Nate Macy

June 15 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
This passage is dark, the land of Israel is filled with violence and blood and perversion. But what caught my attention was the phrase "because they say". They say God has forsaken the land, God can't see what's going on, and according to Ezekiel this is the causality of everything going wrong. Do we pragmatically believe that God can in fact change current events? That God sees and cares?

June 15 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

This passage is dark, the land of Israel is filled with violence and blood and perversion. But what caught my attention was the phrase "because they say". They say God has forsaken the land, God can't see what's going on, and according to Ezekiel this is the causality of everything going wrong. Do we pragmatically believe that God can in fact change current events? That God sees and cares?

Ezekiel 9:9

June 10, reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
Why do you hide you face and forget our misery and oppression

June 10, reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

Why do you hide you face and forget our misery and oppression

Psalm 44:22

June 9 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

Proverbs 23:4

June 8 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
If you do that you know we'll taunt you 
You do that you know you're fair game 
If you build your rep on bad credit 
People will mock over your name 
So I apologize most insincerely 
Now go away or we'll taunt you again 
 
It's pretty amazing when 2500 year old writings so cleanly parallel current events. It's still yet more amazing that we haven't learned to do better in 2500 years. This tune ended up kind of playful, even finding a bit of a Monty Python reference "go away or I shall taunt you a second time", but at it's heart there's the true hope for justice."What sorrow awaits these thieves" says Habakkuk, and truly, here's to hoping that those who've become rich by extortion, who've abused their power, and become powerful by exploitation get what's coming to them.

June 8 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

If you do that you know we'll taunt you
You do that you know you're fair game
If you build your rep on bad credit
People will mock over your name
So I apologize most insincerely
Now go away or we'll taunt you again

It's pretty amazing when 2500 year old writings so cleanly parallel current events. It's still yet more amazing that we haven't learned to do better in 2500 years.  This tune ended up kind of playful, even finding a bit of a Monty Python reference "go away or I shall taunt you a second time", but at it's heart there's the true hope for justice."What sorrow awaits these thieves" says Habakkuk, and truly, here's to hoping that those who've become rich by extortion, who've abused their power, and become powerful by exploitation get what's coming to them.

Habakkuk 2:6

June 7 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
This tune isn't mine, and it isn't Psalm 7:9, it's actually based on Psalm 5 and written, I believe by Stephen Iverson. But, for me behind the frustration of the prayer "Bring an end to the violence" is the prayer, "hear me, see how this hurts".

June 7 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

This tune isn't mine, and it isn't Psalm 7:9, it's actually based on Psalm 5 and written, I believe by Stephen Iverson. But, for me behind the frustration of the prayer "Bring an end to the violence" is the prayer, "hear me, see how this hurts".

Psalm 7:9

June 6 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
When I called your judges, I charged them to be fair 
Both to those who live here, and those who come from afar 
And don't be quick to judge those, with whom you disagree 
Don't be quick to assume you can clearly see 
 
A repeated theme in the OT is righteous judgement, and the idea is not simply that folks with privilege get justice, but the foreigner and outside as well. Of course this has obvious application in a time where there are those in government who wish to abuse the outsider, but the core concern of this verse and concept goes further. Impartiality and justice aren't just concepts for the legal system, giving folks a fair chance and looking past status or privilege are part of what it means to act in the world as God's people.

June 6 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

When I called your judges, I charged them to be fair
Both to those who live here, and those who come from afar
And don't be quick to judge those, with whom you disagree
Don't be quick to assume you can clearly see

A repeated theme in the OT is righteous judgement, and the idea is not simply that folks with privilege get justice, but the foreigner and outside as well. Of course this has obvious application in a time where there are those in government who wish to abuse the outsider, but the core concern of this verse and concept goes further. Impartiality and justice aren't just concepts for the legal system, giving folks a fair chance and looking past status or privilege are part of what it means to act in the world as God's people.

