Providing leadership to a growing non-profit organization can be a maddening enterprise!
Don't get me wrong, I love the work I get to do every day. I love my team. I love our neighbors. I love our supporters.
But, and maybe it's my prejudice for a "full disclosure" approach to about everything, this job is the hardest one I've ever had, bar none.
A huge part of that "hardness" factor relates to funding. Forgive me, but it helps to talk about it--just to lay it out there for everyone to see. This approach is sometimes frowned upon by the experts in philanthropy. I mean, you just don't reveal everything when it comes to funding, development strategies or the financial threats that you inevitably face along the way if you are attempting anything worthwhile.
So, stay with me for a bit here as we consider a number of the realities of non-profit funding.
1. Every year you must find a way to virtually, completely recapitalize your business. This is especially true if you work in the human services/poverty space. Cash reserves are nice and important, and very difficult to grow in view of the pressing and expanding human need that one observes all around. Basically, in this sector you grow accustomed (almost) to having to build your wealth from practically ground zero every 12 months. Thank God for great, good, consistent partners who journey with you in this world!
2. The reality of differing kinds of funds with different uses can send you over the edge! Very little of the funding received is for general or unrestricted use. Especially as an organization grows, more and more of the funding comes in the form of contracts, grants, or bequests that restrict and designate just where funds may be legitimately deployed. So, an organization might have $1,000,000 in the bank, but none of it be available for use except in the special way its purpose is defined.
Imagine if your paycheck were restricted in such a manner. What if you could only use your pay for capital improvements or education or savings? How would you cover more general operating expenses? Possibly you would decide to get a part time job! Non-profit management can feel about that scattered and desperate at times. Hey, I'm just sayin'!
3. Then, there are matters related to sheer scale, as in the amount of funding that must be acquired on an annual basis. Let's say your organization crafts an annual operating budget, not including any special capital or reserve efforts, that comes in at $11,900,000. In real, pressing, "keep you on your toes and awake at night" terms, that budget calls for funding at an annual rate of $1,358 per hour calculated on a twenty-four hour/7-day week basis.
4. Meeting your financial objectives and goals demands the development of a sophisticated strategy complete with a variety of fundraising tactics. To raise $1,000,000 monthly you need some large gifts. You also must be working on a basis of hundreds of smaller gifts. Staying in touch with your supporters on their terms can be challenging, but essential, and not just because you need their gifts. Effective fundraising assumes that you are working to assist donors realize their individual giving goals.
More and more non-profit organizations are attempting to identify "widgets" to manufacture in hopes that social enterprises might provide some relief. Fee for services and sales can be helpful in rounding out a comprehensive funding strategy.
No one approach proves adequate.
It's complicated!
More on all of this later, I'm sure.
Thanks for hearing me out. . .it helps, as I noted in the beginning.
But now, I've really got to get back to our daily goal: $32,592 and some change!
Showing posts with label faith-based non-profits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label faith-based non-profits. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Sunday, April 15, 2012
The Bishop's Prayer
Last Thursday at CitySquare's 17th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast, Bishop Keith Ackerman offered this moving prayer:
In Peace let us pray to the Lord saying "Senor Piedad" or "Lord have Mercy"
+For the Peace of the world that the evils which we have wrought and the evils which we have permitted may be removed by your Grace.
Let us pray to the Lord
+For the Mission of CitySquare as we seek to change the trajectory of the people's lives as we serve our neighbors through various programs to relieve the pain of hunger and homelessness by offering the hope of the Good News.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+As we approach the silver jubilee of CitySquare we continue to implore you Lord to give us grace to fight the root causes of poverty, whereby your people may celebrate a Jubilee of the Lord.
Let us pray to the Lord
+O Lord, give us grace to work in partnership with those in need, working together as a community.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+That as a community of faith we may address your concerns, O Lord, about the education of all of your people and replace apathy, narcissism, and political gain with enthusiasm, engagement, and humility.
Let us pray to the Lord
+O Lord give us sensitivity to see and discover the needs of our neighbors as we seek to be used by you to feed your hungry, heal your sick, and house your homeless as you renew hope in the heart of the city.
