Session 2: The City of Justice

Materials:
Hymnals or copies of the hymn “You Are Salt For The Earth, O People”
Hymnals or copies of the hymn “For We Are Strangers No More” or  of “To Us A Child of Hope Is Born”
Roll or sheets of newsprint and markers. 
Ingredients and cooking time for Albondigas (or make them ahead of time)

For Experiential Options:
A week’s worth of newspaper front pages
Hymnals
Laptop with internet connection

Opening Statement (Leader to summarize where indicated during session or to copy for group):
            The prophet Malachi brings to mind an image out of a movie Western: a mysterious stranger who comes riding into town with no name and no past, fearing none of the forces of evil, more than ready to restore justice.  Malachi comes out of nowhere.  He doesn’t really have a name, just a title, since Malachi is the Hebrew word translated as both messenger and angel.  Bible experts disagree about when he might have preached, and the book indicates little about any particular historical situation. Malachi is a mysterious stranger.
            This week we will focus on one verse from Malachi: “You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied him?" By saying, "All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them." Or by asking, "Where is the God of justice?" (Malachi 2:17)
            Have you read the Bible from cover to cover? Salvation is described there, and it is important, but salvation is not the major issue.  Justice scalds the Bible’s pages from front to back. Malachi berates the people who don’t "get it," those who act as if there is no God of justice so what’s all the fuss about, anyhow?  In the minds of those whom Malachi addresses, personal piety is good enough – get right with God and then hope the clock runs out before we commit some really spectacular sin. 
            The prophets before and after the Exile called God’s people to repentance.  They still do.  Malachi wants us to be active on the side of the angels. Some people assume it’s enough to connect to God personally and then just wait for God to restore justice, a thing that will happen.  But the Bible makes it clear that the people of faith are to embody God’s passion for justice, working to bring it about. Teresa of Avila, the 16th-century Christian mystic, said it this way:
                     Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth
                      But yours. Yours are the eyes through which He looks compassion
                      On this world. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
            Welcome to the City of Justice.  If the place looks unfinished, that may be because all of us still have tasks to do.

Scripture Reading: Malachi 2:17

Focus Statement: May God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Gathering:
            Play a recording of favorite hymns recorded in a bluegrass style as people gather.  Take time for opening rituals and small talk.  For many in northern climates, the temperatures may still be cool.  A simple recipe for Albondigas, or meatball soup, is available at the end of this session.  You might serve this or another “comfort food” as people gather.
            Sing “You Are Salt for the Earth, O People,” with its chorus “Bring on the Kingdom of Justice.” If this hymn is unfamiliar to you and you have no musician or accompanist to help, you may sing “Let There Be Peace on Earth.”
As group members settle into comfortable positions the leader should guide group members through a consideration of this session’s verse using the method of lectio divina. Use the Latin words for the four steps – the words in italics – if you feel comfortable, or just use the English phrases.  Explain the four steps ahead of time and ask someone to be ready to assist in step three by reading the passage.

1. Lectio – a time of hearing a Bible passage read, followed by silence. The leader reads Malachi 2:17 aloud.  This is a time of listening and hearing.  It is a time of silence.

2. Meditatio – a time of meditation. The leader reads the passage again, inviting group members to focus on one word or phrase that seems to jump out at them or touch them. Then, in silence, group members reflect on the word or phrase that appealed to them, opening their hearts for the Spirit of God to speak to them.  “Their” word or phrase can be lifted up mentally, swirled around, examined.  Allow associations and/or memories to arise and attach to it.  The Spirit is our guide.

3. Oratio – a time of prayer. An individual from the group reads the passage aloud again.  Group members are silent. After a few minutes of silence, invite group members to form a prayer from what they “heard” in the scripture and reflection.  Prayer can be silent or spoken.

4. Contemplatio – a time of contemplation.  The passage is read aloud by the leader for a fourth and final time.  This is not a time of doing but of resting.  Invite group members to be present in God.  Rest. 

            Conclude with a few moments of breathing, stretching, smiling.

