Proper 25 – B

October 29, 2006

The Rev. Dorian McGlannan

 

“Justice is turned back and righteousness is at a distance.” The personification of religious values is not uncommon in scripture. This way of describing justice brings life and energy that might otherwise be lacking. “Truth stumbles in the public square” is about as poetic as we can find in the words of the prophet Isaiah. Although these words sound as though they have come from today’s newspaper, the fact is they were written thousands of years ago, sometime in the 8^th century BC. “The Lord saw it and it displeased him that there was no justice.” Over and over again, the stories of scripture unfold with God’s displeasure at the lack of justice in the world. The word for justice makes frequent appearances in the world of the Israelites especially in the pages of the prophets. “The Lord was appalled that there was no one to intervene.”

In today’s world, there is a crippling silence around the major issues of our time. As Christians we need to speak up about issues of injustice. During World War Two, Martina Niemoeller, a German Lutheran pastor wrote the following:

 

“In Germany, the Nazis first came for the communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a communist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak up because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists and I did not speak up because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I did not speak up because I was not a Catholic. Then they came for me, and by that time, there was no one left to speak up for anyone.”

 

When we speak of human rights, those aspects of life to which every person on this planet is entitled, we are not talking about high definition television or the latest Apple iPod. We are talking about things that people in this world need to be able to survive and have some sort of quality of life. Shelter, clothing, health care and education are among the most basic of human rights. We are entitled to these things whether we make a lot of money or we are unable to even participate in the world of work. The Bible does not use the term human rights of course. But the concerns certainly are addressed in the pages of scripture. The prophets tell us to take care of the poor, to share our resources, to provide safety. Over and over again, Jesus reaches out to those who have been rejected by society: the blind, the lame, the lepers, they widows, the prostitutes and even the tax–collectors. Jesus offers healing and hope to those who have been trampled upon by the larger world.

 

In our Baptismal Covenant, we have promised to respect the dignity of every human being. This weekend we had our diocesan convention in which the theme was that of the fifth promise of the baptismal covenant in which we are asked: “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” This is a radical statement. Mary Nelson, the keynote speaker at convention, is well known in the Chicago area for her tremendous work with the poor. She spoke of the many accomplishments of the disenfranchised people of her church. They have embraced the work of justice for many years tackling everything from hunger and housing to transportation and employment. She ended her talk with a Native American legend. She told the story of the man who was standing by a river. One afternoon a man saw someone coming down the river struggling for his life. The man jumped into the river and helped the struggling man to safety. The next day the man was standing by the river once again and another person came floating down the river struggling for his life and the man who was standing by the river jumped again into the river and helped the person to safety.  It happened a third time and the man who was helping all of these struggling people out of the river finally said: “Maybe I’d better go up the river and find out why so many people keep falling in.

 

Elections are on the horizon. The negative campaigning and the general distrust of government that many of us feel makes it difficult to feel enthusiastic about the process much less any of the candidates.  Nonetheless it is our responsibility as Christians to participate in public life. When considering how to vote it is important that we take the big picture Christian values and use them to discern who is best going to serve all of humanity not just us. Who will best speak to issues of justice? Who will speak most powerfully on behalf of the poor? Who will promote and guard basic human rights for all. Who will be able to deal with global issues and help the world, not just our country, to be a better place? 

 

At convention I had one of those great experiences that almost never happen. There was a young woman displaying vestments made by the English woman Juliet Hemingray who made our vestments. Turns out she is Juliet’s daughter. Juliet’s health is not too great so her daughter is in the States promoting her mom’s work. When she said she was from Derby, I piped in and said: “I know Derby, my former associate was from Derby. You don’t happen to know Petra Owen by any chance.” As it turns out she is Petra’s goddaughter! Well that was it. We talked for quite some time about all sorts of things and then she started to tell me about an eye infection she has and that she would probably need to see a doctor. I felt immediate embarrassment as I remembered when we were traveling in Scotland in 1995 and our son had an ear infection. We walked into a local clinic, got immediate attention and walked out paying the equivalent of $5. There’s not a person in this room who doesn’t know that this young woman will not be able to get similar treatment in the States without paying a whole lot more than $5.

 

Last week there was an article in the New York Times about several hospitals around the country that have finally figured out that it would be cheaper to give free health care to a certain segment of the population than pass on the costs of emergency room visits of these folks to those who do have insurance. In one 18-month period, an uninsured woman made nearly monthly visits to the emergency room in an attempt to deal with crises around her unmanaged diabetes. After accumulated unpaid bills of just under $200,000, someone decided that maybe, just maybe, it might be better to simply provide her with free health care so she would not have to come to the emergency room. Preventative health care versus an emergency room visit - this is not rocket science. A step toward justice…

 

At convention, our bishop asked us to take risks as we try to live out the fifth baptismal covenant of respecting the dignity of every human being. The reading from Isaiah lets us know that this is what God wants of us and that, in fact, “God is displeased when there is no justice.”  The words of Isaiah and the other great prophets of the Bible hold a vision for us and provide us with the courage to take steps that will bring life to people instead of taking   it away. Perhaps someday, righteousness will not stand at a distance. Perhaps someday truth will not stumble in the public square.