John 1:10-18 “These narratives proclaim that life, justice, and love outlast injustice and empire. In this sense, the Jesus story is God’s refusal to validate systems that oppress and do harm. The gospels affirm that the way of Jesus was solidarity with the oppressed, resistance to injustice, and courageous love. This way began in a manger in Bethlehem, traversed the countryside challenging injustice and mitigating harm, and ultimately, after standing up to systemic injustice in Jesus’ own societal context, Jesus’ way was not defeated by a Roman cross, but was resurrected to live on in the lives of his followers. To follow Jesus today is to take his liberating call seriously. It means recognizing that injustice is not only personal but also systemic and woven into economic, political, social, and yes, even religious structures. Discipleship involves naming those injustices, standing with those harmed by them, and working for change even when such efforts are costly. Just as in Jesus’ time, movements for justice will unsettle comfort and provoke resistance. Yet the call remains the same: to seek a world shaped by compassion, equity, and shared thriving. This second weekend of the Christian Christmas season, and the first weekend of the new year, let’s embrace the call to believe and live out the gospel truth that justice work is sacred, necessary, and, ultimately, life-giving.”

Matthew 1:18-25 “Our culture’s naturalistic worldview means that what catches our attention is the scientific impossibility of a virgin birth, and this has distracted us from the political point that the author of Matthew’s gospel is making. That political point has parallels in our time. In the United States today, certain sectors of Christianity have become closely aligned with nationalism, blending religious identity with political power and national loyalty. This alignment often frames a nation as uniquely chosen or divinely favored, and so transforms faith into a marker of cultural belonging rather than a call to ethical discipleship that follows the values and teachings actually found in the Jesus story, values such as nonviolence, inclusion of the marginalized, welcoming the migrant, and taking care of the poor. Christian symbols and language are sometimes used to legitimize policies that prioritize dominance, exclusion, or fear of the ‘other,’ especially immigrants, religious minorities, and dissenters. In this framework, loyalty to the nation can eclipse core Christian commitments to peace, justice, and love of neighbor. National success is interpreted as divine blessing, while critique of the state is portrayed as unfaithful. This fusion risks turning Christianity into a tool for preserving power rather than a prophetic voice that challenges injustice. When faith is subordinated to nationalist goals, it loses its capacity to speak truth to power and to stand in solidarity with the vulnerable.”

Matthew 11:2-11 Advent rituals remind and call us, like John’s preaching of old, to return to the social justice practices of our various faith traditions, and to renew our commitments to shaping our present world into a just, safe, compassionate home for us all. John chose a radically different calling. Rather than serve within the structured Temple State system—deeply intertwined with political and religious authority—he withdrew to the wilderness. He chose a path of challenging the status quo, calling his society to repent for complicity with Rome and to return to the practice of justice toward one another, all of this outside of institutional control. In the gospels, “the wilderness” symbolizes the margins of society. It represents those places far from centers of power, wealth, and political/religious control. It is in these edges that God’s presence is revealed most clearly. This narrative details speaks to every person who finds themselves doing justice work along the edges of our communities today.

Matthew 3:1-12 For us today, this invitation challenges us to examine the uneven roads in our own world—spaces where poverty, racial and gender based injustice, LGBTQ discrimination, environmental harm, and economic inequality bend the path away from God’s vision. To “make his paths straight” is to engage in the slow, committed labor of reforming institutions, amplifying marginalized voices, and redistributing resources so all may flourish and thrive. It means choosing solidarity over indifference, advocacy over silence, and compassion over convenience.

Matthew 24:36-44 “Today, too many Christians want to claim Jesus so they can go to heaven but leave Jesus’ politics alone because it threatens their privilege, their power, or their social standing. Advent reminds us that Christianity’s gospel is rooted in a Jesus who proclaimed the advent of liberation for the oppressed and the beginning of a whole new world where injustice, violence and oppression are replaced by loving one’s neighbor as oneself and relating to our neighbor as we would like our neighbor to relate to us. Anything less is a failure to grasp Jesus in his entirety.”

