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Happy Father’s Day, y’all. I write this at the end of the day – the kids are in bed (sleep comes much later than “in bed”, but eventually…I hope). A great day of getting gifts, eating food, and some “time off” to take in a movie, then a webcam call with my father (he’s such a techie – that’s where I get it, I think). 

For some reason today I kept thinking of Jerry Seinfeld. I remember seeing Seinfeld one Leno on night. It was the first time I had seen him do anything since the end of the show Seinfeld. He had gone back to stand-up, and was on the show doing a set. He began by saying that he had recently gotten married and had a baby. His first laugh line was something to the effect of, “I know this comes as a shock to many of you, because it really didn’t look like things were heading this way!”

He was of course referring to his celebrated bachelorhood and lack of “settled-down family guy” qualities. But I think of that statement sometimes in a totally different way that applies to me…

For a long time, it looked like things weren’t headed toward me being a father.

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Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly.That’s what we’re trying to figure out the “how” of. Now about loving mercy – I do. Just as long as the right people get “mercified” (spell-check says that isn’t a word. I say “it is if I can get enough people to use it.” Stupid spell-check.). In the end, it is no small task to love mercy. It is far easier to love vengeance.

It’s easy to see why. There is a lot of unavenged evil in the world. Sometimes it seems like the purveyors of injustice get a free pass. And it’s easy to believe that it would be nice to see some “enforced justice” handed out. Like the Charles Bronson / Dirty Harry / Punisher sort.

In American Cinema, this is a much-celebrated concept – the lone hero who, avenging the murder of his wife / girlfriend / niece / distant cousin, metes out justice from the barrel of a .45. The judge, jury, and executioner who prowls the city looking for evil-doers and gives them what they’ve got coming. The Paul Kersey, Wyatt Earp, Rifleman,  Regulators, William Munny, most of Schwarzenegger’s characters, and Denzel Washngton in “Man on Fire” – types. Guys who know how to set things straight.

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Continuing on my public processing of vexing questions, let’s pick up here – I promised to post “the things I am mostly almost pretty sure are true about justice. Maybe.” And so I shall. At least I shall try.

Global justice is a big chalupa. Economic, social, political, and religious inequities abound. I am increasingly convinced that during this moment of grace we live in – somewhere between the Resurrection and the Final Judgement, injustice will continue to abound. This is not to say I am fatalistic about the subject. God commands us to pursue justice, and we must, even if we can’t fix it all. 

But I find in Scripture a profound emphasis on another term that find itself in vogue today – personal responsibility. Simply put, justice begins with me. God’s heart is that I first and foremost consider my own actions. Have I marginalized, oppressed, manipulated or misused? Have I gone out of my way to use money, position, relationship, and authority in ways that honor, benefit, and respect others? Some proof texts are included below.

There is, however, a seemingly subtle yet vital distinction that could be a danger here. We must seek to rid our lives of prejudice, bigotry, hatred, and injustice. But we must not define these concepts or allow them to be defined by our own experience, pre-conceived notions, or soceital norms. Our culture does not define justice. Justice does not conform to our personal history, moral equivalence, social contruction theory, or any other relativistic norm.

God defines justice.

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