Let us pray to the Lord
+Father, let us live out the words that your son has taught us that your will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Let us pray to the Lord
+O Lord, we pray that you will give us the grace to adopt a spirit of humility and root out any sin of condescension - that we may work hand in hand with our neighbors so that together we may participate in the fullness of your plan that all your servants as they participate in your call to enter into the potential you have created.
Let us pray to the Lord
We pray, O Lord, for those who push their world's possessions through the streets in a shopping cart, as we stack food in our shopping carts that we will not share.
Let us pray to the Lord
+O Lord, we pray that you will teach us to give sacrificially to the needs of others, to remember those in need in our Wills, and to create endowments that will relieve the needs of the sick, the homeless, the friendless and the needy.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+Gracious Lord, as you place the hungry before us let us be hungry to feed them, for you have taught us that if we fail to do so we fail to feed you.
Let us pray to the Lord
+Heavenly Father as you sent your Son to redeem us, so send us into those places where you have gone to prepare the way and endow us with the grace which you alone can bestow.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+We pray, O Lord, that you would give us a desire to teach, a passion to provide educational programs, and the resolve to elect those who share your vision and not merely their own.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+Lord we pray that you will remove our blinders so that you will show us who you place before us, what you have called us to do in feeding the hungry relieving poverty and educate all of your people.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+We pray, dear God, that you will raise up agencies that will believe that all money is ultimately yours, and that we are merely agents of stewardship, and that our decisions will be yours and will be according to your Will.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+Lord, we pray that you will endow us with the Gifts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and give us the grace to use them.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+Dear Lord, you have taught us that your food is to do the will of your Father. We pray, O Lord, that our task is to go in obedience to where you send us and then to get out of your way when we get there, so that you will be known and remembered and we will be used by you.
Let us pray to the Lord
+Heavenly Father, we pray that you would protect our children from violence, human trafficking, drugs, and manipulation, so that they may realize the hope you have offered.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+O Lord, you have taught us through your servant St. Francis that we are sent to preach your Word and when necessary to use words.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+And now, O Lord, we pray the prayer attributed to St. Francis, the saint of the poor, the Poverello of Assisi joining our prayers with all of your saints past and present who have dedicated their lives to serving the poorest of the poor:
Lord make us instruments of your Peace
Where there is hatred let us sow love
Where is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is discord, union
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master,
Grant that we may so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
In Peace let us pray to the Lord saying "Senor Piedad" or "Lord have Mercy"
+For the Peace of the world that the evils which we have wrought and the evils which we have permitted may be removed by your Grace.
Let us pray to the Lord
+For the Mission of CitySquare as we seek to change the trajectory of the people's lives as we serve our neighbors through various programs to relieve the pain of hunger and homelessness by offering the hope of the Good News.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+As we approach the silver jubilee of CitySquare we continue to implore you Lord to give us grace to fight the root causes of poverty, whereby your people may celebrate a Jubilee of the Lord.
Let us pray to the Lord
+O Lord, give us grace to work in partnership with those in need, working together as a community.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+That as a community of faith we may address your concerns, O Lord, about the education of all of your people and replace apathy, narcissism, and political gain with enthusiasm, engagement, and humility.
Let us pray to the Lord
+O Lord give us sensitivity to see and discover the needs of our neighbors as we seek to be used by you to feed your hungry, heal your sick, and house your homeless as you renew hope in the heart of the city.
Let us pray to the Lord
+Father, let us live out the words that your son has taught us that your will may be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Let us pray to the Lord
+O Lord, we pray that you will give us the grace to adopt a spirit of humility and root out any sin of condescension - that we may work hand in hand with our neighbors so that together we may participate in the fullness of your plan that all your servants as they participate in your call to enter into the potential you have created.
Let us pray to the Lord
We pray, O Lord, for those who push their world's possessions through the streets in a shopping cart, as we stack food in our shopping carts that we will not share.
Let us pray to the Lord
+O Lord, we pray that you will teach us to give sacrificially to the needs of others, to remember those in need in our Wills, and to create endowments that will relieve the needs of the sick, the homeless, the friendless and the needy.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+Gracious Lord, as you place the hungry before us let us be hungry to feed them, for you have taught us that if we fail to do so we fail to feed you.
