April 3, 2019
Hope Lutheran Church
Lenten Service
Psalm 10; Romans 12:9-21
Hope in the Face of Injustice
Friends, may grace and peace be yours in abundance in the knowledge of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.
God has blessed us with the commandments. They teach us right pathways. God’s commandments direct us how we are to live rightly with God and with one another. When we follow God’s pathways, life flourishes. The entire universe rings with harmony.
Unfortunately, the opposite is also true. When we don’t follow God’s pathways, there is pain and suffering. Goodness withers. We know injustice when we see it. Little children learn very quickly and point it out. They declare, “That’s not fair!”
In the face of injustice, the psalmist asks a question close to our hearts. “Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
When the plague of injustice strikes, it can seem like nothing is checking it. The universe groans. A collective cry of woe ascends from the crushing weight of oppression and suffering. How long, O Lord, how long shall your will be trampled?
Human history is ripped by the scars of injustice. The ancient Hebrews groans under bondage in Egypt. They languished for 400 years!
Our nation was founded under the banner of democracy. We came together as a nation to throw off the yoke of injustice under a harsh crown. In our articles of independence, we declared that “all men are created equal.”
The inherent justice of that statement rings with truth through the ages. That equality is vital to creation itself! All humans have been created with an inherent value and importance.
But even as we wrote those words, we spurned them. The framers of our constitution held other human souls in bondage. Can there be a greater injustice? Even Thomas Jefferson, who penned the soaring declaration that we are all created equal, was a slave owner. And like others of his time, he knew it was wrong. In his book, "Notes on the State of Virginia," he wrote these words:
“Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever.”
Jefferson dreaded the day when our nation would have to pay for its history of slavery.
The course of human history and the history of our nation are stained by injustice. Slavery, the treatment of native peoples. The struggle for suffrage to minorities and women. The denial of civil rights. Racial hatred and sexist discrimination still exist today. Systems seem rigged against the poor and in favor of the powerful.
“Why, O Lord, do you stand far off? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
How we respond to injustice varies widely. On the one end of the spectrum, we are paralyzed by learned helplessness. “That’s just the way it is,” we philosophize. Injustice is something that needs to be endured.
The other end of the spectrum responds with revolution. We rise up in revolt. Deadly force against deadly force, fist against fist. Blood for blood, soul for soul.
What is the godly way? How do God’s commandments inform us? What does hope proclaim?
Theodore Parker was a Unitarian minister and abolitionist in the 1800s. He reflected on the persistent state of slavery. Would it end? His response bears witness to his hope in God’s justice:
“I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight, I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.”
In the 1960’s, Martin Luther King, Jr. recalled that sentiment. He preached that the arc of the moral universe bends towards justice.
This is what we believe. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We believe that God’s will is unfolding in our midst. The road is long and rocky, but slowly and surely, God’s will for justice is fulfilled.
So how do we live out this hope in the face of injustice? Paul conveys words of wisdom to the Romans. He gives three good instructions for us.
- “Hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good.” Paul means that we need to keep God’s will for justice before our eyes. We hold it up, like a banner. We keep our eyes fixed upon it. When you go golfing, there’s that flag pole sticking into the hole on the putting green. It’s there so you can keep your eyes on your goal. You can see that flag from far, far away.
That’s what we do with God’s will for justice. It’s a focal point for us along the journey. We hold fast to it. Our actions and our words bear witness to it. In all we do, in all we say, we stand up to injustice and keep our eyes on God’s will for justice. We walk steadfastly towards justice.
- Secondly, Paul urges us to practice solidarity. He writes: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another, do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.”
Paul encourages us to stand together. When others around us are besieged by oppression, we identify with them. We strive to understand their position. As they weep, we weep with them. When they rejoice, we cheer with them. There is great strength in solidarity. In the face of injustice, we uphold and stand with one another.
- Finally, Paul forbids vengeance. Hatred and rage are not to corrode our spirits. Facing injustice on a daily basis can lead to anger and ill feelings. It acts like acid and destroys everything it touches. To that end, Paul gives us an antidote. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s the only way to overcome evil. Evil can only be overcome by good.
To that end, Paul encourages us to bless those who bring persecution. When they’re hungry, we feed them, when they’re thirsty, we give them something to drink. His words resonate with the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 25: “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.” Christ is hidden in all of us, even in those who perpetrate evil.
We do not meet rage with rage; we do not demonize our enemy. To do so is to submit to the downward pull of evil. We bless, we do not curse. Evil can only be overcome by good.
Friends, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. Never give up that hope! We pray, thy will be done, Lord, thy will be done! On earth, as it is in heaven!
