Leaders of Lament

News broke today of at least 600 bodies of indigenous children discovered buried at the Marieval Indian Residential School in Canada, following the discovery of at least 215 bodies last month at another school in Kamloops. The finding is a gruesome reminder of the quiet suffering indigenous people in North America have endured over many decades. A painful reminder of the church’s culpability in forcing assimilation in the name of faith.

After a while it’s easy to feel numb to the story; a strong person, group, or society abuses and dominates a weaker person, group, or society. Nothing is new under the sun. When we hear of such injustices how do we respond? And by we I mean those of us who follow the Jesus way.

I think the answer is found in lament.

It is appropriate that governments, institutions, and individuals confess specific sins committed against people, families, and groups. But beyond that, in the larger community, when violations against humanity come to light, it is appropriate for us to raise our voices in corporate lament. The people of God should always lead the way – because we know the value of all human life created in the image of the God we worship and serve, because we know the way of grace and our own desperate need for it, because we love humility and the fruit of reconciliation it brings.

Today I had a tough conversation with my thirteen year old, unrelated to the news from Canada. She told me she wondered if she could believe in an all powerful God who would allow suffering and people to be so unkind to each other. I told her it was a good question. A question a God as big and just as I believe ours is, can handle. She is the reason we followers of Jesus should be the first to lament. Her cry is as old as humanity. Why God?

Lament is good for those suffering; being heard and believed is a step in the path of healing. Lament is good for those of us witnessing suffering; it keeps us tender and accountable. Lament is good for the next generation; full of questions, they need our example.

In the face of injustice no one wants pat answers. Not even God, if the book of Psalms, Job, and Lamentations are any indication. Lament is a posture. It wards off defensiveness, excuses, and tidy answers. It welcomes space for messy emotions, the process of healing, and the active presence of God.

Lament isn’t something we think or talk about often, but maybe it should be. Here are a few observations I have about lament.

• It is work. A few I’m sorry words aren’t going to cut it. As I said before it’s a posture that takes time to cultivate and intention to live out. Followers of Jesus should be in the practice of grieving sin and its affects on the world.

“Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

• It’s a season. It would be hard to live in lament all the time, constantly grieving. But there are appropriate seasons for grief and godly sorrow balanced, as we see in the Psalms, by times of joy.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast?
    Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
    for I will yet praise him,
    my Savior and my God.” Psalm 43:5

• It is empowered by God. All humans have the capacity to feel sad and raise their voices over injustice. But I believe the truest and best lament happens when we ask God to give us a love for mercy and justice like his.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
    And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
    and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

It’s tempting to want to leave the past to the past, but when people today are living with consequences birthed from past actions, compassion insists we respond. A good place to start is with a listening and open heart. It’s the least we can give to people who have stories that need telling, and perhaps we can learn from history important lessons that will guide us in the future.

We can also commit our response to prayer. Asking the Holy Spirit to guide our response is a good way to align our hearts with God. He will show us where we need to repent, comfort, or reconcile. One of the things that endears Jesus to me most from his time on earth was his willingness to bend low and listen to the stories happening around him, to touch the people who were suffering, to cry with and comfort the grieving.

Let’s be like Jesus.

Does Justice Matter?

What is justice and why is it so important?

That’s the question that’s been on my mind lately. For those of us who love Jesus the outrage and pain we see boiling over in the world around us should grab our attention. When seeking understanding it’s good to listen to a variety of voices and experiences, to history, and even to stories that make us uncomfortable. Ultimately we need to seek the meaning of justice in God’s word. What does justice mean to God?

I’ve always loved the beautiful passage found in Micah 6:8

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

We love that verse, don’t we?! Simple, clear, lovely. It’s important to understand that these words ring out in direct contrast to the rest of Micah’s book.

In the first three chapters God’s anger at his people is poured out. He calls them out for their faithlessness. They’ve mixed their worship of him with the worship of other things. Idols yes, but also a commitment to their own comfort. However God’s disgust is just as harsh, maybe more so, over their injustice. He calls their leaders haters of good and lovers of evil because they oppress the weak, take advantage of widows, cheat, take bribes, lie, are violent, use people for their own gain. Equity, justice, cannot be found in Israel. God is angry, heart broken. 

The unjust rulers of Israel are warned they’re in for trouble. They will be conquered by a foreign power. Being carried off to a foreign country is more than punishment, though, God’s purpose is to refine them and make them the people they’re supposed to be. People who reflect his character. In chapter 5 we hear words of hope, the promise of the coming Peacemaker, the mighty ruler who will sit on David’s everlasting throne. The coming Messiah who will bless the entire world with his shepherd-leadership. God’s people had been short sighted but God hadn’t lost sight of his goal.

