Do Justice, Love Kindness, and Walk Humbly by Jonathan Rhoad

There is obviously a lot of pent-up anger in America. In the Preamble to the Constitution, “we the people” stated that two of our primary purposes are to “establish Justice,” and “insure domestic Tranquility.” Right now, it seems that we are in the midst of abject failure. Protests at unjust treatment, not just the extrajudicial killings of Floyd George, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, but of so many others in the past. The frustration not solely that so many have had their rights trampled, but that the survivors were unable to get justice. And so for the lack of justice, we have rightfully lost our domestic tranquility.

So how do we, as followers of Christ, respond to this anger and lack of justice? One of the most natural (perhaps guided by the flesh) reactions is to become angry as well. Didn’t Jesus get righteously angry at the crooked money changers in the temple? Upsetting a few tables might feel good, but does it achieve the goal of justice?

Micah 6:8 says, “Mankind, he has told you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to act justly, to love faithfulness and mercy, and to walk humbly before your God.” Micah was writing to a society divided by oppression. The rich were violent and liars, dishonest in their dealings. Unfortunately, today the dividing descriptions are much more numerous. We no longer just have rich versus poor or countrymen versus foreigners. In America, we have division by race, division by sexual orientation, division by gender identity, division by ability. And it is this division that leads to injustice.

So, what does it look like to act justly, love faithfulness and mercy, and walk humbly before our God in times of uncertainty and unrest? One perspective is that it looks just like it does in “normal” times. Don’t let the appearance of division keep you from relating to anyone you meet, each of whom is a child of God. Follow Jesus’s example with the woman at the well and Zacchaeus. The woman at the well was not only female, and Samaritan, but such an outcast among her own people that she didn’t get water in the cool of the morning or evening with other women. Zacchaeus was a thief and traitor to his own people. Jesus lovingly accepted them and drew them to him.

If you want to go beyond personal interactions and move toward healing our country by helping to overcome the strife of division, find a group of like-minded people with whom to labor. I am increasing my involvement with Showing Up for Racial Justice-KC (SURJ-KC). This is an organization designed for white people to come alongside other organizations to assist where it is helpful. The separation is intentional not to usurp the voices and authority of the existing organization, but to be able to offer assistance, nonetheless. If you are interested, you can learn more about SURJ-KC by reading their points of unity.

I want to echo Emmitt’s advice from his Wednesday blog, just to listen. I know that at times I have been so invested in my thoughts, what I want to say, that I have been guilty of not listening. I’ve heard that God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. I read some excellent tips on things to avoid when trying to help. 

Most of all, love others as Christ loved us. His example was to lay down his life. Most of us are not called to die for our friends, but we can still lay down our priorities, lay down our time, and lay down our money for those around us.