Deuteronomy 1:16

June 4 reflecting on "Praying for Justice "

Isaiah 44:3

June 3 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

Zephaniah 3:19

May 31 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
I walk along the paths of righteousness 
It's the only way to get through this wilderness 
And I walk in the way of justice 
To help your kingdom come

May 31 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

I walk along the paths of righteousness
It's the only way to get through this wilderness
And I walk in the way of justice
To help your kingdom come

Proverbs 8:20

May 25 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
This is a bit flip, taking "It's so sweet to trust in Jesus" and putting "How it sucks to be the Godless" in it's place. But on a different level it seems important, because the contrast here is not about ideological differences, or what theological stance you adhere to, but about relational trust. The godless are not those you or I disagree with, or those that fall outside of what ever religious law we ascribe to. The godless are those who choose to reject the living presence of God in their midst, who choose to oppress the poor, to not love their neighbor, to practice injustice. 
When we stop and consider the frequency of empty and hollow lives that folks who choose corruption and oppression lead, these words ring more and more true. 
We should be slow to accuse folks of godlessness, arrogance and perceived superiority are not the hallmarks of a God filled life, but it doesn't make it any less true that life without living in the way we're intended to sucks.

May 25 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

This is a bit flip, taking "It's so sweet to trust in Jesus" and putting "How it sucks to be the Godless" in it's place. But on a different level it seems important, because the contrast here is not about ideological differences, or what theological stance you adhere to, but about relational trust. The godless are not those you or I disagree with, or those that fall outside of what ever religious law we ascribe to. The godless are those who choose to reject the living presence of God in their midst, who choose to oppress the poor, to not love their neighbor, to practice injustice. 
When we stop and consider the frequency of empty and hollow lives that folks who choose corruption and oppression lead, these words ring more and more true. 
We should be slow to accuse folks of godlessness, arrogance and perceived superiority are not the hallmarks of a God filled life, but it doesn't make it any less true that life without living in the way we're 

Job 15:34

May 23, 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
The scripture today is the end of the story of Zacchaeus, who wanted to encounter Jesus and got more than he bargained for. That's the thing about encountering Jesus directly, it changes who we are, and usually more deeply than we would have imagined. For Zacchaeus, it meant not only changing his future habits in not taking advantage of his governmental position for his own gain, which might have current implications, but also being willing to make it right with those he had cheated, presumable at great personal cost. 
We may not be Zacchaeus, but it thinking on him caused me to wonder if we would be willing to respond the same way, to make things right in our own world, even at personal expense, and to value Jesus above all else. 
I remembered a version of "Lord You Are More Precious" that I heard years back, though those I thought had written this alt lyric have disavowed all knowledge. We don't live in a time and place where diamonds, gold, and silver are apt metaphors for the value of things, but family, friendship, and the stuff we have we very often literally value the most. Can we pray that Jesus is more valuable to us than those things? I know I sing it as a prayer of hope of transformation, not as a preset reality, that nothing I desire compares with my desire to be a faithful God follower.

May 23, 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

The scripture today is the end of the story of Zacchaeus, who wanted to encounter Jesus and got more than he bargained for. That's the thing about encountering Jesus directly, it changes who we are, and usually more deeply than we would have imagined. For Zacchaeus, it meant not only changing his future habits in not taking advantage of his governmental position for his own gain, which might have current implications, but also being willing to make it right with those he had cheated, presumable at great personal cost. 
We may not be Zacchaeus, but it thinking on him caused me to wonder if we would be willing to respond the same way, to make things right in our own world, even at personal expense, and to value Jesus above all else. 
I remembered a version of "Lord You Are More Precious" that I heard years back, though those I thought had written this alt lyric have disavowed all knowledge. We don't live in a time and place where diamonds

Luke 19:8

May 21, 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

Psalm 119:142

Thursday May 18, 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
The best of my intention 
Is that none of you are in need 
And my deep hope for you 
Is you live blessed and free 
On the ground of the promise 
That you can trust in me 
 
There's so much that could be said in sorrow about this verse in Deuteronomy. It's a beautiful promise that in hindsight the people of Israel run over roughshod. God has freed them from bondage and slavery to the land of promise and plenty, and there's enough resource for everybody. But it's not too long until the right sharing of resources disintegrates in stratification, the poor uncared for. Unfortunately, it's not just ancient Israel that doesn't get this right, and it's not just about created financial poverty either. For whatever crazy reason, God's best intentions are left to our devices, which we abuse and mistranslated with great consistency. 
But there's also hope to be had in this verse, if we understand that this best of intent is still God's hope for us and the world. Hope that we might align ourselves wholly with this way of being.

