bible – Page 3 – Confessions of the Pastor's Wife

Recently, I had the opportunity to review a couple of Bibles through the Thomas Nelson bible review program. One Bible that I chose to peruse is the Breathe Life Bible. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, this Bible is the perfect resource for anyone who is interested in exploring the crossroads where faith and justice meet. Though compiled with those in mind who daily feel the suffocating effects of racial injustice, it is most certainly not limited to one group. As former Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young writes in the forward, the Breathe Life Bible is about putting faith into action, taking an active stand against injustice and oppression. Young writes that this Bible “is about making real the Beloved Community where everyone is valued and cared for.”

When my youngest was about six, he and his brother were walking home from school one afternoon with a few other students who also lived nearby. One of the students had pulled out a Little Debbie snack to eat along the way, but before she could dig in, an older boy snatched it from her hand. My little firebrand would not stand for that. He promptly took the snack back and returned it to the girl, telling the older student, “That’s not right!”

This story always makes me chuckle–if you knew my youngest, you’d understand. He’s always had a fire in his belly to stand up to something, and as he’s gotten older, that hasn’t changed. My son feels strongly about justice…more aptly, he feels compelled to take a stand against what he perceives to be injustice. And there’s a lot of it. Walk down any street in your community and I’ll bet you’ll see it. Poverty; lack of access to resources like healthcare, mental healthcare, addiction treatment, quality education, fresh food; systemic violence….the list goes on and on.

Over the years, I have come to believe that our faith is intricately wound with justice. More specifically, I believe that God calls his people to acts of justice.

I love that the Breathe Life Bible says that the Lord requires his people to DO justly. This call to action encompasses Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as ourselves, and his exhortation to remember that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for him. But God’s message of justice often gets diluted in feel-good messages that only touch the surface of what it means to live a life of faith. As Christians, we have a tendency to become consumers of God, rather than people who act on his word. Author and leader Brian Heasley wrote in a reflection that, “Christianity is not a self-help group.” Though we sympathize with the plight of those suffering injustice, and maybe even empathize at times, how often do we act on their behalf? How often do we stand up and say, “That’s not right!”

The Breathe Life Bible is unique in that it also offers practical insight into how we can cultivate a life of social justice. There are essays by social justice leaders about what it means to put our faith in practice, commentary by Biblical theologians about what it means to act justly, special first-person accounts of Biblical characters that help the reader engage deeply and personally with God’s word, devotions written by pastors and teachers who share how God’s word impacts our lives, and opportunities to simply inhale and exhale God’s spirit.

Here’s a peek at some of those features:

God calls us to DO justice. And the Breathe Life Bible is a good companion for the journey. Regardless of which Bible you use, however, the fact remains that God doesn’t want us sitting on the sidelines of justice. Rather, he calls us to take action–to stand up and, in his name, work to make the world a better place.

God of Justice, open my eyes, stir my heart, and teach me how to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you today. Amen

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Have you ever missed the turn onto your street? I’m not talking after recently moving to a new city or neighborhood–I mean a true head in the clouds moment where you blew right past the place you’ve been turning into for at least three years. I would like to tell you that this happened to me once….but the truth is….no one in my house is surprised when I miss an obvious turn. I just get distracted. There’s a great song playing and I’m singing along. Or a fox crossed the road and I’m craning my neck to see where it went. Maybe I’m too focused on the pinks and purples bleeding into the horizon as the sun sets. Whatever the case, I don’t always pay enough attention to where I’m going.

Recently, I was re-reading Moses’ call story. This is, hands down, one of my favorite stories in all of Scripture. I love that Moses is not a superhero. I love that he comes up with excuse after excuse to avoid God’s call. I love that Moses is plagued with self-doubt. I love that he boldly tells God he needs some muscle because he can’t carry this call alone. And, of equal importance, I love that Moses was distracted enough to have an encounter with God in the first place.

As Exodus 3 opens, Moses is tending sheep for his father-in-law. I don’t know a lot about sheep, but I cannot imagine it to be a highly stimulating job, especially for someone whose resume boasts “working royal”. With no smart phone, book, magazine, or radio, Moses had lots of time and space for his mind to wander. And that’s how he came to notice the burning, yet strangely not burning bush.

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In this passage, Moses was aware enough of his surroundings, yet distractible enough from his task at hand, that he noticed something out of the ordinary was taking place. Moses looked up. And when he looked up, he saw something new–something remarkable–and it sparked his interest. When Moses saw the burning, not burning bush, he was curious. And so, (like future shepherds would) he went to see this thing which had come to pass.

Here’s where the story gets really interesting: It wasn’t until Moses actually went to see what was going on that God showed up. Scripture tells us that an angel of the Lord was responsible for the fire. Though God had orchestrated the supernatural event, Moses had to take the first step before God called his name.

Sometimes, God needs to get our attention before he can get to work in our lives. And he waits until we’re invested before he speaks. Moses shows us that when God calls, sometimes it requires us to wake up and move!

Too often, I run around with my head so lost in the fog of my thoughts or an electronic device that I can’t hear God call. I’m not focused on where God and how he’s working and what he might be inviting me to take part in. And so, God gets my attention in some surprisingly odd ways. Like a cow…stuck in a fence.

Years ago, as I was going about my business, driving the two-lane highway past farms and fields that was my daily commute, singing along to whatever pop song was on the radio, I happened to spot movement from the corner of my eye. Turning my head, I saw something new–a cow that was entangled in a barbed wire fence. As my brain was attempting to process this strange sight, my cell phone rang. It was my sister, driving down city streets 200 miles away, passing storefronts instead of fences. When I told her about the bizarre bovine encounter, I expected a chuckle, or at best, a snort. But what I got instead was a question that entirely upended my way of thinking. She asked: “What are you going to do about it?” In that moment, my sister reminded me that we are not to be passive bystanders on the road of life. Rather, we are called to enter in, to act, to make a difference. Because if we don’t, then who will?

And so, I called the sheriff’s department and reported a wayward cow. I have no idea what happened next, if the cow was safely removed from the fence or became someone’s dinner, but I know that God used that cow (and my sister) to teach me a lesson that has factored into many of my ensuing moments. But before God could get to the lesson, I first had to notice…and then I had to move.

What do you need to look up from to see God working in the world? Where is he trying to get your attention? And are you willing to go and see what he’s doing?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara