friends began to enter into some of the hurt and wrong of the world. This opened up not only the stories of those who have been wronged and neglected. But made them aware of their own sense of responsibility and inadequacy in doing much about it. But this is where the climbing comes in. Quoting Karangathe, "a worker in Kenya's green belt movement", the endeavor to see justice done on earth is taken one step at a time. The destination may be far, and may even seem inaccessible, but steps in the right direction, beginning with what one can do themselves, are taken.

One of the keys is to see how we ourselves are culprits or accomplices in the plight of those suffering injustice in the world. This is not an easy road to travel. But following in the path of Jesus, "the awaited tsaddiq...a straight-on justice incarnate person," through receiving "his tsedaqah when we turn to [God] and are saved" we are thus "little Christs, little tsaddiqim, little straight-on justice incarnates..." We must get beyond any sense of hopelessness in view of the scope of the problems, and beyond our own imprisonment in pain as those being healed in Jesus if we're to bring the needed justice and freedom in Jesus to others.

Justice itself is not that hard to understand. It has the sense of righting all wrongs against others. In the biblical sense, bringing shalom, God's blessing of prosperity to those in need in our world. This is nothing less than what is prayed in the "our Father prayer": "your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." So in that sense it is an endeavor we must take on not just by ourselves, who neither have the vision nor the strength for it. But together, in hand with God through Christ, so that it is helping others not only to bread, but the Bread of life, Jesus himself.

Again, just like chapter after chapter, really the entire book, this was more than just a fine read for me. It really plumbed my own shallowness on this subject, and challenged me. I have to admit, I've been confused over the past many months not so much over the meaning of justice itself, but how we apply it in the world. It seems like the common answer that the really rich are contributing to the injustice of the world in systemic ways has some truth and error. So at this point justice is a bit muzzled in me over such issues. I have plenty to learn.

But we see injustice, such as through a couple we know, the wife not even yet fifty having had two silent and one normal heart attack, her husband let go from a job because he had hurt his back- even though he was still working, now in alot of back pain and working a minimum wage job at a gas station along with delivering papers, having the big expense in gasoline. And he has had to pay around $100 per week for health insurance which ended up covering only one of four required medications for his wife. So he dropped the insurance, thinking he can do better paying for her medical needs out of his own pocket. And he gets only a few hours of sleep here and there. There are no easy answers here, and what can we do as Christians in this? To our shame, we don't seem well versed in knowing what we can or should do. And the church has helped this couple. Add to that, the rising health care cost, and needed insurance is a national issue. It would be nice if private enterprises worked together to help the some 50 million Americans to be able to purchase affordable health care coverage, which now they don't have, and doesn't seem forthcoming. This is one major item on my mind right now in regard to justice, and weighs heavily in my thinking on the upcoming November election.

And we must not only prophetically critique and speak into the wrongs of our world, but we must be part of the solution in Jesus. We must begin the steps towards God's shalom by becoming informed and praying for the problems both as to God's solution, and our part in that. Not that we'll arrive to shalom in perfection before Jesus returns. But I believe in Jesus we're called to show the compassion of God to those in need.

Let's follow the true Jesus, who was not the meek and mild "just is" as commonly portrayed, but the straight-on justice incarnate person, who in passion and compassion acted for others. This chapter was a needed spur to make me think and pray again that I would be a part of God's work of justice in Jesus in a world so in need of God's healing and shalom.

How do you see this and the part we're to play in it?

1. Stepping Stones - conversion
2. Christmas Coal - shame
3. Tossed Treasures - messiness
4. Heron Road - suffering
5. Sword in the Stone - resistance
6. Howe's Cave - baptism
7. Palisade Cliffs - doubt
8. Holding Pfaltzgraff - inclusion
9. Indiana Jones - fear
10. Old Stone Church - love
11. Goldworthy's Wall - sacrifice
12. Clefts of the Rock - responsibility
13. Olive Press - gratitude
14. Forest Star - humility
15. Seedstone - healing
16. Sugar Face - forgiveness
17. Lava Rock - witness

Next week: Roxaboxen - heaven