Thursday May 18, 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

The best of my intention
Is that none of you are in need
And my deep hope for you
Is you live blessed and free
On the ground of the promise
That you can trust in me

There's so much that could be said in sorrow about this verse in Deuteronomy. It's a beautiful promise that in hindsight the people of Israel run over roughshod. God has freed them from bondage and slavery to the land of promise and plenty, and there's enough resource for everybody. But it's not too long until the right sharing of resources disintegrates in stratification, the poor uncared for. Unfortunately, it's not just ancient Israel that doesn't get this right, and it's not just about created financial poverty either. For whatever crazy reason, God's best intentions are left to our devices, which we abuse and mistranslated with great consistency. 
But there's also hope to be had in this verse, if we understand that this best of intent is still God's hope for u

Deuteronomy 15:4

May 17 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
I called to the Lord in my trouble 
And the Lord brought me out from my distress

May 17 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

I called to the Lord in my trouble
And the Lord brought me out from my distress

Psalm 107:28

May 15 2017, reflecting on "Praying for Justice " 
 
You're doing something right 
When people treat you wrong 
When people treat you badly for my sake 
And folks will want to fight 
To keep you from going on 
You're blessed when people treat you badly for my sake 
 
This is a dangerous verse to use as litmus test. It has been abused to say anytime we encounter resistance we must be doing the right thing. Of course this is preposterous and out of context, the core of the teaching here is the phrase "for my sake". It's a lot harder to take out of context if you're getting in trouble for the same things and in the same way as Jesus, which is to say, when you're defending the poor, when you're fighting the oppressive religious system, when you're loving the unlovable, when you're hanging out with the drunks, prostitutes, and so on.

May 15 2017, reflecting on "Praying for Justice "

You're doing something right
When people treat you wrong
When people treat you badly for my sake
And folks will want to fight
To keep you from going on
You're blessed when people treat you badly for my sake

This is a dangerous verse to use as litmus test. It has been abused to say anytime we encounter resistance we must be doing the right thing. Of course this is preposterous and out of context, the core of the teaching here is the phrase "for my sake". It's a lot harder to take out of context if you're getting in trouble for the same things and in the same way as Jesus, which is to say, when you're defending the poor, when you're fighting the oppressive religious system, when you're loving the unlovable, when you're hanging out with the drunks, prostitutes, and so on.

Luke 6:22

May 11, 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken, I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me

May 11, 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

For the brokenness of the daughter of my people I am broken, I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me

Jeremiah 8:21

May 9 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
Don't get too big for your britches 
Don't be full of yourself 
Don't go round burning bridges 
Leave that ego on the shelf 
What you did yesterday is past and gone 
How you gonna live today and carry on 
 
Righteousness, apparently, has a shelf life. The faithful life is not about what we've done, but what we're doing now, the continuous act of being God's people. It's a hard truth that we see all the time, one act of "iniquity" can blemish an entire life of goodness, causing us to forget all that good work that someone has done. So, we can't rest on our laurels or say we've done enough, there is no arrived, just the ongoing commitment of being faithful.

May 9 2017 reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

Don't get too big for your britches
Don't be full of yourself
Don't go round burning bridges
Leave that ego on the shelf
What you did yesterday is past and gone
How you gonna live today and carry on

Righteousness, apparently, has a shelf life. The faithful life is not about what we've done, but what we're doing now, the continuous act of being God's people. It's a hard truth that we see all the time, one act of "iniquity" can blemish an entire life of goodness, causing us to forget all that good work that someone has done. So, we can't rest on our laurels or say we've done enough, there is no arrived, just the ongoing commitment of being faithful.

Ezekiel 33:13

May 8 2017 reflecting "Praying for Justice" 
 
Don't accuse each other falsely 
Don't rip apart the innocent 
Don't know down the just 
For I will not acquit the guilty

May 8 2017 reflecting "Praying for Justice"

Don't accuse each other falsely
Don't rip apart the innocent
Don't know down the just
For I will not acquit the guilty

Exodus 23:7

Day 104 of reflecting on "praying for justice" 
 
The poor use entreaties but the rich answer roughly.

Day 104 of reflecting on "praying for justice"

The poor use entreaties but the rich answer roughly.

Proverbs 18:23

Day 101 of reflecting on "Praying for Justice" 
 
The light of the righteous rejoices, I'm gonna let it shine... 
The lamp of the wicked it goes out, no it can't shine

Day 101 of reflecting on "Praying for Justice"

The light of the righteous rejoices, I'm gonna let it shine...
The lamp of the wicked it goes out, no it can't shine

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