Test Driving Theology

At least once a day, the words “That’s not fair!” echoed through the house where I grew up in south Minneapolis.  It was, you see, a household of 3 boys…we were all just a bit competitive with each other (can I just say, by the way, that my mother was a saint!), and so if there was ever a sense that one of us was gaining some tactical advantage over the others…well, let’s just say we weren’t afraid to call it out…loudly: “That’s not fair!”

My Dad’s response?   Well, there were days that he would pause, and rationally and logically explain his reasoning to us.  And there were other days…days when maybe our behavior had rankled him…that he’d simply say “I never promised you fair.”  (Anyone else ever hear those words?)

Whichever of the 3 of us felt the most wronged, we’d walk away disappointed and frustrated, mumbling under our breath, “that’s just not fair…it’s not…no fair…”

In our world…in our culture…we hold up this idea of fairness as an ideal that we should strive for.  We want things to be the same…to be equal…and I get that.  As kids, we’d count the number of Christmas presents to make sure it’s “fair.”  As a middle schooler playing soccer, if a ref blew a call, we’d complain about the “fairness.”  At our jobs, we compare salaries, to make sure they’re “fair.”  As Vikings fans…well…it’s all just unfair!  

Fairness is often held up as a north star for us to follow.  And yes, it is important.  Fairness is important…critical, even, in a healthy society. But there is something else…something that is equally…and in many ways even more important than fairness.  It is what our Old Testament reading is pointing us towards today.  That thing is justice.  Justice.

Welcome to the first in our four-week sermon series, simply titled “Be.”  Be.  

• Be…as in “be what we are supposed to be.”
• Be…as in “be who God created us to be.”
• Be…as in “be how God wants us to be.”

During these four weeks, we are going to focus on four different ideas that all come from the Old Testament teachings of Micah.  

Micah was a prophet.  The job of an Old Testament prophet was to warn, and to point.  They warned when the people, or its leaders, was getting off track and moving away from God’s law.  And they pointed towards the right way…the way of righteousness.  For over 40 years, Micah served as a prophet to the people of Israel. 

But of all the things Micah said and wrote about, there is one very small section for which he is most famous.  It is found in today’s Old Testament reading.  In it, Micah is describing in some detail, what it is God wants the Jewish people to become…what he wants them to be.  To be.

“What does the Lord require of you?” Micah asks.  And then he answers his own question: “To do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly…with your God.”

What are the Jewish people supposed to be?  They are to be just.  They are to be kind.  They are to be humble.  And they are to be with God.

Be just.  Be kind.  Be humble.  Be with God.  These ideas…this is what we are going to focus on these next four weeks.  

Now, in a world where “fairness” is often the gold standard of how we treat one another, Micah’s words challenge us to embrace a deeper, a harder, and a more divine principle: justice.  Justice.  

Fairness and justice are often thought of as being synonymous.  But they are not.  They are actually very different.  

Fairness is concerned with all things being equal; with making sure everyone gets the same.  (Remember my brothers and I).  But justice…justice is something different.  Justice is about righteousness. It is about restoring relationships.  It is about ensuring that everyone has what they need to thrive.

As something of a book, and a history nerd, I love the story of “Les Misérables”, the novel by Victor Hugo, which has also been adapted into a popular musical. In the story, the character of Jean Valjean, a former convict, is pursued relentlessly by Inspector Javert, who is convinced that Valjean is guilty of theft, and is obsessed with enforcing the law. 

You see, Inspector Javert’s understanding of justice is rooted in fairness: Valjean broke the law, so he must be punished. It’s like a mathematical formula that must be balanced.  Crime, and then punishment.  That’s fair.

But throughout the story, Valjean embodies a different kind of justice, one that is merciful, transformative, and redemptive. 

He steals a loaf of bread to feed his starving family, and later, after encountering mercy from a kind bishop, he devotes his life to helping others. Valjean’s journey shows us that true justice isn’t about strict adherence to the law or ensuring everyone “gets what they deserve”… it’s about restoration and healing.

Culturally, we often hear the cry for fairness, especially in conversations about politics, wealth, opportunity, and resources. If fairness is your primary operating system, then you believe that everyone should have the same access, the same resources, and the same outcomes. Everything should be the same.  But fairness, as good as it sounds, can sometimes miss the mark, because the world is not the same for everyone.  

Let me give you an example:  This past week, the school year began for thousands of our young people in Owatonna.  Think for a moment about our classrooms.  The vast majority of our young people fit into the educational systems that we are familiar with.  Those systems were designed with the average, typical student in mind.

But there are students in our schools, who for whatever reason, need something different…something extra…some accommodation.  Maybe it’s because there is a learning disability.  Perhaps there’s a physical need that requires extra time, or attention.  Maybe it’s something emotional that they need to deal with.  Maybe it’s a combination of any of these things.

Looking at our young people only through a lens of fairness would dictate that our school district, and our teachers give every student the same amount of attention and resources. 

But justice, as the prophet Micah describes it, would recognize the specific needs of each student and provide the necessary support for them to succeed, even if it means giving them more resources or time than others.

We call this special education…or special services.  And it is the giving of care and attention that not everyone receives.  

According to these definitions. Special education is not fair.  But it is just.  To be fair would be to simply plunk these young people down in a class with everyone else and say, “have at it!”  To be just is to give them what they need to succeed. 

Micah 6:6-8 calls us to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.” This call goes beyond fairness. Acting justly means advocating for those who are marginalized, ensuring that the systems and structures of our society are not just equal but equitable. Loving mercy means showing compassion and kindness, even when it seems “unfair” by worldly standards. Walking humbly with God means recognizing our limitations, understanding that our perspective on justice must be informed by God’s love and wisdom, not just our human instincts for fairness.

This can be hard stuff.  And it can lead to difficult, courageous conversations.  Every day, we are challenged to think about how we connect and care for those around us.  

• Are we more concerned with everyone getting the same, or with everyone getting what they need? 
• Are we willing to embrace mercy, even when it seems unfair? 

The challenge of the prophet Micah is to move beyond a simplistic understanding of fairness and to embrace the complex, transformative power of justice; justice that heals, restores, and brings us closer to the heart of God.

Because it was God’s heart that sent Jesus to bring justice to a broken world.  God sent Jesus, to bring justice to you.  If God were simply fair, the innocent would have been rewarded, and the guilty would have been punished.  The righteous would have been united with God and the unrighteous would have been banned. 

But Jesus was a Savior whose operating system was not fairness, it was justice.  And so, the unrighteous…the sinful…the broken…you… me… everyone…you are forgiven…and you are restored.  Even though you don’t deserve it, Jesus embraces you! That’s what Jesus does.  He embraces you! Thank God! Jesus, you see, is a Savior of not of fairness, but of justice.

The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said once that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”  In other words, when anyone is denied justice, whether it’s about educational opportunities, disabilities, or poverty, or legal justice, or immigration status, or race, or sexual gender or identity or whatever it may be…our whole culture…our whole society…our community is harmed.  

Our role then, as people who follow Jesus, is to stand…yes we stand for fairness, but even more, we stand for justice.  Our call is to care and provide for those who are on the margins and who, in order to thrive, need a little bit more.  God’s desire is that the world be redeemed…made whole…reconciled to God and to each other.  To do that requires a commitment on the part of all of God’s people, to justice.

Two words:  Be just.  Just two words.

But so much is packed into those two words.  As we navigate our relationships, communities, and the wider world, God calls us to be agents of justice, knowing that real justice is not about making everything equal but is about making everything right.

In the name of Jesus.  Be.  Be just.

Thanks be to God!

Amen.