SOCIAL JUSTICE
5 September 2004

-- turn in Bibles to James 2 -- while doing that, let me share with you a story that was sent to me on the internet

-- one day in class, this student asked their teacher "Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?" -- as everyone laughed, the teacher held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at the student who asked that question for a long time, trying to see if they were serious
-- he said, "I will answer your question."
-- Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. And what he said went like this:
-- "When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was notpossible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone I made it round. And I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I couldfind.
-- I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light -- truth, understanding, and knowledge is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it.
-- I am a fragment of a mirror whose design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world into the black places in the hearts of men and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life."
-- After he said all of this, he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught thebright rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them onto the student's face and then onto their hands folded on the desk.

-- this morning, I want to finish us our series on the basics of Christian doctrine and what makes a Methodist different from the other denominations -- I haven't been able to cover all the doctrines and all the unique Methodist slants in this series, but we have covered original sin -- justification by faith through grace -- sanctification -- being a disciple of Christ
-- in those sermons we touched on how the Methodists emphasize God's grace -- including grace poured out before we were saved -- prevenient grace -- the grace that saves us -- justifying grace -- and the grace that sanctifies us -- sanctifying grace
-- this morning we are going to touch on one of the other key components of Methodism -- social justice -- what is social justice? -- well, according to our book of Discipline, social justice is simply taking care of people -- standing up for their rights and helping to meet their needs
-- this may be as simple as helping the poor pay their bills or as complex as speaking for the rights of unborn children and fighting embryonic stem cell research
-- it runs the gambit from helping alcoholics and drug users get help to bringing food and clothing to the needy
-- basically, social justice means that we turn ourselves into mirrors of Christ's love -- reflecting His love and His light on all people -- bringing light into the darkness of this world as well as the darkness of men's souls -- meeting not only their spiritual needs but their physical needs as well
-- social justice is sustaining and renewing God's creation -- defending the created institutions of family and society -- protecting the widows and the orphans and the poor -- and critiquing false worldviews

-- and this is where the Methodists differ from a lot of other denominations -- we put social justice on an equal level with evangelism -- there must be both -- they go hand in hand -- and we understand that the best way to reach people is to meet them where they are -- to help them to see Jesus in a real and tangible way -- then, they will be led to invite Him into their hearts
-- some denominations err on either one side or the other -- the Baptists tend to focus more on evangelism and less on social justice -- other denominations focus on social justice to the extent that evangelism suffers
-- a truly functioning Methodist church seeks to balance the two
-- Chuck Colson made the same point in a recent editorial -- he pointed out "of course we're called to fulfill the Great commission but we're also called to fulfill the cultural commission"
-- this is a biblical mandate -- Jesus' life exemplified this understanding -- this balance between the spiritual and the physical -- how many times do we see Him in scriptures meeting the physical needs of a person first and then touching their hearts with His presence --

-- this passage in James 2 speaks to it as clear as any passage in the Bible -- look with me now at James 2:14

"What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?"

-- in this verse, James is not talking about salvation -- he is not trying to make the case that you are saved by works -- instead, he is trying to make the case that we can't live on cheap grace -- a false faith -- a "feel good" religion that does nothing to reach out to those in need in God's world
-- we are saved by grace through faith -- but our faith is evidenced by our works
-- James is talking about giving our faith legs -- this passage is a call to active ministry in Christ's name -- caring for the poor and the widows and the orphans -- standing up for justice for those subjected to injustice -- President Bush called this "compassionate conservatism" -- we call it showing the love of Christ in a tangible and real way

[Read James 2:15-17]
15. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food.
16. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?
17. In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

-- we need to meet both the physical and spiritual needs of those around us -- we need to help the poor and the oppressed and the widowed and the orphans -- we need to stand up and speak for those with no voice -- we need to be the voice of one calling in the wilderness of this world proclaiming justice in the streets and taking care of those deemed not worthy by the world
-- good wishes and prayers are worthless if we don't follow them up with physical action by meeting their needs -- James says here, "what good is it" -- implying that it is no good at all
-- James says that if you really want to show the love of Christ in you, you will be more concerned about outward acts of love and compassion then just a mere profession that you are a Christian.
-- he calls us to reach out to the needy around us and meet both their physical and their spiritual needs
-- who are the needy in our society? -- poor -- widows -- orphans -- senior citizens -- single parents -- unborn children -- those with AIDS and other diseases
-- who is responsible for taking care of these people -- in our country we have bought into the lie that the Government should take care of the people -- that is not true -- the Bible makes it clear that it is our responsibility, as Christians, to take care of all of God's people, whether they are saved or not
-- as our Social Creed points out, every person is created in the image of God and is precious in His sight -- every unborn baby is created in the image of God and is precious in His sight -- we have to be Christ's hands and feet and voice in this world to stand up and take care of those who are hurting or who are in need

