socialjusticesermons

Social Justice Sermons has now posted about every Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary’s three year cycle. At this time, SJS will take a hiatus. Perhaps SJS will return in the same or a different format in the future. Perhaps not. Either way, thanks for reading along. Peace!

The apostle who followed Jesus at the youngest age, was closest to Jesus, and who lived the longest, made his primary message very clear: love. It is said that at the end of his life, St. John’s sermons were simply, “Little children, love one another.” (1 John 3:1-7, Easter 3B)

The capitalist concepts of possession & ownership that allow the rich to get richer while keeping the poor in their need are antithetical to the way of Divine Love. Resurrection leads to redistribution & reparation. It is nothing short of revolutionary. (Acts 4:32-35, Easter 2B)

It’s very early on the first day. It’s still dark, but the sun is rising. When the women who followed Jesus realize that death doesn’t have the final word, they are filled with awe & fear. New life is an earth shattering & life altering experience. (Mark 16:1-8, Easter B)

The first Palm Sunday was a protest! During a nonviolent march through Jerusalem’s East gate, People surrounded Jesus, shouting “save us, deliver us, rescue us!” They had real life expectations that a spiritual teacher could bring political change. (Mark 11:1-11, Palm Sunday B)

When navigating life’s obstacles & the challenges of living by Divine Love, remember that seeds must fall to the ground & be buried in order to find new life. Learn from the Zapatista movement: “they tried to bury us, but they didn’t know we were seeds.” (John 12:20-33, Lent 5B)

People & society are operating according to the ways of death, selfishness & anger. But Divine Mercy wakes us up. Divine Love enlivens us, moves us from the ways of death to the ways of life. This is God’s generous gift that enables us to fully live. (Ephesians 2:1-10, Lent 4B)

The religious industrial complex has succeeded in marketing & merchandising wisdom & spirituality, even turning preachers into millionaires. Be careful when commerce replaces love & justice. Be careful when profits replace prophetic living. (John 2:13-22, Lent 3B)

Jesus’s teaching regarding the role of suffering & sacrifice, the world’s profits & the value of life are incomprehensible to human minds focused on power & greed. Instead, to live in the good news & glory of God’s Divine Love, we must give our lives away. (Mark 8:31-38, Lent 2B)

In many religious & spiritual traditions, after being called to a mission & before beginning that mission, one must experience a time of waiting & preparation. In this wilderness time we come face to face with the obstacles & opportunities in & around us. (Mark 1:9-15, Lent 1B)

Elisha said to Elijah three times, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." When you find mentors & friends with whom you resonate & from whom you can learn, stick together. Do life together. Grow as you go. (2 Kings 2:1-12, Transfiguration B)

What have you learned? Where is your source of wisdom? Who are your teachers? For how long have you been learning? The ancient spring of wisdom that flows through our ancestors & our traditions is a source of power & strength for today & tomorrow. (Isaiah 40:21-31, Epiphany 5B)

Claiming to have superior knowledge is a trap. In fact, it can be dangerous because knowledge brings pride. Beware of religious leaders who over emphasize right belief. Instead, love builds up & is the beginning & end of what matters most. (1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Epiphany 4B)

Dehumanizing structures of class & empty promises of money are not true sources of identity or security. Don’t let them shake you or steal your heart. Instead, Divine Love is our refuge of hope & rest & deliverance from the world’s deadly power games. (Psalm 62:5-12, Epiphany 3B)

In a time of widespread loneliness, isolation, fear & marginalization, it is powerful & comforting to know that Divine Love is ever present. To know & be known in ways that bring wonder & solidarity is how people of faith can live well together. (Psalm 139:1-18, Epiphany 2B)

We are at the starting point, the genesis, the birth of a new calendar year. On that empty page, we can form together a co-existence of love & light that is full of the creative presence of God. As Leonard Bernstein said, “all art is cosmos in chaos.” (Genesis 1:1-5, Epiphany 1B)

The last week of the calendar year can be a meaningful time of rest & reflection. In the stillness & darkness of late December, let our attention turn to awe & wonder for the myriad ways that God’s Divine Love is present in all of nature & all people. (Psalm 148, Christmas 1B)

Advent isn’t all comfort & joy. For the powerful & rich, it is a different story: they are brought down & sent away. Beware of an approach to the holiday that ignores this great reversal. Be in solidarity with marginalized people. The holiday is theirs. (Luke 1:46-55, Advent 4B)

The vision of Advent is a rebuilt, raised up & repaired community. Advent’s mission is healing & comfort for those who hurt, liberation for those who are captive & freedom for those who are in debt. This is good news to marginalized & oppressed people. (Isaiah 61:1-11, Advent 3B)

Displaced & isolated people hear both the tender words of comfort & the commanding shouts of building something new & hopeful. In this new way of being together, people are fed, gathered, carried & led by Divine Love & the community of God’s people. (Isaiah 40:1-11, Advent 2B)