Just Mercy

There are probably as many different definitions or ideas about what Mercy and Justice are as there are people to ask the question of. In our minds, we each think about what justice would look like for us as individuals, and what mercy we have been shown in our lives or what mercy we have shown to others. We might even think about times where we have seen or experienced injustice or not been shown mercy for things that we have done wrong.

But the human definitions of justice and mercy are not what we need to be focusing on or trying to live into. They are just too vastly different and may even be in conflict with one another.

We should be focusing on and working towards God’s definitions of justice and mercy. They might be familiar to us, but sometimes out of reach. They might (unfortunately) not line up with our own individual ideas of those concepts.

But God’s mercy and justice are perfect in all their ways, setting the world back onto the right path that God desired and designed for us in the first place. Justice and kind treatment of ALL people, regardless of status, belief, race, gender, identity, wealth, or past or present mistakes. Mercy shown to all people, whether our world or society says they deserve it or not (because let’s face it, not a single one of us DESERVES the mercy that we are freely given by Christ).

As Jesus tells the disciples in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you to. I do not give to you as the world gives.” God gives mercy where it isn’t deserved. And God seeks out and wants justice for ALL people. This is not what the world tells us; it is not the instruction that the world gives us. Our calling as Christians is to show mercy in the ways that God would, to do justice in the ways that the Holy Spirit calls us to, and to walk humbly as Christ did.

This winter, we will explore specific ways we can work for justice in the world, love others with mercy, and walk humbly with God.  Big shifts start with small steps.  I hope you join us in worship as we walk with God on this journey.

One: O thou Eternal God, out of whose absolute power and infinite intelligence the whole universe has come into being. We humbly confess that we have not loved thee with our hearts, souls and minds and we have not loved our neighbors as Christ loved us.
All: We have all too often lived by our own selfish impulses rather than by the life of sacrificial love as revealed by Christ. We often give in order to receive, we love our friends and hate our enemies, we go the first mile but dare not travel the second, we forgive but dare not forget.  
One: And so as we look within ourselves we are confronted with the appalling fact that the history of our lives is the history of an eternal revolt against thee. But thou, O God, have mercy upon us.
All: Forgive us for what we could have been but failed to be. Give us the intelligence to know thy will. Give us the courage to do thy will. Give us the devotion to love thy will. In the name and spirit of Jesus we pray. Amen.