ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
June 27, 2025
It was MLK who wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” As people of faith, we must be the voice and advocate for everyone who is experiencing injustice, even if it is something outside of our experience. Early in my ministry, I talked to a group (mostly men) about the gender wage gap in this country. It is estimated that women have lost more than $60 trillion over the last 50 years when it comes to a lack of equal pay for the same job. When I shared some of my thoughts, an older gentleman said, “Why should I care? I’m not a woman.” It was one of those shocking moments, and for a few seconds, the shock left me speechless. Yet when I caught my breath, I began to talk about being raised, along with my three siblings, by a single mother after my father’s death. Though my argument was personal and poignant, it sort of missed the point. Even if a woman is married to someone making a lot of money, inequality is inequality. My grandmother had to quit teaching when she got married as only single women could be public teachers in that part of Nebraska, with the underlying belief that a woman’s place was in the home caring for her husband. It’s interesting how human history is on repeat, in that we seem fine when it comes to making excuses for injustice until a majority of people wake up and realize that though something might have been acceptable at one time, injustice is injustice. Sadly, we take only small steps forward, unable to see other injustices that are right in front of us. Jesus had many intense conversations with the religious leaders of his day, including on the topic of healing on the Sabbath. Of course, Jewish tradition did not oppose healing on the Sabbath as some have tried to argue, but there were probably those who still tried to suggest that the healing could wait another day. But when the system tells you again and again that you must wait, and you find yourself unable to earn a living and many imply your illness is a sign of divine judgment, waiting is an injustice. Jesus could have said, “Sure! I’ll wait until tomorrow.” But the God of love, mercy, kindness, and justice believes an act of justice is a good thing, especially on the Sabbath day when we are invited to honor the our Lord God.
Just because it’s the way we’ve always done it is no excuse to continue to ignore suffering, inequality, or injustice. Give me, O Lord of the Sabbath, both a heart and a mind that perceive what is good and right and just. Amen.
