Shalom: The Way to Justice - First Week of Lent

Written by Jimmie Hawkins

Reflect: Lent 2021 begins with the sobering reminder of Ash Wednesday that we always stand in the need of God’s mercy and grace. God is eager to hear our cries for forgiveness — forgiveness for the times we didn’t work for justice and forgiveness, for the times we took justice into our own hands. This week’s theme of justice as “the way to shalom” invites you to think more deeply about God’s justice and what it looks like in your life. Recall a moment in your life when you received God’s mercy and grace. What was the situation? How did it feel to know you were forgiven? Now think about a time when you withheld forgiveness and when you sought justice on your own. How did that work? Were fractured relationships healed by your own actions? What would have been different if the justice you sought was turned over to God?

This week, as you read the devotions, write on strips of fabric your prayers for justice in your community and in the world. And then hang them someplace for all to read.