The Justice passages of Advent touch me more acutely this year. I resonate with Howard Thurman’s Christmas poem:

Christmas is Waiting to Be Born
Where refugees seek deliverance that never comes
And the heart consumes itself as if it would live,
Where children age before their time
And life wears down the edges of the mind,
Where the old man sits with mind grown cold,
While bones and sinew, blood and cell, go slowly down to death,
Where fear companions each day’s life,
And Perfect Love seems long delayed.
Christmas is Waiting to be Born:
In you, in me, in all (humankind.)
                       Howard Thurman, The Mood of Christmas

Injustice is something you know, when you see it. These last months we have seen injustice multiplied in our nation. Protections of the poor ravel in Washington. Active persecution of immigrants, here both legally, and illegally have exploded, with the denial of basic  civil rights. We have seen Justice crumble, in an administration bent on vengeance, and scapegoating the poor, the immigrant, and the most vulnerable among us.

The yearning for justice, and knowing that all people are being treated fairly, is a universal longing. We want to know that our government  functions, in a way that does not favor one group of people over the other. We want to be assured that we are protected by a system, that will not allow another to exploit or abuse us.

Isaiah writes of his deep yearning for a ruler who is just, compassionate, and cares for the poor. This beautiful passage continues to inspire us with that longing.

“A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord—
and he will delight in the fear of the Lord.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth . . .
Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.” Isaiah 11:1-5

Justice has always been God’s desire for the world, one that lives in harmony, where people seek the good of the other, as well as themselves. As Christians we believe this yearning was embodied in Jesus, who showed us the way and called us to follow.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you showed us the way of compassionate service. You have asked us to embody your love in this world. Grant us the grace we need to allow Christmas to truly be born in us, in such a way, that we shine your light into the world’s heartache and sorrow, where  perfect love seems long delayed. Amen.

Additional resources for Advent through Christmastide, including a daily Advent calendar can be found here: Devotions for Advent to Epiphany