by 
Seeking Justice
By Jessica B.
I admit it: I like a sermon that includes a little scolding. For me, the most powerful thing about a spiritual path is its call for radical personal change-for fundamental transformation in our way of seeing, our way of being, our attachments and our clouded lives, preoccupied as we are with our own petty selves. I need to be reminded, again and again, of what lies beyond my own small concerns. What I want from religion is transcendence and transformation, and I can’t transcend if I’m cross about the laundry. Sometimes I need to hear sharp words.
But the call in Isaiah’s vision is uncomfortably sharp. Cease to do evil! Seek justice! These are not gentle words. To rescue the oppressed and defend the orphan demands resources that I tell myself I don’t have, resources that I don’t want to give up. Self-interest is strong, and that is what this passage commands us to renounce. Well, in context, it actually commands us to renounce offerings and incense, but the lesson still applies: It is not enough to profess devotion. We must live out God’s Kingdom on this earth.
Prayer: Heavenly Creator and source of universal love, lead us to seek out the oppressed and to recognize our responsibility to others. Teach us to do good, fill us with a desire for justice that annihilates self-interest, and help us to live our lives with compassion for all living creatures.
