Not
every problem has a solution; Life is not
fair and in regards to evil in the world,
the question is not ‘why’ but
‘what now’. Christian writer (Geoff
Ryan) introduces these three convictions in
his book ‘Sowing Dragons’.
They are statements that ring true. Life is
not fair, but as Christians, we are not called
to accept the status quo, we’re called
to be salt and light; flavouring the world
around us and bringing hope.
Here, ALOVE starts to scratch the surface
on what it means to confront injustice in
our world and serve others with the mindset
of ‘what now?’
Signposts of hope –
Every day, we are bombarded with stories and
images of hopelessness, disaster and difficulty.
Yet Jesus is the hope of the world, bringing
healing, restoration, forgiveness and new
life. The church is Christ’s body and
is called to be this hope. Jesus said ‘You
are the light of the world – people
don’t light a lamp and put it under
a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand and
it gives light to everyone in the house.’
We are called to be signposts to God’s
kingdom, bringing the aromas and tastes of
the kingdom through our words and actions
Transformation –
From ‘whatever’ to ‘what
now?’ Rather than accepting or being
disempowered by difficult situations others
or we face, the hope of Christ leads us to
bring change and transformation. ‘Thy
kingdom come… on earth as it is in heaven’
is a hope-filled, transformational cry from
the Lords prayer, which we should seek to
live out. It’s not our job to build
the kingdom – only God can do that –
but it’s our job to pursue kingdom justice
and values in every situation.
Belief in action –
‘Pity weeps and says “too bad”,
compassion cries and says ‘I’ll
help.’” It can be easy to feel
bothered about a situation, but difficult
to actually take action against it, yet James
2 challenges us to show our faith by what
we do: ‘Faith if it doesn’t cause
us to do something, is dead.’ William
Booth said, ‘Faith and works should
travel side-by-side, step answering step,
like the legs of men walking. First faith
and then works, and then faith again, until
you can scarcely tell which is the one and
which is the other.’ Confronting injustice
and putting our belief into action around
us is integral to our faith.
Crossing Boundaries –
Sometimes, confronting injustice means that
we will need to step beyond ourselves. The
pressures of other people’s expectations,
our desire for popularity or our own prejudices
may make it difficult to make a difference,
yet we are called to go the extra mile. The
well-known parable of the Good Samaritan demonstrates
a man standing in the face of all the social
and cultural expectations of the day. He rescued
and restored a near to death Jewish man, despite
the traditional bitterness and enmity between
their respective religious traditions. What
are the equivalent scenarios for us today?
Obvious situations like the smouldering tensions
between Israelis and Palestinians spring to
mind, but what are the social chasms we need
to cross in our own lives? What people and
circumstances do we resist? Where do we need
to step out?
Become a servant –
In seeking to reach out and help others, we
need to become servants who are indiscriminate
in their service and treat them as people
not projects. Richard Foster writes, ‘Self-righteous
service picks and chooses whom to serve. Sometimes
the low and defenceless are served because
that will ensure a humble image. True service
is indiscriminate in its ministry. It has
heard the command of Jesus.’ In Jesus
we see someone that spent his time with all
sorts of people from society -, the roman
centurion, the haemorrhaging woman, the tax
collector, little children, the Samaritan
woman, his disciples, the rich ruler…
In each case his interactions were always
seasoned with love and grace. Whoever we engage
with, we too should seek to serve, and in
‘humility consider others better’
than ourselves.
All for worship -
There is so much more that could and should
be said about what it means to confront injustice.
For now, we conclude with the thought that
everything we do to bring change, hope and
justice should be inspired by our desire to
worship and serve the living God. ALOVE’s
essential of worship is all about giving our
lives and world back to God. By pursuing and
realising justice in our communities, we are
involved in the restoring action of God in
his creation and bring glory to him.