What is God’s goal?

“God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.”

Ephesians 1:9-11 sums up the plan of God in just a few verses. From Genesis to Revelation every single word of the bible points to one thing: Unity! The eternally existing, communal God had one purpose for creation, for everything and everyone to be united under his loving rule.

I don’t think it’s inconsequential that the last day of Jesus’ earthly life his prayer focus was for unity. He prayed in John 17 that,

“they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”

These words are explosive! Subversive! Revolutionary! They are the heart of the gospel. The gospel is the good news of oneness. An invitation to oneness with God and each other. If heaven is the presence of God, then hell is his absence. That is what he’s saving us to, his presence. The good news is that the Father loves us as much as he loves his Son! Wow!

So what does unity have to do with justice?

Justice is the pathway to unity. When the Israelites behaved unjustly God was furious. Not because he’s a vindictive God on an ego trip. But because they had risked and damaged the pathway to unity with God! Micah is a picture of God’s response to injustice because of his love. It’s a hint of his promised Savior to restore unity. And it’s a picture of what a unified creation can be.

Justice is at the heart of the gospel. If we, as God’s people, do not reflect his heart of justice then we stand in the way of the gospel.

Think of justice as a road. If the road is well paved, smooth, free of potholes and debri we can travel easily on it. But if the potholes of inequality, the roadblock of dishonesty, the looting of exploitation, the burden of perfection, the debri of indifference damages the road it becomes impassible. God takes unity seriously, and we should as well. Unity cannot exist where there is injustice, because then the God of the bible is not being worshipped, our own idols of pride and comfort are.

Justice matters because unity matters.

It’s in this context that the life giving words of Micah 6:8 ring out:

He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

In these verses he’s offering the pathway of salvation. Not a religious system. Not sacrifice or songs, gifts or traditions. Actions of justice and mercy, and a humble walk with God. Simple. Costly. Impossible. Unless we value unity with Jesus, through the power of his Spirit, as our prize. No idols of comfort, status, knowledge, or even good works.

In this moment of racial and economic inequality what does that mean for us? I believe it starts with seeing the entire scope of the Bible as an invitation to unity. It’s a generous offer we’ve been given but we have to let go of pride, success in this world, staking a claim on earthly territory. The world’s kingdom is incompatible with God’s kingdom. But what we gain! A place of belonging in the trinity and his family!

When we understand God’s kingdom women don’t need to seek equality with men; black people don’t need to settle for equality with white people; poor people won’t need to focus on the equality of wealth or education. Because unity with Jesus himself is on the table! Access to his heart, his resources, his power, his love, his name, his family! He legitimizes our very being. For believers in Jesus there is absolutely no room for racism, exploitation, or pride in that understanding. We can humbly stand side by side, maintaining the road of justice, in loving acts of service.

“O righteous Father, the world doesn’t know you, but I do; and these disciples know you sent me. I have revealed you to them, and I will continue to do so. Then your love for me will be in them, and I will be in them.”

Let’s be the embodiment of Jesus!

 

There’s no Room for Us and Them in the Gospel

Whose fault is Covid-19?

For that matter whose fault is anything? My kids like to play the blame game on occasion. I talk to them about taking responsibility, giving grace, and recognizing that those kinds of conversations are generally counterproductive.

Why do we ask questions like that in the first place? How did we learn to look for someone to take the blame?

Once again I think we have to go back to the garden. The serpent placed a seed of doubt. Eve thought she’d found something better than what she already had. She couldn’t resist the temptation of more. Her husband didn’t put up a good argument, it seems. They followed their own inclination. The results, of course, were catastrophic. Sin.

The Father went looking for them.

“Where are you, what have you done?” God asks the question, even though he already knows the answer.

The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.” Genesis 3:6, 12-13

Already they’re pointing the finger. The reality is, from that point onward, guilt was universal. There is no one blameless left to point the finger. Except of course God. And he chose not to. He chose to fix the problem. Of course, if we don’t like that solution then we can bear the consequences. That’s an option he leaves available. But it’s not what he desires for us.

Anyhow, as I said, there is no person left who can point the finger. Certainly in life we feel the effects of intentional sin. When someone chooses to harm another person. We also feel the general effects of sin. Every molecule has been bent in the wrong direction. Brokenness crept into every corner.

Sickness, famine, natural disasters, death all fall into that category. Actions may have set things in motion, but so much pain and damage isn’t intentional, it’s the way the world is bent now. Away from holiness, perfection, submission, and towards self, destruction, decay. It’s just the reality.