Luke 23:33-43 “The Jesus of our story understood where his actions of standing in solidarity with the marginalized and oppressed could lead. And he had the courage to stand in that solidarity anyway. As certain other religions of indigenous and marginalized populations do, the resurrection narrative also places Diety squarely on the side of the oppressed. This has deep ramifications for Christians who choose to engage in justice work today. When understood in the context of Empire, the cross calls us to rethink Jesus’ death as political execution. Juxtaposing the crucifixion and unjust power structures pulls back the veil and reveals Jesus’ death in its political context. It calls us as Jesus followers to insurrection ourselves, as we interpret the death of Jesus as political resistance. Jesus was executed by the state. Could the cross have been political execution rather than sacrifice? Reframing the crucifixion in its context shows it to be Rome’s political act, not God’s substitutionary plan. And in this light, the politics of Jesus’ death go far beyond heavenly bookkeeping. Revisiting Calvary as political execution leads us to a place where faith meets empire and we begin to understand Jesus’ life and teachings as a call to participate in resistance to unjust systems that weaponize and wield death today.”

Luke 21:5-19 “Our present crises of growing inequality and the coming environmental collapse are both intrinsic symptoms of how we are choosing to shape our economic system. The relentless pursuit of profit, if left unchecked, will continue to erode both social cohesion and our planet’s foundations for life. Just like in the 1st Century, life-giving change requires of us today a profound moral and political shift away from a system that values growth above all to one that values justice, sustainability, and collective flourishing. The gospels call us, just as they called to those in the 1st Century, to the work of shaping our world into a safe, compassionate, just home for all. If the Galilean prophet of the poor named Jesus lived and taught in our society today, what would he say is our coming crisis of one stone not being left on another?”

Luke 20:27-38 “While the hope of heaven has historically been central to Christian belief, it still should never overshadow Jesus’ call to follow Him in how we relate to our world while we are in this life. Working toward a just world here and now while we are alive is therefore central to discipleship. The questions about the afterlife that we encounter in this week’s reading are a distraction from focusing on living just lives while we’re alive. It’s interesting that these questions came from the wealthy and elite class of Jesus’s society who had the most to lose if the masses embraced Jesus’ economic call for wealth redistribution such as through the Torah’s year of Jubilee? Could this have been another example of that age old political tactic of seeking to sow division among the masses over a peripheral topic to divide their support of justice? Jesus’ response that God is the God of the living and not the dead calls each of us today to focus on uniting in our focus on the life in front of us rather than on endless metaphysical debates about what may or may not happen to us in an afterlife.”

Luke 6:20-31 & Luke 19:1-10 “In today's world, where income inequality is widening and economic systems often benefit the few at the expense of the many, Zacchaeus’ story raises urgent questions. His response to Jesus was not mere charity but restitution and structural change—principles echoed in movements for reparations and equitable wealth redistribution today. The story of Zacchaeus challenges both the acquisition and use of wealth. It invites a transformation that starts with a compassionate awakening toward those the system has plunged into poverty and leads to economic action. In a time when billions live in poverty while a small percentage hold vast wealth, the Zacchaeus story reminds us that true discipleship involves justice, not just belief. His encounter with Jesus demonstrates that economic justice is central to spiritual renewal, and that addressing income inequality is not only a policy issue but also a deeply moral and theological one.”

Luke 18:9-14 “This group, even the more liberal among this group who interpreted all of the Torah through the lens of love and treating others the way they would like to be treated, failed to enter Jesus’ kingdom because of their failure to embrace concrete economic changes in Jesus’ teachings that would have lessened the inequality gap between the rich and the poor of their society. Many Christians think they have arrived at a correct and healthy understanding of the gospel when they conclude that it’s all about love. But love that is indifferent to povety, according the gospels is not enough. If our grand teachings on love do not translate down into a concrete, material difference for the poor, is our gospel really the same as Jesus’? Is it enough for us to declare a gospel of love, the love of God, and how we should love our neighbor if we do not apply that love of neighbor to how we live in relation to wealth inequality, the growing gap between the rich and the poor, and a system that continues to create both great wealth and great poverty.”

