SETTING THE CONTEXT

Ezekiel was a young priest who was probably deported with other Jewish captives to Babylon in 597 B.C.E. In Babylon, Ezekiel received a call from God to become a prophet. This was not a very easy calling because, as God warned him, these people were a hardheaded group, but he was to proclaim the Word anyway. Ezekiel spoke to these exiles in Babylonia about things that had happened and were happening in Jerusalem.^[i] He also expressed God’s frustration that the people would hear what the Lord was saying to them through the prophet, but they would not change their behavior.^[ii] The first verses of Chapter 34 describe how the leaders of the people have been neglecting the welfare of their people. God’s judgment is harsh, he tells Ezekiel to proclaim “But I want you to condemn these leaders and tell them I, the LORD God, say you shepherds of Israel are doomed!” Then he offers a word of hope to “the sheep,” but the comfort is followed by another warning to the sheep that they pursue righteousness and justice as well.

Read Ezekiel 34:11-22

Matthew’s Gospel ends very quickly after the resurrection story. There are no additional appearances except Jesus’ appearance to the women. The angel and Jesus told the women to tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee. It is obvious from our passage today that the disciples took the women seriously and headed home. Listen for three things that Jesus commanded his disciples to do. And the final words of Jesus in the Gospel are some of the greatest words of hope in the Scripture, “I am with you always.”

Read Matthew 28:16-20

THE SERMON

We often see or hear about “justice” in our calls to worship, prayers or sermons. Sometimes people hear that word and think “politics.” Should we talk about justice and issues of justice in the church? Should we have a Peace with Justice Sabbath like today or should that be left for a different arena of life?

We are people of the Book. Scripture has authority over our lives, so what does God say to us about this through the Scripture? In the book of Exodus, God tells Moses to give the people some very specific laws and decrees. In Exodus 23:1-9, God sets down rules about justice for all, being truthful, and being just in a trial. In Deuteronomy 16: 20 (another book of law) it says “Justice and only justice, you shall pursue, so that you may live and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you.” Rabbi Abraham Heschel says that God is concerned about injustice or lack of justice not because a law has been broken but because a person’s life has been diminished. See if you can see that in these next passages. Deuteronomy 24:17 says “You shall not deprive a resident alien or an orphan of justice; you shall not take a widow’s garment in pledge. Remember that you were a slave in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you from there; therefore I command you to do this.” In both 1 King 10:9 and 2 Chronicles 9:8, the Queen of Sheba indicates that executing justice is part of King Solomon’s divine calling. “Because your God loved Israel and would establish them forever, he has made you king over them, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” The Old Testament prophets communicated God’s concern and then anger about the injustices happening in Israel and Judah. Their words are strong and even harsh. In Isaiah 1:12-28, the Lord says I hate your rituals and worship. I’m won’t listen to your prayers. Why? Because their rituals were empty they did them with one hand and ignored the ethic of God on the other. Vs 16-17 says, “Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 42:1-9 describes God’s chosen one, “he will bring forth justice to the nations.” Through the prophet Jeremiah in chapter 7 the Lord calls the people to change saying, “For if you truly amend your ways and your doings, if you truly act justly one with another, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this pace, and if you do not go after other gods to your own hurt, then I will dwell with you in this place. But if they don’t “I will cast you out of my sight.” Do you hear God’s concern for the weakest, most vulnerable people? Jeremiah 9:23-24, “do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight says the Lord.” In chapter 21:12 “Thus says the Lord, Execute justice in the morning, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed, or else my wrath will go forth like fire, and burn, with no one to quench it, because of your evil doings.” We heard from another prophet, Amos (5:24) in our call to worship. The Lord said again, I hate your festivals and worship, let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.”^[iii] Micah 6:8 was not even in the 97 references to justice in my Concordance “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Both Luke 11:42 and Matthew 23:23 tell us that Jesus railed against the church leaders, “Woe to you hypocrites for you tithe mint, dill and cumin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice, and mercy and faith.”^[iv] Now, I don’t need to reread our passage from Ezekiel, do I? The Scripture is clear. The frequency and the intensity of the Word testify to justice’s unparalleled significance to God and to the well being of Israel. Justice is a spiritual issue and a major one at that. We would be grossly remiss in our ministry, if we did not regularly call you to work toward God’s peace or shalom with justice.

