May Justice Flow Like a River…

This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it! I am grateful for the privilege of standing before you and bringing the Word of God to you this morning. To that end, I thank the Sub Dean and Clergy for granting me this opportunity.

Let me start by noting that as a country, we have really been through a lot these last couple of weeks. Where do we even begin? Where does our lament start? There has been unnecessary violence meted out on citizens. Unlawful abductions, torture and death. We are all bleeding on the inside, wondering when this will all end.

This was the same situation one lonely prophet was in in the Old Testament. His name is Amos. He was a shepherd when God called him to speak out against the Kingdom of Israel and its sins. Just so you know, at this time, Israel was divided into two - the Kingdom of Israel in the North ruled by idol worshippers and the Kingdom of Judah in the South ruled by the descendants of King David. Amos lived in the southern kingdom but was sent to prophesy against the northern Kingdom of Israel whose society had descended into moral decadence.

God was fed up with the exploitation and immorality in the Kingdom of Israel and so was Amos. These were days when the innocent were being oppressed and bribes were being taken to deprive the innocent of justice. Taxes were unfairly being levied on the poor. Corruption was the order of the day. The powerful stole from the helpless, the wealthy oppressed the poor, and a people who claimed to know God turned to idols instead. It was an era of utter debauchery, loose living and total disregard for the needs of the average citizen. Sound familiar?

That’s why God sends Amos; to warn the Kingdom of Israel of their impending doom and destruction if they do not turn from their wicked ways. God calls for two things specifically - justice and righteousness. He says, “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” That is what I want to briefly talk about today - justice and righteousness.

Justice

Justice is about dealing with people fairly, being impartial and giving one their dues. In can be simply defined as setting things right.

Deuteronomy 32:4 (ESV) “The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he.”

God is a God of justice. He is all about ensuring that the righteous are rewarded and the wicked get their dues. That is why ‘the wages of sin is death’ (Romans 6:23). That is why we as sinners were deserving of His wrath and punishment. We ought to be glad that God is a God of justice because it means that though it doesn’t look like it, those who persecute us in this world will one day stand before a Holy God and have to answer for their actions.

Isaiah 1:17 (ESV) learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.

In the same vein, God requires us to act justly to those around us. In Amos’ time, those in power were diverting justice and oppressing the less fortunate. It pretty much reflects the times that we live in. How many people are wrongly imprisoned because they were falsely accused and have no money for proper legal representation? How many people are jobless because those in power how hired their own family member who are unqualified? Why are our roads and infrastructure always full of potholes and flood during the rainy season? Because the money allocated for the project was eaten by the blessed few and substandard material was used to build our roads. God is calling us to a higher standard. We are made in His Image and Likeness. We are His children, therefore we are to care about justice as He does and dispense it in our spheres of influence. We are to be the voice for the oppressed in our offices, the champion of the forgotten and ignored in our society. As the church, we are to be the ones who hold the government accountable and call it out for its corrupt ways.

We are called to speak up against the wrongful deaths we see in our society, the illegal arrests, the unlawful abductions, the unchecked abuse of force by those in power and the flagrant mismanagement of our national resources. Justice is meant to roll on like a river. And like a river is continuous in its flow, so is justice meant to be never ending. We are always meant to pursue justice, even in the face of opposition. Do you honestly think Amos was having a picnic as he was calling out the corrupt leaders in Israel? Do you think he was popular for calling them shameless idolaters, perverters of justice and exploiters of the poor? Of course, he wasn’t.

However, he kept at it. Why? Because God is a God of justice and He demands justice. God chooses to work through humans to call for justice. He wants to use you and me to stand up for what is right. We are His Hands and Feet. Are we willing to bite the bullet and speak up for the downtrodden and the oppressed in society? Are we ready to proclaim justice in the streets for the glory of God?

Righteousness

Righteousness simply means being right with God. That is to say, you have a relationship with the Living God and are living, as He requires you to. In case you are wondering what God requires of you, let me refer you to Micah 6:8. All he requires you to do is to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly before Him. The reality is that you cannot divorce righteousness from justice. Justice stems from righteousness. You cannot claim to be just if you are not living a righteous life. Now for a country that is said to be 80% Christian, that ought to give you pause. If Kenya is truly 80% Christian, shouldn’t it be the most just and righteous country on the planet?

Righteousness is a precursor to justice. That’s why we see Amos calling the people to repentance, telling them to seek God and live. He was calling them to righteousness. He was calling them to turn from their sinful ways. The level of corruption and injustice in the land was a result of them turning to idols and living unrighteous.

It is really easy to point fingers at others for their wrongdoing but what about your own? Are you righteous? Sure, I know you will tell me that you aren’t corrupt, you dot steal and you sure don’t kill anyone. That’s most likely all true. But do you tell white lies? Do you gossip? Are you fornicating? What about unforgiveness? Is there a grudge you are holding against someone? Are you honouring your parents? Funny how it’s easier to see the faults in others and be blinded to our own flaws. I am not excusing the heinous acts done by those in power in our country. All I am saying is that, we also need to remember that we are in dire need of mercy from a just God too.

Remember, your righteousness is like filthy rags before the LORD. No amount of good deeds can earn you righteousness. We cannot earn our way into Gods good graces no matter how good our intentions are. Remember Paul said that even though you sacrifice yourself for others, if you have not love, it is a futile act (1 Corinthians 13:1). The truth is that only Jesus Christ can make you righteous by cleansing you of your sins. Only He can set you right before God.

As earlier said, justice stems from righteousness. So before you go seeking justice out on the streets, don’t you think that you need to make sure that you are right with God? Remember, righteousness is mean to flow like a mighty stream. Anyone who has seen the rushing current of a mighty river knows better that to try and swim against the current. You will be carried away by the current because of its sheer force. That is what righteousness is meant to be like; a mighty current that carries away moral decay and allows justice to flow down like a never-ending stream.

Conclusion

Let me recap by saying that God is a God of justice. He demands justice and often uses us humans to stand up for the voiceless, the down trodden and the helpless in society. Righteousness is a precursor to justice. God requires us to be holy and He is Holy, that entails living a righteous life. This righteousness can only be obtained in Christ. Before you go on the streets seeking justice, take a minute to reflect on your own life and see if there are areas, you need to straighten out before the LORD. Having done that, you can now boldly take a stand and demand that justice roll down like a river and righteousness flow like a mighty stream!

Now let me end with the words from a Franciscan Prayer penned in 1985 by a Benedictine Nun called Sister Ruth Marlene Fox.

I pray that God may bless you with discomfort, at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships so that you may live deep within your heart.

I pray that God may bless you with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.

I pray that God may bless you with tears, to shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger, and war, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and to turn their pain to joy.

I pray that God may bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you can make a difference in the world, so that you can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.

I pray that God may bless you to fearlessly speak out about injustice, unjust laws, corrupt politicians, unjust and cruel treatment of prisoners, and senseless wars, genocides, starvations, and poverty that is so pervasive.

I pray that God may bless you that you remember we are all called to continue God’s redemptive work of love and healing in God’s place, in and through God’s name, in God’s Spirit, continually creating and breathing new life and grace into everything and everyone we touch.

Amen