Striving for Justice and Peace

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” -- Baptismal Covenant, BCP pg 305.

Justice, peace and respect of the dignity of every human being depend on understanding. We all look at the world through the lens of our own cultural values and beliefs.

When I was working on the Wind River Indian Reservation, a woman I knew received a huge sum in back child support payments. Rather than spend the money on the essentials of living, she immediately went out and bought her relatives expensive gifts. I was scandalized by this, and said so to an Arapaho friend of mine. She berated me, saying, “Among my people we put the tribe first. Whenever good fortune befalls one of us, we take care of our people. You white people are selfish; you only take care of yourselves and your children.”

My values and hers didn’t coincide. Each of us made erroneous assumptions about the other. These are the kinds of misunderstanding that are often the basis of disrespect and injustice.

As a church community, how do we help each other with this fifth promise of our Baptismal Covenant, to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?

• We can become more aware of cultural, ethnic and class issues through study and discussion. We can participate in anti-racism training.
• We can challenge our collectively held beliefs, asking ourselves, “How do I know what I know? Is what I believe really true?”
• We can support peace-making efforts around the globe, especially those based in a sensitivity to the beliefs and values of all parties involved.
• We can cry out for justice in solidarity with all those who are experiencing oppression in our own community and in the world.
• We can recognize that we have within our own congregation people with a diversity of perspectives. We can be willing to teach one another about our differences, and to learn.
• We can go out, like our youth group did in July, and make friends with people from different cultures, listening well to them and sharing well also.

We are a community that prays regularly that God’s Kingdom – that radical place where all are welcome and where everyone experiences full dignity, justice and peace – come on earth as it is in heaven. We are Christ’s hands and heart in the world; we have a role in ushering in that Kingdom. Everyone is welcome and equal at the Table of the Lord, a truly multi-cultural feast.