I once heard a discussion between folks about whether or not Jesus was a ‘support the system’ savior, or whether he was a revolutionary.  I hadn’t really thought about it before in that way, but as I listened, I became more and more convinced that Jesus really came to turn everything upside-down.  He was a revolutionary.

Women’s rights? Check

Poverty? Check

Anti-establishment? Check

Anti-religious systems? Check

Gulp.

It’s not the Jesus we really see in the movies, or the way we picture him from Sunday School… but in a quiet (or sometimes not so quiet) way, his message, his life was expended to establish true freedom and true equality for humanity.

This week, we’re talking about social justice… and to be honest, for the longest time, I really thought that was just something that wacky liberals petitioned about.  But over the last several years, I came to realize a couple of things…

First, Jesus was all about the social justice.  Think about it, he spent time talking to the masses, healing the people rejected by society, preaching good news to the poor.  If you were disenfranchised in first century Israel, Jesus was the savior for you.

Next, I think there’s something about the Lord’s prayer that we sometimes miss (hang with me here).  You know how it goes… thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

So, when I pray that, I don’t think I’m asking for God’s will to be done sometime out there… out in the distance.  I’m asking for his will to be done now.  And so, should it be any different when I talk about his kingdom?

I don’t think so, so when I’m asking for his kingdom to come… I think that has an individual context (in terms of individual relationships with God that lead to salvation)… but also a corporate context, in how his kingdom should really look here on earth.

And God’s kingdom wouldn’t have people enjoying diamonds that were the product of slave labor and civil war.

God’s kingdom wouldn’t stand for people to be sold as sex-slaves.

God’s kingdom wouldn’t let people stay in poverty.

And Jesus wouldn’t wear sandals made in a sweat-shop.

Back to something I wrote a couple of weeks ago… when we accept Christ, we accept the notion that everything…everything is spiritual.  Christ wants to impact every ounce of our lives and every ounce of our society.  

If we just focus on ourselves, our church, our friends… we’re only partially right… and the other part is selfishness.  

I think I just stepped on my own toes… I’ll stop typing now.