Biblical scholars Bruce Birch, Walter Brueggemann, and others define righteousness as the will to act compassionately and generously toward another person. Justice, they say, involves distributing those good intentions toward many in a society, not just a few.^[v] George says that justice is compassion at the community, state, national and international level. Justice looks at the root of an individual’s problem and seeks to change the systems and conditions at the root level for a long-term impact. What can one person do? How can one person seek and support justice? One person can do a lot. One of our members gave me a inspiring book entitled “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace…One School at a Time^[vi].” The book is the story of Greg Mortenson, a mountain climber, whose failure to reach a summit led him to a small isolated village in Pakistan. While there sharing their hospitality, he came to know and love the people. The villagers did not have a school for their children and they desperately wanted one. He wound up promising to build them a school and that promise led to a life-long mission to build schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. His work eventually grew to an organization which is especially concerned with building schools for girls. Girls are often excluded from the few government-provided and privately built schools. He said that wealthy members of the fundamentalist, militant Islamic sects are coming from other countries and are building schools for boys over there and indoctrinating them in their hatred along with teaching them to read and write. Since these villages have no other option they send their children to these radical schools. This is where the terrorists are growing their future bombers. By addressing the root issue of lack of education (a justice issue) Greg Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute are making peace with justice a possibility.  Our summer project will support this mission. I hope you will read the book for it shows how one man was transformed and is transforming others in amazing ways.

Our Church & Society Committee works to give us ideas and opportunities to become involved in justice issues. They give us the opportunity to help rural farmers in poor countries get fair prices for their crops through the fair trade products. They give us opportunities to address issues such as public transportation (something becoming more and more important as fuel prices increase) and immigration reform. They help us advocate for homeless women and children. They call us to act on environmental issues and to use one of our greatest tools to promote justice our right and responsibility to vote.

Jesus final words to his disciples were “GO!” He didn’t say, “Sit back and wait.” He didn’t say, “Let me handle it.” He said, “GO!” Go and 1) make disciples of all nations. Again do you notice that he didn’t say, “Make disciples of my nation or of your own nation?” He said make them of all nations. 2) “Baptize them in the name of God, Father, Son and Spirit.” Draw them into the family of God so we are one. 3) “Teach them to obey all that I have commanded you.” When this is accomplished we will truly have peace, shalom everywhere. We are to go out and make a difference. We are to put our faith into action and work for peace with justice. When God judges the sheep, will you be one of those whose has trampled down the weak or will you be one who has lifted the weak and helped them become strong?

The Committee on Church and Society has come up with a top 10 list of ways you can make a difference right now.

10. Get a water filter so you can stop using bottled water, and help keep millions of plastic bottles out of the landfill.  Pitchers and other types of filters are available at many grocery stores and hardware stores.

9.  Bring toilet paper, toothpaste or other toiletries to Open Door.  United Methodist Women’s Esther Circle also appreciates travel size shampoos, soaps and lotions for the Mingus Mountain Academy, a girls’ school and treatment center for at-risk girls.  For more information, contact Open Door’s Marlene Hammond at 776-9294. For more info about the Girl’s School project contact Lois Gunther 772-8781.

8. Recycle your papers and magazines by taking them to Lion’s Club deposit boxes, and help bring hundreds of thousands of dollars to charities right here in Prescott.

7. Be a regular giver to our church.  Through apportionments your money becomes a powerful tool world-wide in hospitals, schools, churches and homes.  For more information, contact any of our pastors.

6. Buy coffee or tea or chocolate from our Fair Trade table in Esther Hall, and help farmers around the world get a fair price.  These things are sold between services on Sunday mornings.

5. Volunteer to drive once a month for People Who Care, and help an elderly or disabled person get to the doctor.  Contact Fritzi at 445-2480.

4. Replace your light bulbs with florescent “curly-que” bulbs, and save energy and money.  These are available at most grocery stores, hardware stores and big box stores, often at a sale price.

3. Keep your eyes open for one person to pray for this week, and share the power of God’s love.  If you wish to join a prayer chain, contact Addison Hawley at arhawley@msn.com.

2. Start collecting Pennies for Peace.  You can bring them to a jar in the Narthex prior to any church service, all summer long.

1. Say “Hello” to people you don’t know on your way out of church.  If you have a name tag, wear it; if you would like a nametag, contact Carol Thorne in the church office 778-1950. For it is only in getting to know each other’s stories that we learn what injustices we need to address.

Sermon delived by Rev. Nancy Cushman on May 17, 2008.