[A]nd what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)
WHEN WE SPEAK of becoming a more Just Church, we speak of God’s Justice. In our actions, we endeavour to imitate God’s ways and to reflect—insofar as it is possible for us as created beings—God’s essential Being as Love. We then strive to follow God’s loving and merciful way of thinking so as to acknowledge and honour the Reign of God in our lives and in our world. This is a merciful, gracious, and active response. It is doing justice and loving kindness. Together.
How do we become a more Just Church?
Pray! Then, by emptying ourselves of the desire to BE right, and renouncing our desire to turn everything to our own advantage. Then, by turning to God to see what kind of justice God desires… and acting on it (“Living Hope: Our Identity and Mission in Christ,” Bishop’s Charge To Synod, 2020.
(Illustration: Entry into Jerusalem - Palm Sunday, Syriac manuscript from Alqosh, Northern Iraq, 18th century)