Virtue: Shalom

Resolution: I choose to pursue the flourishing of myself, my community, and the world.

Human Story: Bryan Stephenson

In a 2012 TED Talk, Bryan Stevenson stated: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Stevenson has made it his life work to bring our world into more close alignment with the moral arc of justice. As he says, “We all have a responsibility to create a just society.” His work is a paradigm of restoring the world to “the way it’s supposed to be”—that is, to a state of shalom.

After graduating from Harvard School of Law in 1985, Stevenson began his law career working for the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta, GA. In his early work and life experience, Stevenson noticed the great need for those dedicated to racial reconciliation and justice. This would inspire his founding of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). EJI is a “nonprofit organization that provides legal representation to people who have been illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons.” EJI’s and Stevenson’s work for shalom goes beyond the penal system and engages many areas of racial injustice. Grounded in his Christian faith, Stevenson is a powerful model for us of one committed to being a minister of reconciliation. This drive seems to be inspired by a couple of ideas that should inspire us too.

The first idea is that all humans are inherently valuable and their identity is more than their bad actions. As Stevenson declares:

I’ve come to understand and to believe that each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done. I believe that for every person on the planet. I think if somebody tells a lie, they're not just a liar. I think if somebody takes something that doesn't belong to them, they're not just a thief. I think even if you kill someone, you're not just a killer. And because of that, there's this basic human dignity that must be respected by law.

Based on this conviction, Stevenson has fought long legal battles to free men, women, and children from life sentences or capital sentences who have been found guilty based on their race, gender, or disability.

The second idea is that we need an honest, clear-eyed view of the world and history that is conditioned by hope before we can aptly minister reconciliation—the truth is intrinsically connected to restoration. EJI’s work on the legacy of lynching in America and the recently-opened lynching memorial—The National Memorial for Peace and Justice—in Montgomery, AL embodies this commitment to truth. According to EJI, “avoiding honest conversation about this history has undermined our ability to build a nation where racial justice can be achieved.” We must face this dark history head-on, but we do so with hope. Stevenson teaches that Americans must own up to our history of racial injustice and that “we cannot not let the worst moments of our nation’s history define us.” Stevenson reminds us: "Hope is your superpower. Don't let anybody or anything make you hopeless. Hope is the enemy of injustice.”

Resources:
Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Equal Justice Initiative: www.eji.org

Lesson: Amos 5:10-15

There are those who hate the one who upholds justice in court and detest the one who tells the truth. You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. There are those who oppress the innocent and take bribes and deprive the poor of justice in the courts. Therefore the prudent keep quiet in such times, for the times are evil. Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. Perhaps the LORD God Almighty will have mercy on the remnant of Joseph.

Amos was a shepherd and fig-tree farmer from Judah (the southern kingdom) who lived near the border of Israel (the northern kingdom) in the 8th century BC. During this time, Jeroboam II, king of Israel, had many successes in battle and generated much wealth for his kingdom, but he did not spend it wisely. Idolatry and injustice were rampant in the northern kingdom. Amos witnessed and heard of these injustices, and he discerned God’s call to be His mouthpiece to the powerful unjust leaders of the northern kingdom of Israel.

Our text comes from the section (chapters 3-6) in Amos’s writings that is a collection of poems to Israel and its leaders. Amos is furious at how the wealthy were treating the poor, selling them into debt slavery and then denying them legal representation in court. Amos is quick to remind his listeners of their history, how they were rescued from slavery in Egypt and called to seek justice and righteousness. They were called to be a kingdom of priests to all nations, and their responsibility will now result in a greater punishment. There should be right relationships between people regardless of social class.

Here 3,000 years later, we still struggle with such. Our public schools are segregated by socio-economic status (SES). Our neighborhoods, cities, and suburbs are separated by SES. Access to power and decision making is segregated by SES. And how many houses of worship have a diversity of social class? Right relationships with “the others” are impossible without daily life together. Daily connections with others bring about a community that advances justice and righteousness for all.

Remembrance

“The Kingdom is Yours” - Common Hymnal: Listen or Watch

Blessed are the ones who do not bury
All the broken pieces of their heart
Blessed are the tears of all the weary
Pouring like a sky of falling stars

Blessed are the wounded ones in mourning
Brave enough to show the Lord their scars
Blessed are the hurts that are not hidden
Open to the healing touch of God

The Kingdom is yours, the Kingdom is yours
Hold on a little more, this is not the end
Hope is in the Lord, keep your eyes on Him

And blessed are the ones who walk in kindness
Even in the face of great abuse
Blessed are the deeds that go unnoticed
Serving with unguarded gratitude 

And blessed are the ones who fight for justice
Longing for the coming day of peace
Blessed is the soul that thirsts for righteousness
Welcoming the last, the lost, the least

Oh-oh Oh-oh-oh-oh
Blessed are the poor in Spirit
Oh-oh Bienaventurados los pobres en Espíritu
Oh-oh Blessed are the pure in heart Oh-oh

Blessed are the ones who suffer violence
And still have strength to love their enemies
Blessed is the faith of those who persevere
Though they fall, they'll never know defeat

Challenge

1.     Consider reaching out to someone you know who has spent time in the criminal justice system or who knows someone who has. Ask them questions about their experience.

2.     Consider reading or listening to Bryan Stevenson’s “Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption.”

Reflection

Reflect on Bryan’s quote: “We all have a responsibility to create a just society.” What is your role?

Further Growth:

2021: Book of Common Prayer Proper 18

Old Testament: Isaiah 35:4-7a
Psalm: Psalm 146
New Testament: James 1:17-27
Gospel: Mark 7:31-37

2020: Book of Common Prayer Proper 18

Old Testament: Ezekiel 33:1-11
Psalm: Psalm 119:33-48
New Testament: Romans 12:9-21
Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20