In Deuteronomy 10:14 it reads, “To the Lord your God belongs the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it.” Just 4 verses later in verse 18 it says, “He defends the cause of the fatherless and widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.”  Social justice essentially flows from the heart of the socially Just One.  If I participate in social justice as an extension of God’s work in the world, then the glory for whatever good takes place always goes to Him.  If not, I run the danger of “socially justifying” myself.  I think of my own history of brokenness as a season of homelessness, past struggles with addiction and being defined as a high school dropout. I have learned that the names and labels that people give other people in need do not speak to the person who was created in God’s image nor do they speak to the potential that lies therein.  I am walking proof of this truth.

I just finished sleeping under a bridge in downtown Columbus for 3-4 weeks, along with my good friend, Pastor Jerry Pierce, who leads another church in this city.  As we worked together to bring attention to the issue of homeless, with trucks and cars thumping overhead across the bridge, we saw over 400 friends, some of whom are homeless and some from churches in the community, gather by the bridge to share food, clothing and hope.  We saw housing agencies set up tables under the bridge and homeless friends begin to get connected to resources, with three homeless men receiving long-term housing that day.  Social justice is an invitation to work in community to accomplish more than we can do alone.

Vineyard Columbus reaches out through our Urban Ministries, our Value Life ministry and other expressions of social justice.  We are grateful to be part of a much larger, diverse way God expresses social justice in our city and the world.  Together we are called to build bridges of friendship to bring social justice across those bridges, to the glory of God.

After completing Seventh Grade, I participated in life-changing mission trip to Hannibal, MO with my youth group. I met Mrs. Jones, an elderly woman with a zillion cats and a life history worth hearing. Mrs. Jones lived in poverty. I was not able to name it that at the time or understand its implications. I knew she needed help fixing her fairly run-down house and I knew life didn't seem too easy for her.

I participated in similar trips throughout middle school, high school and college and began to volunteer locally. I coordinated volunteers at meal sites (i.e. food banks, soup kitchens etc.) through my University's Volunteer Services Office. But I hadn't written a letter to my senator or representative about the hunger I was witnessing in my communities.

After college I knew I wanted to "make a difference," rather than use my business degree in corporate America. After contemplating both AmeriCorps and Peace Corps, I joined a young adult mission program focused on social justice through my own denomination, United Methodism. This began my transformation from working to address hunger and poverty through direct service to embracing justice by addressing the root causes of these problems.

This program, called US-2, sent me to work for two years at an organization called Bread for the World (BFW). BFW is a Christian grassroots advocacy organization that lobbies Congress on legislation that affects poor and hungry people. My whole life and faith were transformed during my two years at BFW as I learned the importance and power of a simple, thoughtful letter to my members of Congress. The prophets of the Old Testament started to make sense to me and Jesus became more than just a great teacher and model of love. He was also a radical, political leader that stood up to the injustices of the world. My faith came to life in new and vibrant ways as I grasped the meaning of justice.

Bread for the World was such a great place to help me on my journey to social justice that I basically never left and am now working as their Campus Organizer. It's a great job because I get to be a resource and support for students that are interested in hunger and advocacy. I work with students that have been lifelong advocates for hungry people as well as students that are writing letters for the first time! While working for justice can sometimes be discouraging, knowing I'm not alone in this struggle fills me with hope. It never fails that when I am feeling disheartened, I'll get an email from a student, "I did it! I've never called before, but I believe overcoming hunger is important so I called my representative."

It is also important that as we journey towards social justice we take care of ourselves. We aren't going to be helpful in the struggle if we're burned out. Even Jesus took breaks! So, I make sure to not only take my vitamins and eat my vegetables, but also to exercise, take quiet moments and watch as much St. Louis Cardinals baseball as I can!

I was clueless about "social justice" until I began working on a project for the Office of Social Justice and Hunger Action of the Christian Reformed Church after graduating from college. The project the OSJHA had me working on was raising awareness about the civil conflict in Sierra Leone and encouraging advocacy as one way to respond. I think it was that first week on the job, that one week of doing research on this country that was only vaguely familiar to me that changed my outlook forever, and set me on the "justice path." I could not comprehend why I, an educated, compassionate, in-the-know (or so I thought) person, had no clue about what was happening to people in Sierra Leone. Why hadn't I known about this? Why wasn't the news screaming this as every headline? Why didn't the church uplift these people in prayer and tell us that God's image-bearers were being brutalized, murdered, mutilated, displaced? Why didn't anyone else seem to have any idea what was happening?

Pursuing justice is often lonely and hard, and it isn't something that comes naturally to me. I don't like conflict, I don't like division, I don't like "speaking to power." I'm a pretty meek person. But I recognize, too, that once I know that something is wrong, and that I do have the power to make a change, no matter how small, I have a responsibility to respond to the best of my ability. Not to solve the problem, because I can't do that by myself - but to be a part of the wave of change, to do what I can with the skills and capacities that I've been given.

I hope that others know that you don't have to be natural activists. I'm a reluctant activist, for sure. This stuff doesn't come easily to me. But God's awesome story is filled with people who didn't come from central casting. We're a bunch of people who don't make sense, and yet we're the ones God wants to use.

Invitation

A poetic biblical reflection about why I am committed to doing justice
by Melissa Danielson, Co-founder & Director, JusticeWorks Ministries

To pray
“Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
Is to accept a Divine
Invitation
An invitation to
Love
The Lord my God
With all my heart, mind, soul, and strength.
An invitation to

Love
My Neighbor
Myself
An invitation to
Love
Justice

Kindness
Humble discipleship
An invitation to
Love
Pray
Ask
Learn
Seek
Act
Find

An invitation to
Love
Fully
Fearlessly
Prophetically
Intentionally
Critically
Compassionately
Transformatively

An invitation to
Love
Change
Being Changed

An invitation to
Love
Thoughts
Words
Actions

God’s Kingdom into
Coming