Let us pray to the Lord
+Heavenly Father as you sent your Son to redeem us, so send us into those places where you have gone to prepare the way and endow us with the grace which you alone can bestow.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+We pray, O Lord, that you would give us a desire to teach, a passion to provide educational programs, and the resolve to elect those who share your vision and not merely their own.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+Lord we pray that you will remove our blinders so that you will show us who you place before us, what you have called us to do in feeding the hungry relieving poverty and educate all of your people.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+We pray, dear God, that you will raise up agencies that will believe that all money is ultimately yours, and that we are merely agents of stewardship, and that our decisions will be yours and will be according to your Will.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+Lord, we pray that you will endow us with the Gifts of Faith, Hope, and Charity, and give us the grace to use them.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+Dear Lord, you have taught us that your food is to do the will of your Father. We pray, O Lord, that our task is to go in obedience to where you send us and then to get out of your way when we get there, so that you will be known and remembered and we will be used by you.
Let us pray to the Lord
+Heavenly Father, we pray that you would protect our children from violence, human trafficking, drugs, and manipulation, so that they may realize the hope you have offered.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+O Lord, you have taught us through your servant St. Francis that we are sent to preach your Word and when necessary to use words.
Let us pray to the Lord.
+And now, O Lord, we pray the prayer attributed to St. Francis, the saint of the poor, the Poverello of Assisi joining our prayers with all of your saints past and present who have dedicated their lives to serving the poorest of the poor:
Lord make us instruments of your Peace
Where there is hatred let us sow love
Where is injury, pardon
Where there is doubt, faith
Where there is discord, union
Where there is despair, hope
Where there is darkness, light
Where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master,
Grant that we may so much seek to be consoled as to console
To be understood as to understand
To be loved as to love
For it is in giving that we receive
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life
Through Jesus Christ our Lord
Saturday, November 05, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Theology of CitySquare
CitySquare University is our internal tool for providing our team members the professional training they need to lead, work, serve and grow inside our organization. A wide variety of class options make up our curriculum. Included in this array of training options is what we call "The Theology of CitySquare." The two-part training involves a fairly exhaustive review of the biblical literature regarding compassion, power, justice, community and faith's place in human relationships. I teach this highly interactive course.
Recently, after leading a class through part one, it occurred to me that I should post much of the content of the course here. What follows is a summation of my notes and a listing of many of the biblical texts that we "unpacked" together.
Part 1--the Hebrew Bible
In the Hebrew Bible justice is central to faith and to a genuine relationship with God. . . How do you define “justice”?
One of the long overlooked, and yet, central aspects of the biblical message is the commitment of God to justice in human relationships. . . How does justice work in human relationships?
Torah
Exodus 3:7-10
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
Exodus 6:2-9
2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, [a] but by my name the LORD [b] I did not make myself known to them. [c] 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' "
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
Deuteronomy 26:1-13
1 When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the first fruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, "I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the land the LORD swore to our forefathers to give us." 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me." Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him. 11 And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 Then say to the LORD your God: "I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.
Exodus 22:21-27
21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
22 "Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.
25 "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. [a] 26 If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, 27 because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Exodus 23:9
9 "Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.
Leviticus 19:9-10
9 " 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:33-36
33 " 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah [a] and an honest hin. [b] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 15:1-11
1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. 4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Deuteronomy 10:12-19
12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
14 To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.
Deuteronomy 27:19
19 "Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
Songs and Wisdom
Psalm 9:9
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psalm 12:5
5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD.
"I will protect them from those who malign them."
Psalm 72:1-4, 12-14
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. 2 He will [a] judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. 3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness. 4 He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
Psalm 82:2-4
2 "How long will you [a] defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Selah 3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 113:7-8
7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.
Psalm 140:12
12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.
Psalm 146:5-9
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
Proverbs 14:31
31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Proverbs 19:17
17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.
Proverbs 22:22-23
22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, 23 for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.
Proverbs 29:7
7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
Proverbs 31:4-9
4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, 5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. 6 Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; 7 let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.
8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
The Prophets
Isaiah 1:10-17
10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 "The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your evil assemblies. 14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; 16 wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, 17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. [a] Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 3:13-25
13 The LORD takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. 14 The LORD enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people: "It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?"
