Sermon Tone Analysis

Side note: I am writing this as I sit in an airplane crossing the Atlantic ocean.

Any typos or grammatical errors are unintended.

Introduction

Fellow Justice Ministry members, I find myself in a strange place with many of you.

Every day we are assaulted with images of politicians verbally sparing with each other; broken individuals attempting to take lives of people that don’t look like them; don’t worship like them; weren’t born where they were born; don’t speaking the same language or share the same faith.

Any one of those things would be overwhelming, but altogether those things could drive any one of us to despair.

A few days ago, I felt driven to write this letter, an encouragement, to each of you.

Here’s the spoiler alert: you can make a difference.

About Gideon

I want to draw your attention to Gideon’s story in contrast to Nehemiah’s.

It’s drawn largely from the 6th and 7th chapter of Judges, in the Old Testament.

Gideon was given

Israel, at the time, had been in the hands of the Midianites for several years because Israel had turned away from the will of the Father.

At the appointed time Gideon was approached by God to deliver Israel.

Gideon in trying to reason how things could change for his people, found himself battling with with seeing the possible through the impossible.

Gideon, like many of us, had issues with inconsistent faith in the face of turbulent times.

And while he was struggling through a conversation with God he still found favor in the eyes of God ().

In Chapter 7 we find that Gideon is in the midst of all the people (v.

1), which was about 32,000 people.

I’m sure Gideon amassed as many men as he possibly could.

I believe Gideon thought that God would help them if they had overwhelming numbers and a superior force.

God had other plans.

In verses 2 through 5, God winnows that number down to just a few 300.

300 hundred out of 32000!

That less than 1%!

How do you take back a land with only 1% of your capability?

In Chapter 7 we find that Gideon is in the midst of all the people (v.

1), which was about 32,000 people.

I’m sure Gideon amassed as many men as he possibly could.

I believe Gideon thought that God would help them if they had overwhelming numbers and a superior force.

God had other plans.

In verses 2 through 5, God winnows that number down to just a few 300.

300 hundred out of 32000!

That less than 1%!

How do you take back a land with only 1% of your capability?

My thoughts for today

And so this is where my thought today starts.

From each of our congregations there’s a growing desire or perhaps curiosity about Justice.

We have been called to be representatives to our respective segments of faith to this organic, living, breathing, organism called Topeka Justice & Unity Ministry, or affectionately, JUMP.

Our entire philosophy is the mobilization and organization of people power to bring Justice to the Topeka/Shawnee County area.

We do this based on the model set by Nehemiah with putting together the great assembly.

It’s a great way of organizing.

If I can be transparent, I was skeptical in our first year, I didn’t know if or how this was all going to work out…but it worked then as it does now.

When we do it effectively the results speak for themselves.

Our entire philosophy is mobilization of the people to bring Justice to the Topeka/Shawnee County area.

We do this based on the model set by Nehemiah with putting together the great assembly.

It’s a great way of organizing.

If I can be transparent, I was skeptical in our first year…but it worked and when we do it effectively the results speak for themselves.

So we have two contrasting styles....Gideon and Nehemiah.

Today, I sit pondering our nation, our state, our city, our neighborhoods.

I’m looking at our nation as it wrestles with its identity crisis.

Do we know what kind of nation we want to be? Have we forgotten the blood of our ancestors that was shed for freedom and equality?

I’m watching those in positions of power and authority forget that we are supposed to be the United States (with an emphasis on United).

I’m watching the news and seeing houses of faith be assaulted.

I see, as you do, the ratcheting up of violent thought, speech, and deeds against those who are different.

Everything that’s within me is literally screaming, God it’s enough, please make this stop.

And there is silence.

“The teacher always stay silent when the test is be given.”

~ author unknown

We are at a critical time; we are being tested.

Who are we going to be?

Will we be the last generations that knew the promise of what we could be?

Or will we use our faith to breakdown strongholds of equality, love, & Justice.

This is our test.

It’s not that God isn’t paying attention, He is.

He knows the hurt of the people.

He is not an absent Lord.

Yet, I think in the moment of my despair, as I was becoming despondent/angry/frustrated with what I was seeing and reading.

God was showing me that He gave us readily available tools to use.

And it’s our turn to use them to pass the test.

After five, going through six years, we know Nehemiah almost on an instinctual, intimate level.

We listen, we research, we mobilize, we celebrate!

But if we want Justice, there’s something else we must do.

We must realize that our deliverance doesn’t start with Justice, it starts with Just Us.

Between now and Tuesday, we have an opportunity to take up one of the most powerful weapons ever given to a citizen in the United States.

It is the power of the civic engagement.

It is using the responsibility, and the authority or your voice by voting.

While Nehemiah shows us that the power of organizing people can move society to Justice.

Gideon shows us that the few relative to the many can move society too.

Both rely on our Heavenly Father to be sure.

Both require us to show up.

And this is where God breaks the silence.

I implore each of you to do both.

Let’s show up this year in our CPA, during research, at the meetings with our partners, at the Rally, and at the Assembly.

More immediately, make it your plan and spread the word…we need people that want Justice to be ready for the Just Us.

Just Us needs to needs to come out to the CPA, Just Us needs to Vote at the CPA, and if we want to have our voice heard, then Justice needs Just Us to go to the ballot box and vote!

Who is Just Us, we are the Just Us that wants Justice!

As I close, I want to encourage all of you the few of the Just Us, to seek Justice at the CPA on Monday and at the polls on Tuesday.

Justice needs Just Us!

Until we next meet, I wish each of you Peace, Love, and Blessings!

Regards,

Min.

Douglass Smith, co-Chair, Topeka Jump