Luke 18:1-8 “In the parable of the widow and the unjust judge, I can understand the challenges Luke’s author must have been facing by trying to inspire people to believe in the wake of hopeless devastation. It resonates with where many of us are today. Despite growing polarization and setbacks, believing in social justice today is not naïve. It’s necessary. Every movement for equality has faced resistance, yet progress has always come through those who refused to give up. From climate justice to racial equity, just voices are louder, more connected, and more persistent than ever. Grassroots efforts, legal reforms, and digital activism are reshaping narratives and holding power accountable. The fight is far from over, and yet each small victory builds momentum. Believing in social justice means choosing hope over cynicism and action over silence. Change is slow, but it is still within reach, if we keep pushing, if we continue, like the widow, who 'nevertheless, she persisted.'”

Luke 17:11-19 “The word for foreigner here is xeno, from which we get the word xenophobia. The scriptures are far from univocal about the foreigner, though, and this is why there is debate among Christians today. The scriptures are not going to force any of us to treat today’s migrants any particular way. We get to choose which portions of our sacred text we want to shape us here. Do we want to be the kind of humans who vote for and support mistreating migrants at the U.S. border, refusing asylum for those seeking protections, or placing children who have been separated from their parents into detention centers? Do you want to be that kind of person? Scripture will not give you much cover if you do. You may find verses that you can use to help support your biases, but there are also passages on the other side of the debate, as well. So what makes you choose one set of passages to follow over others, especially in light of the story of Jesus through which Christianity claims to interpret Scripture? However many passages one may find to justify the mistreatment of migrants today, we must all stand before Jesus’ words here.”

Luke 17:5-10 “One of the dangers of readings like the one we’re reading this week is that they normalize for Christians behaviors and societal evils that we should react to with much more concern. They desensitize us to just how evil some things really are. This helps us make sense much of why certain sectors of Christians today have embraced racist, fascist, authoritarian, and misogynistic elements in our society. Christians I have known all my life have embraced things over the last decade that have left me wondering if I really ever knew them. Things that should have been deal-breakers were instead glossed over, mitigated, or explained away. However we hold, read, view, or interpret our sacred texts, we must do so in life-giving ways within a diverse community of others who experience life on this planet differently than ourselves.”

Luke 16:19-31 “Future reversals of reward or punishment in an afterlife can be a strong motivation. I would rather live by a different motivation though. We can choose to be motivated to do the right thing by a deep belief in the value, dignity, and potential of every human being. Unlike moral systems based on afterlife consequences, we can consider the consequences of our actions in this life and choose to ground our ethics in reason, empathy, and a commitment to human welfare. We can choose to improve the conditions of those around us whose needs are not yet being met. One of the strongest motivations beyond self-concern and afterlife threats is empathy: the ability to understand and share the feelings of others. When we see suffering, we can choose to allow ourselves to be moved not by religious obligation or fear of post mortem punishment, but by a genuine desire to alleviate pain and promote the well-being of those who are suffering now. If we let it, this emotional connection to others can drive us to act with kindness and integrity in this life.”

Luke 16:1-13 “Our story this week is one that scholars have offered multiple interpretations of. They have spiritualized the story, taken it literally, and sought to apply the story to our context today, but most interpretation give me the feeling that something is being left on the table. One interpretation I find most convincing is by William Herzog in his classic book, Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed. Herzog looks at various parables from the gospels through the lens of the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire’s work Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The early Jesus movement built community through what was called 'dishonest wealth.' It was about forging bonds through shared resources and mutual aid. Even now, this parable whispers through time, urging us to transform the riches of the few into a wealth shared by all, to redistribute wealth not to the few, but for the good of all, and to create a robust common wealth rooted in compassionate, empathetic care for everyone's needs.”

Luke 15:1-10 “The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin in our reading this week both challenge the notion that social justice can be achieved without addressing the root causes of oppression and focusing on communities who suffer harm from inequities. Jesus’ teachings here call us to to confront the structures that perpetuate inequality, advocating for systemic change for people being harmed now rather than mere charity or superficial solutions. This way of reading the parables of the lost sheep and lost coin align with principles of social justice: true equality cannot exist without addressing the historical injustices against specific communities that have led to disparities. Focusing on the ninety-nine sheep that need no rescue and saying “they matter too” neglects the importance of context and the specific struggles that the specific communities represented by the sheep or coin in our reading face. Universal approaches to the gospel often oversimplify the realities of systemic oppression and what certain communities uniquely need. In contrast, the lens of a preferential option for the marginalized (temporarily focusing on the lost sheep or the lost coin rather than the rest) provides a nuanced understanding that prioritizes those who are suffering. True justice for all requires acknowledging injustice that may be only affecting certain communities, and focusing on those being harmed acknowledges that injustice to any is a threat to injustice to all.”