-- look back at James 1:27 [Read James 1:27]
27. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

-- last week David Scott -- "how can anyone look at this and doubt there is a God?" -- he pointed out that our relationships to others -- especially our relationships to those who are not saved -- to those deemed unacceptable by the world -- tells more about our relationship with God than our presence here on Sunday morning
-- faith without works is dead -- it is no faith at all -- we must put our faith into action by looking after orphans and widows and all those in distress -- all those in need -- hurricane victims -- unborn children -- those suffering from sickness and disease, even AIDS patients
-- in this verse James seems to indicate that if we don't do that -- if we don't take care of them and let Christ's love reflect in us to them -- that we are in danger of being polluted by the world
-- "let the Government take care of them" -- no, let God's people take care of them
-- Mother Teresa in Calcutta taking care of the untouchables -- the lower caste people no one would touch, much less care for -- we are called to reach out to the outcasts -- to the needy in society -- and show them the love of Christ
-- as Max Lucado points out, in Scripture the leper was symbolic of the ultimate outcast -- infected by a condition he did not seek -- rejected by those he knew -- avoided by people he did not know - condemned to a future he could not bear
-- but these were the very ones whom our Lord turned to in His ministry -- Jesus didn't just heal these lepers -- He loved them -- He met them where they were and hugged them and loved them -- He fed them spiritually and then He healed them physically
-- we are called to reflect His light and His love by feeding God's people spiritually and by healing them physically -- by meeting their needs where they are -- by offering them a hand when no one else will
-- great example of this this weekend with the hurricane relief and response to refugees -- why does it take a disaster for us to respond? -- after ever disaster our hearts pore out with care for those in need -- hurricane victims -- tornado victims -- 911 victims
-- what will it take for us to do this on a daily basis -- in our daily lives -- to everyone we meet
-- we shouldn't worry about whether someone is trying to take advantage of us -- whether they are just trying to rip us off -- that's not our concern
-- when Senator Mark Hatfield was visiting Mother Teresa, he was overcome with the sheer magnitude of the poverty and disease and grief that she was working in -- he asked her how she could do this day after day after day and still have hope when there was no end to the suffering -- she said, "I wasn't called to be successful -- I was called to be faithful"
-- we are called to be faithful in showing God's love to others in tangible and real ways -- it's not our job to judge them and to decide if they are worthy of God's love -- it's just our job to be faithful and to give them what they need
-- think about it this way -- everything you have is from God anyway -- God knows where it is going -- and I trust that He can work in the life of any person, no matter how bad they are

-- Josh Claybourne, a blogger on the internet, told the story of the time he went to Walmart to pick up some supplies -- he wasn't dressed real well because he had been working around the house -- as he went into the parking lot, this man acted like he was going to flag him down -- Josh said he was a little wary because it was not a good part of time and he didn't know what the man's intentions were -- was he going to try to rob him? -- ask for money? -- what?

-- when he got out of his car, the man asked him for money -- he said, "I'm broken down and need gas -- can you give me some money?" -- Josh said he looked around and couldn't see a car anywhere that looked like it belonged to this man

-- he said he usually didn't give people money, but in this case he felt like God was leading him to do it -- so he reached in his pocket and only had a few dollars -- he looked the man in the eye -- gave him the money -- and hugged him and said "God loves you" -- he then went into Walmart without looking back

-- when he came back out, the man was sitting by Josh's car -- Josh said he got a little concerned -- was the man going to ask for more money? -- was he going to try to rob him? -- take his car? -- what?

-- when he got to his car, the man looked up and Josh saw he was crying -- the man stood up, gave Josh his money back, and walked off without saying a word -- was he trying to rip him off? -- Josh will never know -- but the fact is, God can work in any situation

-- I want to close with a verse from Micah 6:8, "what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."
-- God requires us to get involved in social justice -- God is making us responsible for the needs of those around us
-- The bible makes it clear that it is the church's responsibility to care for its poor -- as a NAE statement points out, "God measures societies by how they treat the people at the bottom"
-- in an article about General Conference, Donald Messer said "we prayed that the Holy Spirit would yet find a way to move United Methodism from indifference to involvement, from words about money to works of mercy"
-- God is calling you today from a dead faith to a live faith -- from indifference to involvement -- from words to works
-- will you answer His call?
-- Let us pray