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty. 16 The LORD says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. 17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the LORD will make their scalps bald." 18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls. 24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. 25 Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle.
Isaiah 10:1-4
1 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 2 to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. 3 What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? 4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.
Isaiah 58:1-12
1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ? 6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Jeremiah 5:26-29
26 "Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men. 27 Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful
28 and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. 29 Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
Amos 2:6-7
6 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.
Amos 5:11-12
11 You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. 12 For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes
and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
Amos 6:4-7
4 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. 5 You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.
Amos 8:4-8
4 Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, 5 saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?"—
skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, 6 buying the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. 7 The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done. 8 "Will not the land tremble for this, and all who live in it mourn? The whole land will rise like the Nile; it will be stirred up and then sink like the river of Egypt.
Micah 6:6-8
6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Ezekiel 16:49
49 " 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
Part 2 to follow soon. . .
Recently, after leading a class through part one, it occurred to me that I should post much of the content of the course here. What follows is a summation of my notes and a listing of many of the biblical texts that we "unpacked" together.
Part 1--the Hebrew Bible
In the Hebrew Bible justice is central to faith and to a genuine relationship with God. . . How do you define “justice”?
One of the long overlooked, and yet, central aspects of the biblical message is the commitment of God to justice in human relationships. . . How does justice work in human relationships?
Rooted in every part of the Hebrew Bible:
- Torah or Law of Moses
- Hymnology and Wisdom Literature
- The Prophets
Torah
Exodus 3:7-10
7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt."
Exodus 6:2-9
2 God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, [a] but by my name the LORD [b] I did not make myself known to them. [c] 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.' "
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.
Deuteronomy 26:1-13
1 When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the first fruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name 3 and say to the priest in office at the time, "I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the land the LORD swore to our forefathers to give us." 4 The priest shall take the basket from your hands and set it down in front of the altar of the LORD your God. 5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: "My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us and made us suffer, putting us to hard labor. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with great terror and with miraculous signs and wonders. 9 He brought us to this place and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey; 10 and now I bring the first fruits of the soil that you, O LORD, have given me." Place the basket before the LORD your God and bow down before him. 11 And you and the Levites and the aliens among you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.
12 When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe, you shall give it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. 13 Then say to the LORD your God: "I have removed from my house the sacred portion and have given it to the Levite, the alien, the fatherless and the widow, according to all you commanded. I have not turned aside from your commands nor have I forgotten any of them.
Exodus 22:21-27
21 "Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt.
22 "Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. 23 If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. 24 My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless.
25 "If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. [a] 26 If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, 27 because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.
Exodus 23:9
9 "Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.
Leviticus 19:9-10
9 " 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.
Leviticus 19:33-36
33 " 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
35 " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah [a] and an honest hin. [b] I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt.
Deuteronomy 15:1-11
1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel the loan he has made to his fellow Israelite. He shall not require payment from his fellow Israelite or brother, because the LORD's time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. 3 You may require payment from a foreigner, but you must cancel any debt your brother owes you. 4 However, there should be no poor among you, for in the land the LORD your God is giving you to possess as your inheritance, he will richly bless you, 5 if only you fully obey the LORD your God and are careful to follow all these commands I am giving you today. 6 For the LORD your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin. 10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. 11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.
Deuteronomy 10:12-19
12 And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13 and to observe the LORD's commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?
14 To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the LORD set his affection on your forefathers and loved them, and he chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. 16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. 19 And you are to love those who are aliens, for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt.
Deuteronomy 27:19
19 "Cursed is the man who withholds justice from the alien, the fatherless or the widow."
Then all the people shall say, "Amen!"
Songs and Wisdom
Psalm 9:9
9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.
Psalm 12:5
5 "Because of the oppression of the weak and the groaning of the needy, I will now arise," says the LORD.
"I will protect them from those who malign them."
Psalm 72:1-4, 12-14
1 Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness. 2 He will [a] judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice. 3 The mountains will bring prosperity to the people,
the hills the fruit of righteousness. 4 He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.
12 For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. 13 He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. 14 He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.
Psalm 82:2-4
2 "How long will you [a] defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Selah 3 Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. 4 Rescue the weak and needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Psalm 113:7-8
7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; 8 he seats them with princes, with the princes of their people.
