Doing Justly, Loving Mercy

As we approach Lent, I’d like to encourage each of us to read Timothy Keller’s Generous Justice. I’ve asked the staff and vestry to read it, and during Lent a group will gather in the Parish Hall each Wednesday between Ash Wednesday and Holy Week from 6:30-8:00 p.m. to discuss the important themes.

Keller’s overarching question is simple: “What kind of people does the gospel create?” He then walks the reader through scripture, noting how frequently the Bible – in the Old Testament, the ministry of Jesus, and in the early church – bear witness God’s heart for the vulnerable people of the world, and calls the people of God to demonstrate that heart through lives marked by mercy and justice. Keller ends the book with some suggestions for Christians – both individuals and congregations – can show God’s heart for the most vulnerable in simple yet challenging ways.

In the Ash Wednesday liturgy, the officiant calls the congregation to a “holy Lent,” which is marked “by self-examination and repentance; by prayer, fasting, and self-denial; and by reading and meditating on God’s holy Word.” I believe that if we take Generous Justice seriously, we will engage in each of these important disciplines.

If you’re interested in participating, please let me know. I would love to have a series of honest, prayerful discussions around the challenges issued in the book, and I hope that our final gathering will include a discussion of specific ways that we at Christ Church can grow in our capacity to live lives deeply connected to God’s heart, which is a heart of mercy and justice.

Peace,

Chris