Marking the Milestones: (Daily Meditations from The Upper Room)

            Bringing your attention back to your place of meeting, turn to the past week’s meditations from The Upper Room.  Summarize or refer to the copy  of the Opening Statement to give background on the Malachi passage and the City of Justice.  Attach a long piece of newsprint (or several sheets taped together) to a convenient surface and hand out markers. 
            Invite group members to stand as they are able and join in drawing.  As each of the week’s meditations is mentioned, each person draws some person, building, or other object called to mind by the discussion. Through this process  you will create a panorama of the City of Justice.  Expect and affirm the wide range of artistic skills. Some people will draw stick figures. Others may choose abstract or realistic styles to express themselves.  Tell the group that there is no right way to do the drawing; the mixture of differing hands is what makes this the City of Justice.
            As last week, begin your discussion with whatever meditation is mentioned by the group, responding to their memory of what was significant.  Also, consider praying together the words of the prayers that accompany each meditation.

Thursday, February 7, 2008
God’s Extended Family
Sometimes it seems as if it is patriotic to be suspicious of others, to exclude, to drive away.  Yet Leviticus 19: 34 insists: “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.”  Notice that the Bible says not just “tolerate” but “love”!  Today’s writer reflects on a time when he felt alone and wonders if we, as the people of God, leave others “standing in the cold.”  How do we reach beyond our circle to draw in others?  How do we go about intentionally welcoming others?  Examine your own community, church, and yourself. Is there room for one more in your circle? What makes you say yes or no to that?

Friday, February 8, 2008
The Commission
The injustice faced by many near at hand and around the world can seem overwhelming.  We may be tempted to say, like Gideon, that we’re not the ones for the task. The writer says that God wants us to be active in trying to make the world a better place. Yet many people feel powerless or use words similar to Gideon’s as an excuse for doing nothing.  Invite group members to talk about ordinary people who are doing extraordinary things to help others.  Have you been one of those ordinary people? What excuses have you made when you felt a call from God or God’s people? 

Saturday, February 9, 2008
Rejoice in the Day
How can we change the world when our own problems overwhelm us?  The writer challenges us to dig deeper to see the beauty which is not only stronger than the problems of today but also points to the joy that undergirds the universe.  We may not win the battle today, but it is still a day we can rejoice; every day is the Lord’s Day. Name one of the world’s ills that you have attempted to tackle or want to tackle.  Though there may be no realistic hope that we can solve these problems today, we have every reason both to work for God and to rejoice in God this day.  Discuss the changes in perspective you have experienced over time. 

Sunday, February 10, 2008
Becoming
For some, faith is a matter of minimalist salvation, determining the bare minimum we have to do or believe to get a place in heaven.  For others, faith means a lifelong process of becoming like Christ and learning what it means to abide in Christ.  Since God offers us salvation through grace, since it is not earned, we are free to become fully the people God desires.  Within your small group, name the gifts you have seen in each other. Then offer them as a blessing and a prayer for and with each other.  Has there been a time or times when you have judged yourself and others harshly?  What does it mean to be free of the obligation to earn salvation? Is it easy to accept and live the free gift of God?

Monday, February 11, 2008
The Growing Ring
Some might suggest that this meditation means that only a small group within the church really matters.  That’s a dangerous attitude that can lead to smugness and the heresy of the Inner Circle.  The writer is suggesting that even a church that seems dead may be revived through the work of the faithful remnant.  Small groups are often where the spiritual life of a church dwells.  Reflect about wonders you have seen in nature, lessons you have learned, and examples of faithfulness that have enlivened your church.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Perfect Love
How have you experienced God in your life?  How has your understanding of God changed and how has it remained the same over time?  Have events, individuals, or a slow transformation triggered change in your perceptions of God?  Read Romans 5:1-11 aloud.  The apostle Paul suggests a list of events that shape our lives.  How does his list compare with your experience?  The author writes about a politician whose faith had been [her] rod and [her] staff (see Psalm 23).  How does your faith, your view of God, permeate the way you live and work?  How do you try to bring for justice, peace, and salvation to the world?  This politician had come to know not a punishing God but a God of love and righteousness.  How might that view of God affect the way we approach social problems?  What are some hot-button issues right now?  What is love’s approach?  What is fear’s approach to this problem?

Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Faithful to the Journey
Some folks think they’re too young, too old, too busy, too healthy, too frail, to overwrought, too engaged -- too something -- to work in God’s kingdom.  Despite reaching a milestone that invites reflection and self-criticism, today’s writer is also sure that God still has a plan for his life.  He invites us to please God because that’s “all that matters.”  Name some of the tasks to which God calls us, some of which may not be pleasing or make sense to those outside the church.  What are some of the excuses you use for not listening for God’s call?  To what ministry is God calling you, your small group, your church?

Reflection:

           Imagine a timeline for your life. Consider which events God sees as most important.  Why would that be?

           Why would God offer us salvation as a gift?

           If we don’t have to earn God’s love, why should we bother to do anything for the kingdom?

           Why does God count on us to do so much when God could do things quicker and better?

Connections:
            The group has been creating a panorama of God’s City of Justice as you reflected on this week’s meditations.  Now take a moment and draw a circle around the person, building, or object with which you most closely identify.  Invite group members one by one to say why they circled what they did. 
             What ministries, one-time or long-term, could your small group work in as part of your Lenten offering? Are there food pantries, soup kitchens, homeless ministries, clothing ministries, or other services that protect those on the margins of society?  
Talk about taking on a project as a group.

Experiential Options:

            Lay out a week’s worth of newspaper front pages.  Circle stories that suggest places where people are working towards God’s justice.
            Hand out hymnals and chose and sing a hymn that calls us to work as God’s people for justice.
            Use a computer search engine to learn about Christian service organizations such as Heifer Project International or the New Community Project.

Going Forth:
            Sing “For We Are Strangers No More” or “To Us A Child of Hope Is Born.”  If you lighted a candle or lamp, extinguish it as you prepare to leave. 
            Recite aloud once more Malachi 2:17:
            You have wearied the LORD with your words.
            Yet you say, "How have we wearied him?"
            By saying, "All who do evil are good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them."
            Or by asking, "Where is the God of justice?"

Close with the following litany built on Micah 6:8:

One: Is it by reciting the right words, walking the right steps, making the right motions that we please our God?
All: God has told us what is good; and what does the LORD require of us but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God?
One: Evil seems to surround us.  Shall we accept the gift of salvation given freely through the cross of Christ, and then hide?
All: God has told us what is good; and what does the LORD require of us but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God?
One: Shall we applaud ordinary people who do great things while we stand in the shadows?
All: God has told us what is good; and what does the LORD require of us but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God?
One: People, God has told us what is good.  What is required of you?
All: Though we do not work to earn God’s grace, we seek to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God. Amen!

The leader may close by saying a prayer. 

Recipe for Albondigas  (Meatball Soup)
 
Mix four 15-ounce cans of consommé with four cans of water.  As the broth warms, add one diced onion, a couple of finely diced carrots, four or five diced potatoes, 1 tsp. oregano, 1 tsp. basil, and a pinch of cumin.  Mix one pound of hamburger, an egg, a handful of rice, and ¼ cup diced onion in a bowl; form the mixture into 1” meatballs.  Drop the meatballs into boiling soup, add 1 cup of uncooked rice, and simmer until all ingredients are cooked. Serve with warm flour tortillas.

For a Children’s Session:
            Materials:
            Newsprint
            Drawing/painting/art supplies

Invite children to talk about their favorite video games.  They may describe the rules of the game and how the game is won.  What is the definition of winning?  What happens when you lose?

Read the meditation for Sunday, February 10, 2008 (“Becoming”). Ask the following questions.
            Why do you think the two daughters in the story each felt she had to outdo the other?
            Why do we think we have to win against each other?
            Are there any games that do not require someone to win?
            Can we all win together?  Does there have to be a loser?

            Stretch out sheets of newsprint.  Invite children to brainstorm a game that does not require winning. What would the game be about?  How would players interact?  Could players help each other?  What would winning look like in such a game? 
            Invite children to illustrate the game, drawing characters, action, and results on the sheet. 
            Close with the prayer included with the meditation.