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Week 4 of Advent

 Longing for Justice

"That's not fair!"  The desire expressed by this statement seems hard-wired into every person.  We long for our circumstances to be just, for people to conduct themselves in a manner that we experience as right, for things to turn out in a way that we can call "good."


And we have a picture of what life will look like when that happens.  We may not even be aware of this vision, but when we find ourselves inclined to say, "that's not fair," it signals that what's in front of us and what we envision are not lining up.


Our longing for things to be fair, right, and good is sometimes viewed as evidence of immaturity or selfishness.  And this can certainly be the case.  As believers, we are called to align our vision of what is right with God's vision.


The prophet Isaiah provides a vision of the justice God wants for the world.  He names Jesus as the one through whom these visions will become reality (chapters 9, 42, 58, 61).  Christ quotes some of these scriptures as a way of confirming himself as the promised justice-bringer (Luke 4).


Jesus' arrival on earth reveals that our longing for things to be right in the world is a God-given one.  His presence tells us it isn't foolish to hope that our ache for justice will find relief.  


Yet we must also remember it took hundreds of years for Isaiah's hope-stirring promise to become reality.  Then, only three decades later, the justice-bringer willingly suffered the greatest injustice of all time.


The rhythms of Christ's long-expected birth, short life, and unjust death--even his  miraculous resurrection and, soon after, ascension--punctuate the gap between what we hope for and a final fulfillment of that hope.


Someday it will no longer be necessary to keep the hope for justice alive in our hearts.  But not yet.

  • Where in your world do you see a lack of justice?  Where do you find yourself thinking, saying, or praying, "that's not fair."
  • What happens in your heart--to your hope-when justice seems slow to arrive?

If there is a word, a phrase, or a prayer that expresses your response to these questions, you are invited to post them here, or bring them as we gather for the third Sunday of Advent.


You are also invited to listen to the teaching from the third Sunday of Advent at All Souls--A Holy Longing:  Longing for Justice.


"Longing for Justice" devotional by Anne Lowry Pharr

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