Works of service, mercy, and justice can’t be done with the intention of being noticed by those around us, and yet pursuing them is something that others do notice.
Instead of primarily noticing those who carry these works out, the Holy Spirit may use the works to draw notice to their anticipation of a kingdom that is not of this world – a kingdom that this world so desperately needs.
From Esau McCaulley’s book Lent – The Season Of Repentance And Renewal.
To engage in justice work during Lent his to remember that we look for a city whose builder and maker is God.
While we do not fool ourselves into believing we can establish God’s kingdom on earth before his second coming, we contend for justice as a way of bearing witness to the fact that our present experience is not the kingdom. Complacency with our personal sins is a danger, but so is accepting the sinfulness of the world as an unchangeable reality. Yes, the full work of transformation awaits the coming of Jesus, but there is still work to do here and now.
Esau McCaulley, Lent – The Season Of Repentance And Renewal, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. 2022, pgs. 38.
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