Justice and Peace join hands

Most mornings on the Isle of Iona, Scotland in the Abbey opening worship is held. And each morning worship is opened with a call and response liturgy;

Leader: The world belongs to God

All: The earth and all its people

Leader: How good it is, how wonderful

All: To live together in unity

Leader: Love and faith come together

All: Justice and Peace join hands

Leader: If Christ's disciples keep silent

All: these stones would shout aloud

Leader: Open our lips, O God

All: And our mouths shall proclaim your praise (Iona Worship Book, pg.15)

That phrase has been on my mind most of the week; Justice and peace join hands. It is from the New English translation of the Bible, and can be found in Psalms 85:10-11. Justice and peace join hands. That is not actually the way that we generally consider Justice and Peace, in fact, we probably don't think of them together, and certainly not holding hands. We envision Lady Justice as the blind robed woman with scales, impartially delivering justice. Peace is a dove with an olive branch. People have been screaming this week about “How justice was served” or “how justice was not served,” about the same judicial proceeding.

I want to assure you that I am not hijacking my own search to launch into a political discourse. I worked within the justice system for many years, and I know what effects justice. What I do want to draw attention to is the Thin place of Justice and peace. We can't go back and undo the trial, anymore than we can undo the events that led up to the trial. But we can decide, that as Children of God, Jews, Christians, Muslims, Justice and Peace will join hands. That we will no longer enter into hate filled discussions, but that we will use our voices to bring peace, use our efforts to create equality that leads to justice, use our hands to raise up others rather than oppress, and we can use our minds in creative ways to ensure that opportunities are not missed.

A search for thin places, a search for places where heaven and earth meet, insists upon this.

It is what I am searching for.