Doing The Work of Justice
“Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2: 15 - 16 NIV)
Doing justice work requires that we slow down our rhythms to serve the least of these. But the reality is that the “Church” today operates in hyper speed: an hour and a half in and out (give or take). A tight but powerful worship set. Multiple, back to back services.
But what about the people under our nose who need us most? What about the addicted, the homeless, the abused, the single mother, or the domestic violence survivor sitting in our very aisle? Is it possible that in our very quest to be “holy” we overlook the opportunity to provide for the practical needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ? Is it possible that we’re missing the point of it all?
I recently had a conversation with a good friend who to runs a program that supports relationship building for members of the community with developmental and physical disabilities. She explained how many of the individuals in the program often felt they couldn’t worship in most church settings because they simply had different needs. Then she said something I’ll never forget. She said, “The church just needs to slow down. We all have different needs and if we took the the chance to slow down, we could create an environment where we could all worship together in our own different ways. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?”
It got me thinking about the pace of our lives today, the people I’ve met in my own community, and the state of the body of Christ today. It breaks my heart to consider that there are so many individuals here in our own backyard that could have been attending our churches for weeks without someone reaching out to encourage then and offer them this kind of support during a difficult season.
The great irony of church today - just like during the time of Jesus - is that as we come for our daily bread and go about our daily tasks, we so often overlook small acts of love. Our business supersedes our true mission to be Jesus to others.
Doing the work of justice isn’t just in the “big” things, like fighting human trafficking or stopping tragic violence. No, it’s also in the small opportunities we have each day to practice Scripture. To be the hands and feet of Jesus in very practical and simple ways that are often right in front of us.
Years from now, I believe that the Church will be measured not just by how we glorified Jesus with our lips, but how we did onto others and displayed Christ with our actions. Scripture confirms this in the book of Matthew when it gives a picture of how Jesus will receive His children in heaven. It says, “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25: 40).
We are our actions, and we are also accountable for our inaction.
This is our witness to the world that will stand for generations to come. Let’s slow down, practice presence, and be the Church we have been called to be.
