Image and Word: Reflections on the Stained Glass in the Paul W. Powell Chapel

8. A Sermon on the Justice and Mercy Stained Glass Window

77 8 A sermon on the Justice and Mercy stained glass window # Beyond Charity Isaiah 58 W. Dennis Tucker Jr. It was the fall of 1997. I had just moved to my first teaching post and in November was scheduled to deliver a paper at the annual meeting of the Society of Biblical Literature . The topic of the paper concerned the reign of God and the theology of the poor in the Psalms. In my mind, it was a gripping topic—one that would surely stir the conversation of all in the room that day. I was certain I had something to say. November came. I presented my paper before a reasonably large crowd. At the conclusion of my paper, the convener of the session asked if there were any questions. From the back of the room, Dr. Rainer Albertz, arguably the most influential Old Testament historian of the current generation, rose from his seat. And with his thick Image and word 78 German accent, he asked, “What have you done with the poor?” I began to rehearse the argument of my paper. I mentioned the semantic domain of the “poor” word field found in the Psalter. I noted the frequent juxtaposition of such terms with metaphors related to the Divine Reign. I argued persuasively for how the “poor” might be reconsidered in the Psalter. But then Dr. Albertz stepped out in the aisle, looked me in the eye, pointed, and said, “But what have you done with the poor?” The room fell silent, and I had no answer. After a few torturous moments of silence, Dr. Albertz looked around the room and announced, “We read and research about the poor in the biblical text. We know what the text says, and yet we do nothing for the poor. I am tired of us speaking about the poor and yet doing nothing for the poor.” I would suggest to you today that this is not a problem among biblical scholars alone—this is the plight of American Christianity. We know what the text says, and yet we do little for the poor. We speak about the poor, and yet we are doing very little for them. Moreover, we are doing little to change the systems that promote such divisions in our society. Some of you are already challenging this point— noting the many ways our society gives to the poor. But today,ourthoughtsturnnottoAmericansociety,buttothe church in America. I contend that Christianity in America has been lulled into believing that charity is equivalent to justice. We have contented ourselves with the belief that a handout is equal to mercy. We have failed in our fundamental commitment to a ministry of justice and mercy 79 Justice and Mercy because we have wanted to look too much like the world in which we live—and so we keep the poor at a distance, believing that charity and handouts are enough. Someone needs to stand in the pulpits of our churches today, look our people in the eye, and dare to say, “What have we done with the poor? Where is our theology of justice and mercy?” It is a radical question—it is a prophetic question. There is no room for charity in the church; what is needed is a proper understanding of justice and mercy. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, we were fixated on the plight of the poor and weak within our society. Scenes of mothers holding infants and senior citizens struggling to survive awakened in us a sense of quiet desperation. It was as though we heard them saying, “What have you done with the poor?” And deep within each of us, we heard the disturbing voice of God’s Spirit saying, “What have you done for the poor? Where is your theology of justice and mercy?” In those moments, and in countless moments like them, it becomes abundantly clear charity will no longer suffice. We need a theology of justice and mercy that is rooted in this life. The final window along the wall calls us to such a ministry of justice and mercy. The top portion of the window offers a number of images—all serving as a tangible representation of justice and mercy. Within the middle and bottom frames, justice and mercy are rooted within the narrative context of the biblical story. But the question that still lingers and demands a response is, how...