Psalm 140:12
12 I know that the LORD secures justice for the poor and upholds the cause of the needy.
Psalm 146:5-9
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them—the LORD, who remains faithful forever. 7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, 8 the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
Proverbs 14:31
31 He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.
Proverbs 19:17
17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.
Proverbs 22:22-23
22 Do not exploit the poor because they are poor and do not crush the needy in court, 23 for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who plunder them.
Proverbs 29:7
7 The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.
Proverbs 31:4-9
4 "It is not for kings, O Lemuel—not for kings to drink wine, not for rulers to crave beer, 5 lest they drink and forget what the law decrees, and deprive all the oppressed of their rights. 6 Give beer to those who are perishing, wine to those who are in anguish; 7 let them drink and forget their poverty and remember their misery no more.
8 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. 9 Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy."
The Prophets
Isaiah 1:10-17
10 Hear the word of the LORD, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah! 11 "The multitude of your sacrifices—what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. 12 When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? 13 Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—I cannot bear your evil assemblies. 14 Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; 16 wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, 17 learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. [a] Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
Isaiah 3:13-25
13 The LORD takes his place in court; he rises to judge the people. 14 The LORD enters into judgment
against the elders and leaders of his people: "It is you who have ruined my vineyard; the plunder from the poor is in your houses. 15 What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?"
declares the Lord, the LORD Almighty. 16 The LORD says, "The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. 17 Therefore the Lord will bring sores on the heads of the women of Zion; the LORD will make their scalps bald." 18 In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and headbands and crescent necklaces, 19 the earrings and bracelets and veils, 20 the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume bottles and charms, 21 the signet rings and nose rings, 22 the fine robes and the capes and cloaks, the purses 23 and mirrors, and the linen garments and tiaras and shawls. 24 Instead of fragrance there will be a stench; instead of a sash, a rope; instead of well-dressed hair, baldness; instead of fine clothing, sackcloth; instead of beauty, branding. 25 Your men will fall by the sword, your warriors in battle.
Isaiah 10:1-4
1 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 2 to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. 3 What will you do on the day of reckoning, when disaster comes from afar? To whom will you run for help? Where will you leave your riches? 4 Nothing will remain but to cringe among the captives or fall among the slain. Yet for all this, his anger is not turned away, his hand is still upraised.
Isaiah 58:1-12
1 "Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion
and to the house of Jacob their sins. 2 For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.
They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 3 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. 4 Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. 5 Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD ? 6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? 8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness [a] will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. 11 The LORD will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. 12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
Jeremiah 5:26-29
26 "Among my people are wicked men who lie in wait like men who snare birds and like those who set traps to catch men. 27 Like cages full of birds, their houses are full of deceit; they have become rich and powerful
28 and have grown fat and sleek. Their evil deeds have no limit; they do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it, they do not defend the rights of the poor. 29 Should I not punish them for this?" declares the LORD. Should I not avenge myself on such a nation as this?
Amos 2:6-7
6 This is what the LORD says: "For three sins of Israel, even for four, I will not turn back {my wrath}. They sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of sandals. 7 They trample on the heads of the poor as upon the dust of the ground and deny justice to the oppressed. Father and son use the same girl and so profane my holy name.
Amos 5:11-12
11 You trample on the poor and force him to give you grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine. 12 For I know how many are your offenses and how great your sins. You oppress the righteous and take bribes
and you deprive the poor of justice in the courts.
Amos 6:4-7
4 You lie on beds inlaid with ivory and lounge on your couches. You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves. 5 You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments. 6 You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions, but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. 7 Therefore you will be among the first to go into exile; your feasting and lounging will end.
Amos 8:4-8
4 Hear this, you who trample the needy and do away with the poor of the land, 5 saying, "When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?"—
skimping the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, 6 buying the poor with silver
and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat. 7 The LORD has sworn by the Pride of Jacob: "I will never forget anything they have done. 8 "Will not the land tremble for this, and all who live in it mourn? The whole land will rise like the Nile; it will be stirred up and then sink like the river of Egypt.
Micah 6:6-8
6 With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8 He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Ezekiel 16:49
49 " 'Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.
Part 2 to follow soon. . .
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