Jesus and Justice Sunday

1 John 4:7-21

Overview – The last 4 months have been about love. This series really is going to end but heading into a

next phase where we move from talking about believing it to being it.

God believes in love actually stops short of what the scripture says because he is trying to talk to

Christians in the language that we are used to – belief. But God is calling us to move beyond belief to a

way of being love (talk more about it next week.)

Justice is what love looks like in public, just like tenderness is what love feels like in private.

- Cornell West

We are rooted in the Black church tradition because it comes from people with their backs against the

wall, but we are also called to push back on the ways it continues some of the oppressive parts of

Christian tradition.

Our call is three fold

1. People don’t know the radical life and teaching of Jesus Christ. No other ideology holds a torch

to how he lived and moved! (Shout out to Pope Francis for showing people in the flesh as best a

human could)

Because there are folks claiming to speak for Jesus who are preaching the exact opposite it creates

confusion as to who Jesus really was. We need to be willing to be clear and direct about what he

actually said and did.

2. Folks don’t believe it is possible to live it – do you believe? If so, let’s live it!

Even if folks believe he said it, they don’t think it is possible to actually make it happen. They don’t

believe that people of every race and language, gender expression and ability can live and move

together. Do we believe it? Are willing to be it?

3. As we proclaim the Good News sometimes through what we say, but mostly through what we

do – Are we willing to bring others in to experience it and then go!!!!

If we are willing to be it then we can invite others in to experience it and then go out and do it for

themselves. Are we willing to make ourselves into a beacon of hope that the radical life transforming,

system upending message of Jesus Christ is real and it is good news!

This is not just about me, but about we! We cannot build this around one charismatic person, but

around a community of faith who believes that what Jesus said and lived is possible in the here and

now.

Reflections Questions

1. Where have you received the kind of love that felt like deep justice? From God, from others,

within community? What made it powerful?

2. Where are you called to manifest love as justice? Love for whom? What would it look like, feel

like, move like if it were overflowing?

3. Where do you feel this community has done well around living our love? Where can we go

deeper?