What is the difference between embodying justice and performing just acts?
 .slantChris FolmsbeeTo embody something is to personify it or to be an ideal example. Justice is making wrongs right. Hence, to embody justice is to be a living and active illustration of what it means to make right the wrongs of this world. This embodied, consistent justice comes out of who a person is and has become—out of their way or rule of life.
To simply perform a just act is not to consistently embody but rather to occasionally take action. Taking occasional action on behalf of others is morally and spiritually fitting. Dependably embodying justice, though, is more. It is morally and spiritually forming in both self and others. Dependable embodiment stems from a life of attentiveness, discipline, and selfless practice. And though it may be created through the above description, it is formerly birthed out of a holy love that is wrought by God and God’s grace, showered upon humanity—which, consequently, is passed on through the varied expressions of the one love that began it all. These expressions are performed in the hopes of righting what has been wronged because ultimately, God is a merciful God, and because of that, humanity still has the capability of being a compassionate people. So the difference between embodying justice and performing a just act is quite simple. Where the question begs, Should I act justly?, there is most often standing a person who performs justice as an occasional act. Where the question begs, What kind of a person will I become if I don’t embody justice?, it is there that the consistent person stands and the morally and spiritually forming habit of righting wrongs takes up residence. Just acts are morally and spiritually fitting, and the embodiment of justice is morally and spiritually forming. Inside of these truths one can appraise his life and answer the question, Do I embody justice, or do I simply perform acts of justice?
|
 .slantBrooklyn LindseyWhat if Christ had this same mindset—viewing setting things straight as a side job or something he needed to do as a part of his ministry plan? Love wouldn’t allow him to view it that way. It was who he was—a just man, a just God, and a just Spirit. Embodying justice in our lives, ministries, and future plans often calls us to really believe the stuff we say about justice. Doing justice becomes a response to a God we are beginning to understand more fully because we’ve allowed the Spirit to teach us and show us how to live. And how should we live? Micah throws us an answer by saying that we should seek justice and walk humbly with God. Humility is something I’m familiar with but not something I’m comfortable with. I’m not great at admitting when I’m wrong or when I don’t have an answer. I would like to say that I’m a person who thinks about justice more than most, but I still struggle with getting so focused on me that I forget that God wants justice to be a part of the definition of who I am. While attending seminary, I was immersed in a more diverse culture. There were students and professors who understood what it meant to be “the least of these.” Through their eyes, for the first time, I began to see what it meant to live justly. It would have to begin with the attitude of my heart, the content of my words, the way I viewed those affected by the just acts of others. It was a defining moment for me, to learn about justice from a new perspective, and I began to think differently, view life through different lenses, and speak differently too. Justice couldn’t be the end goal anymore. It would have to be a way of life for me, even when life gets full and loud and demanding. With that said, I hope to seek justice with my mind and heart. It’s important to find ways to understand what justice is and what it means to those who receive it. After all, we’ve received justice that we didn’t deserve. I’m still standing. There’s a movie playing for my daughter in the background to keep her from saying my name too many times as I write, and I realize that embodying justice is a journey on a path to the kingdom Christ has called us all to seek—even if that path lies in the simple and crazy life of a youth pastor’s house. Seek justice. Walk humbly. These are words not just to live by—but words to be defined by.
|
 .slantClaire SmithHave you ever had the distinct feeling that you were left out because you were different? Have you ever been in a situation where what people received was determined by whom they knew and/or what they had? Maybe you have even benefited from this. Where was the justice? Justice is about access to the abundant life God intends for all. Everyone is able to participate in life, especially the disadvantaged. James 1:27 expresses a clear preference for the vulnerable, the widows and orphans, representing those who are denied entry into all of society. There are some people for whom justice is about getting even. “I want justice,” we hear, void of compassion. Yes, actions have consequences. We need law and order. However, blind desire for one’s rights will destroy the very essence of justice because in our blindness we easily destroy those who stand in our way. So I’m talking about justice that pertains to God’s reign and desires that were embodied by Jesus. In refusing to pass the blind man on the road whom everyone else tried to shut up (Mark 10:46-51), Jesus made a declaration: Even if nobody else values you, I will. Warren Carter points out the way in which Jesus’ ministry struck at the very structures of society. He notes of Matthew 22:34-40, “[Jesus’]declaration resists every societal system that benefits a few at the expense of the rest and deprives people of necessary life-giving resources…protests all such injustice and oppression as contrary to God’s will.”1 We hear it on the lips of Amos when he spoke out against bribery and the rich having their way at the expense of the poor: “But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 4:24).< Justice is a lifestyle issue. Yes. It’s okay to do good deeds and engage in right actions. Many people benefit from these just acts, and we feel good. We share a part of our lives for a moment, or moments. But could we go deeper and live it and act to bring about structural changes that last for more than a moment? Here are some more questions that will help us: Do you have to force yourself to notice those who are different from you and involve them, or do you do this as a matter of course? Are you quick to speak up for and take action on behalf of those who cannot do so for themselves, or do you have to be pressured or cajole into doing this? Do you by your position and influence stand in the way of those who need access? Which oppressive structure(s) are you effecting? Last question. Are you living like Jesus? Am I going to make a push for you to encourage and/or empower young people to embody justice? No. Take it as said. We need to move from episodic acts to lifestyles of justice. But I am going to ask you: How do you embody justice in your activities and relationships in your youth ministry? What do your structures perpetuate? Who is in and who is out? This is where it takes root.
|
Comments
Four points popped out to me amongst the slants.
1. Embodied justice is formative and defines life. Occasional just acts are not.
2. Embodied justice produces a humility.
3. A Biblical understanding of justice is needed (Justice is about access to the abundant life God intends for all. -Smith)
4. Embodied justice is cultivated where we are at (youth ministry)?
All together, these slants push for a youth ministry that moves beyond event based acts of just to one which engages injustices on a consistent bases. And Smith seems to point to the fact that to move in that direction takes an evaluation of the youth ministry activities and structures. However, for the youth worker trained in the event based model, I wonder what does embodied justice in youth ministry look like? In other words, how does such a youth worker begin to cast a vision of embodied justice in youth ministry?