Devotion for Friday, July 1 (Affirmation of Baptism Week)

Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you at baptism: 

to live among God's faithful people (Monday)

to hear the word of God and share in the Lord's supper (Tuesday)

to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed (Wednesday)

to serve all people, following the example of Jesus (Thursday)

and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth (Friday)

Our final Affirmation of Baptism vow is to seek peace and justice in our world.  I love the word, strive.  Striving puts the emphasis on the process more than the outcome.  For in a world that is broken and sin filled, striving for peace and justice will be ongoing work.  Until Jesus returns, there will be continuing need to seek that "thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as in heaven."

We are called to make justice and peace central to our understanding of the world:  justice and peace for the marginalized, for the broken, for the outcast, for the poor, for the imprisoned, for the underemployed, for the occupied, for the terrorized, for the downsized, for the mentally ill, for the depressed, and for all those who are in any need, anywhere.

This is never going to happen all at once.  Sin and human brokenness will make sure of that. Still, we STRIVE for it whenever and wherever we can.  We strive to speak for those without a voice and we strive to make the world less divisive and more inclusive of each other and our varying opinions and beliefs.

As we strive for a better world we will come to find that the Kingdom does come and the Will of God does occur more often than we might be willing to notice or admit.  For as the prophet Micah reminds us, "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?"

Loving Lord, guide us to be lights of peace and beacons of hope and justice in our lives. Amen.