As we approach the observance of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday on Monday, Jan, 17, it is timely to remember that the notion of justice did not originate with our Pledge of Allegiance but rather with God. In fact, the root words for "justice" and "righteousness" – nearly interchangeable biblically speaking – show up more times in the Bible than the root words for "love." That is significant for we cannot say, "God is love" without also saying, "God is just."
Nearly two years ago, Ahmaud Arbery – a 27 year old black man – was hunted down and killed by three white men wielding a shot gun at point blank range. Arbery was out for a jog in a suburban white neighborhood in Glynn County, Georgia. It was only after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation was asked to take on the case that the three assailants were finally and quickly arrested. Last week all three men, having been found guilty of murder, were sentenced to life imprisonment after initially believing they would never even be arrested for their actions. Though the verdict and sentences do not replace the life brutally taken, they do encourage those who awaited, hoped and prayed for justice.
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., also the victim of white prejudice and hate, still maintained, "We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice" (Remaining Awake Through a Great Revolution speech given at the National Cathedral, March 31, 1968). "Justice" is not first a political word. It is a God word, it is a Love word and is our word as United Methodists who every day seek to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8); it is an essential element of our identity. Thank you, Dr. King, for reminding us of that.