But, still, we look for someone to blame.

Our corporate culpability hasn’t lead to corporate humility. It’s unfortunate.

So who is responsible for Covid-19? Sin. And even though that sin began with Adam and Eve we shouldn’t be too cocky. We all bear their guilt by association. We would have made the same choice, to trust our own wisdom and rebel against God’s order. I’m convinced of it.

The Chinese aren’t to blame for the pandemic. The Italians, Europe, or the American government aren’t to blame. It’s important to say that, because we love to find someone to point the finger at. It’s our default.

I saw a sign in my hometown recently that led me to share these thoughts. The sign blamed China for the pandemic and their loss of business. It jarred my heart. First it made me angry, but the anger gave way to sadness. The accusation was unjust. Why do we need someone to blame? Why, when something bad happens, do we need to find a scapegoat?

As a follower of Jesus, how should we respond when we see injustice? I have a few suggestions.

• Pray – Prayer aligns our hearts with God and ensures we are valuing what he values. Pray first for your own heart to be just, to be patient with those who are not, and for people who may be hurt by the injustice. I know of a few Asian families in our town. I can imagine that sign feels like a warning to be on their guard. I’m praying for them in this challenging time that they don’t experience the added stress of rejection.
• Speak out – Injustice is all of our responsibility. It doesn’t just go away on its own. The day I saw the sign I sent a message to the business expressing my disappointed that they had chosen to share a negative message instead of a positive one. I asked them to consider taking it down. I didn’t blast them on social media. I wasn’t hateful in my message. But I was clear that the sign turned me off to their business. Change takes all of us.
• Reach out – The best way to fight injustice is to hear other people’s stories. When we recognize that people are people no matter their name, color, beliefs, or origin it makes it easier to identify and harder to vilify. Rarely is it fair or right to paint whole people groups as the villains. That is the surest way to injustice. Get to know the stories and costumes of other people. It’s hard to hate a friend.
• Embrace humility – There is no room for us and them in the gospel. When we recognize and remember our own weaknesses and mistakes it is easier to give grace to others. I think in America especially we need to be careful to remember the dark moments of our own history before we school others and point fingers.

Looking for someone to blame is not as powerful a way to spend your time as looking for someone to heal. It doesn’t matter whose fault the coronavirus is. It doesn’t even really matter whose fault sin is. What matters is Jesus’ willingness to pay the price for all of it, clean up the mess, and make old enemies friends. He is a reconciler and he’s invited us into his mission of reconciliation. (2 Cor. 5:18)

No person, group, or country is really our enemy. Not if you look at things from an eternal, Jesus perspective. Sin and pride are the enemy, but people never are. People, every one, are an object of the Father’s love. Now is a time for healing, not hate.

God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17

Listen

I’ve wanted to be a writer for a long time. And yet the older I get the more I feel the need for silence. The world is an incredibly noisy place. Who needs my voice? No one. Not really. And I get tired of hearing everyone else’s.

But I think that’s at the heart of why I want to be a writer. I do want my voice to be heard and I presume everyone else does as well. A good story-teller lends their voice to another.

There are lots of sides to choose. Pick a topic and there you have it. Sides. Plenty to choose from. But what if instead of sides we thought of each angle as voices? Someone else’s lens, their view-point.

I love my view-point. It’s safe and I’m familiar with it. But it’s not the whole story. Not even in my own family. Harper Lee told us in To Kill A Mockingbird, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” And she was right.

It’s funny, books like Mockingbird have been around for a while and I think we can all generally agree on the truth and beauty of them, but living them is a different matter. We should hush and listen a little more. Ask questions. “What does it feel like to…?” And then listen. Don’t argue with the answer. Just listen to it.

You don’t have to like it. Or agree with it. But we’d all be better off if we listened to the perspective of another person’s story. Maybe one day, when I’ve done enough listening, I’ll write a truly beautiful book. One that grabs you by the throat and doesn’t let go. But sometimes I think my heart will break from the listening before I get there. Life is beautiful but there’s not an edge of it that doesn’t hurt.

Remember that when you talk to people, too. We’re all carrying the weight of the world. We can listen and lighten the load, or we can heap some weight on their shoulders by our lack of understanding. It’s our call. For those of us who follow Jesus and claim to understand truth, other people’s perspectives should threaten us least of all, and their stories should compel us. Jesus was compelled by our collective story. He entered in. He listened. He acted. He’s done the hard work. Of course, I’m preaching to myself.