Wednesday, July 1, 2020

Justice like flowing waters...

"Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an overflowing stream."
Amos 5:24

God is telling the people, through the prophet Amos, that the sacrifices and rituals aren't doing it for God anymore. They may have been OK in the past, but what God REALLY desires is that the people treat each other better. God is surely saying that to us today, don't you think? It's not enough that we go to church. We need to BE church to each other--welcoming, embracing, comforting, healing. If we do sacrifice anything to please God, something must show up in the pocket of the poor and those on the margins. Amos said this many years ago and we are still just learning it (hopefully, we're learning it!) Richard Rohr said something the other day that really stuck with me. We are to love God and love what God loves--which is everything (Richard Rohr, Daily Meditation, 6/29). As we struggle to do that in our lives, God is happier than if we merely go to church and try to save ourselves. I watched a wonderful documentary called "Bobby Kennedy for President" on Netflix. After the credits rolled and the tears dried on my face I thought, we are in just as troubled space as we were in 1968! I was inspired to want to dig in and DO something! That is a hero, for all his flaws and missteps, Bobby Kennedy saw wrong and tried to right it, like in his famous phrase. Can I do that? Can I speak up, roll up my sleeves and work so justice rolls down like waters? It's a tall order, I know. God will show us the way! Love, heidi