Luke 14:25-33 “Luke’s context is not choosing one’s religion or faith over loving and affirming a family member. The context is choosing justice and inclusion even when your privileged family rejects you for doing so. This passage is about times when standing up for those being rejected and shunned causes division from those who reject and shun others. Jesus often warned that discipleship would divide families (cf. Luke 12:49-59), not because of hatred, but because devotion to him and his vision of a just society could lead to social and relational conflict. The "hatred" that Jesus references is therefore symbolic: it represents willingness to forsake all for the sake of a more just, present world. Ultimately, the phrase challenges those on the side of justice to evaluate their priorities and confront the cost of true discipleship. It is not about rejecting family, but radically reordering love and loyalty and making justice, equity, compassion, and safety for all the supreme focus. In this light, this hyperbolic phrase becomes a powerful statement of commitment to a more just world in the face of potential rejection by a family upon whom our survival depends. It’s not a statement of cruelty or a call to reject family members if they don’t align with our religious beliefs. This difference may seem subtle, but it makes a world of difference in the work of justice.”

Luke 14:1, 7-14 “What I do appreciate about our reading this week is Jesus’ admonishment to be inclusive. These are the people who, in his social context, would have been excluded and marginalized. Jesus is here promoting equity and inclusion, principles we still need today. The war we are presently witnessing against equity and inclusion is often couched in appeals to tradition, meritocracy, or neutrality, but it nonetheless undermines efforts to create fair opportunities for all. Those opposing equity and inclusion resent those they would still like to consider themselves as better than, and that is what our reading is speaking to this week. Modern-day opponents of equity and inclusion claim that institutional equity and inclusion initiatives end up dividing rather than uniting, but in truth, what is really triggering them is how equity and inclusion challenges long-standing imbalances of power and privilege. Resistance often stems from discomfort with change, fear of losing status, or misunderstanding the goals of inclusion. Equity doesn’t mean favoritism. It means acknowledging systemic barriers and correcting them. Inclusion ensures everyone belongs, not just the historically dominant. Attacking these principles weakens social progress, silences marginalized voices, and sustains inequality under the illusion of fairness.”

Luke 13:10-17 “Our reading this week is about the tension between a person’s liberation and the way a religious institution (the Sabbath) was interpreted to oppose that liberation. The Christian faith tradition also has a long history of using its interpretations of our sacred texts to stand in the way of people’s liberation from injustice. Christianity has always had a dual witness regarding oppression: some advancing it, some fighting it. From the first generation in Acts to today. Some Christians have, Bibles in their hand, opposed the abolition of slavery here in the U.S., or women’s liberation from patriarchy, and the LGBTQ community’s work toward a more equitable society. Spiritual and philosophical traditions around the world affirm the essential link between liberation and justice, Christianity with its complicated oppressive history among them. The call to "let the oppressed go free" is not merely a metaphor; it is a summons to act in solidarity with the poor and the excluded. Our gospel must unequivocally state that justice is love made public and embodied in social, economic, and political transformation.”

Luke 12:49-56 “The challenge, then, is to understand that we cannot build real unity on the denial of justice. Authentic unity emerges not from avoiding conflict but from walking through it together. It is forged in the hard work of truth-telling, repentance, reparations and transformation. Unity and justice are not necessarily enemies; they can be companions. But the order matters. Justice creates the conditions for lasting unity, not the other way around. When we seek unity without first addressing what divides us, we merely delay deeper fractures. We only kick the problem down the road, hoping the matter simply goes away. Placing unity above justice may feel safe and noble, but ultimately, it undermines both unity and justice. A better path is to pursue a justice that repairs, restores, and reconciles, and a unity that is not afraid of truth. Only then can we have a peace that endures . . . Peace is something sown. The seed of peace is distributive justice. Justice grows and produces the fruit of peace. Peace, then, shouldn’t be the primary goal. It’s the secondary result of establishing a just, compassionate, safe environment for all. And to plant that initial seed of justice, to push the analogy a little further, the ground for that seed must be broken up, tilled, turned over, and disrupted.”