“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
February and March highlight the significant contributions to society by two people groups who are traditionally marginalized in the world: African Americans and Women. We have these two months because their contributions are traditionally overlooked or ignored. These two months remind us that the world today would look very different if it weren’t for the contributions of African Americans and Women in the world. I would also like to add to that list all people of color. And so, it is important that we talk about justice as we are sandwiched between two months that are dedicated to the just acknowledgment of people’s achievements who typically are not taught about in our schools or given the recognition they are due.
And please remember that these months have nothing to do with elevating one group over another but instead exist to give acknowledgement to people who typically do not get the credit they deserve for the work they have done.
Because here’s the thing: It is too easy to scapegoat an entire category of humanity when we have been hurt by one person in that particular category. We have examples throughout history of horrific actions done to people groups just because their ethnicity was deemed “less than.” Each person should be judged on their own merit and not by the color of their skin, their sexual orientation, their religious affiliation or anything else. To judge someone based on anything other than who they prove themselves to be in this world is unjust. It is also unkind, unloving, and most of all unchristian.
Because for Christians, the bottom line comes from God’s prophet Micah…and BTW the prophets spoke on God’s behalf to the people about what God wanted them to do…and in Micah 6:8 we see that how we are supposed to live is by acting justly, loving mercy, and humbly walking with God. Jesus would echo these sentiments in Matthew 25: 31-46 where he talks about the King separating the sheep from the goats. Personally, I don’t want to be a goat. Just sayin’.
So, there are these three things God requires. Mercy means that we see the immediate needs of a person or a community and work to alleviate those issues. Food pantries are an example of a mercy ministry. Walking humbly with God means that we tend to our relationship with God. We study the scriptures, we pray, we practice spiritual disciplines, to name a few. We tend to our relationship with God, so we can tend to our families, friends, and communities in ways that are loving and kind. We do not spew more violence out into the world because we recognize the world has enough violence without our help.
But the first one Micah shares with us is that we are to act justly. What does it mean to be just. From a dictionary standpoint the word “just” means to conform to a standard of correctness. To act or be in conformity with what is morally upright or good. In order for us to act justly, we must be in right alignment with God so we can know what is morally good. Because some of our laws are not morally good. That is where justice comes in. We gather people together, as many as we can, to confront our lawmakers and the people in power to say to them that something is not just. Our lawmakers, the congress and senate who are the legislative branch of our government, are elected to do what is right by the people they serve as they uphold the constitution of our United States. We the people have the right to have our voices heard when a specific law or practice is hurting the people that the members of congress or the senate were elected to serve. And please remember that our elected officials are elected to serve the people and not the other way around. Any law that marginalizes a people group is not a good law. Any law that creates harm to people or our environment is not a good law. Any law that elevates a group of people over another is not a good law. And yet there are too many who continue to be marginalized in our nation and world because we continue to have laws that do not protect the inalienable rights of all people.
Even so, our world today is indebted to people who were marginalized in so many ways and yet they continued to invent and strive to be everything God created them to be under the most difficult of circumstance. They continued to offer the best of themselves to a world that said: “We don’t like who you are because you are__________.” And still they gave their inventions to the world. We have so many inventions, and advances to give thanks for and the people behind them were African American, or Women, or People of Color. The list of advances is long but here are just a few:
Wireless transmission – Hedy Lamarr
Windshield wipers – Mary Anderson
Laser cataract surgery – Patricia Bath
Leukemia drugs – Gertrude Belle Elion
Refrigerated trucks – Frederick McKinley Jones
Peanut Butter – George Washington Carver
Automatic Gear Shift – Richard Spikes
Modern Toilet – Thomas Elkins
Color IBM PC monitor and Gigahertz Chip – Mark Dean
Our world would be very different place without all these and many more inventions and advancements to our society if we didn’t have the contributions of these men and women. I would encourage you all to celebrate the ingenuity of each person. The value and worth they bring to the world around us. I would encourage you to stop scapegoating anyone or being fear-filled by anyone who is different and instead be curious. Get to know someone who is not like you. I think you might find you have more in common than you have differences. I think you might even find someone who could be a good friend. Mostly, I hope you will remember that God calls us to act justly toward all people. Not just some.
Peace,
Beth
Beth's Blog 