Justice In The Lectionary: Trinity Sunday
Reflections on the Lectionary for the First Sunday After Pentecost
Jesus, Justice & Joash is based on the work of Rev. Joash P. Thomas, global human rights advocate and theologian. Drawing from his ancient, St. Thomas Indian Christian roots and a decolonized, justice-centered understanding of Scripture, Joash helps audiences reimagine a faith that unites rather than divides—and that stands firmly with neighbors on the margins. Through speaking engagements, teaching, and advocacy, he calls Christians to a more contemplative yet courageous activism, motivated by the grace-filled, non-violent way of Jesus.
Joash’s first book, The Justice of Jesus is available for pre-order here. Every pre-order qualifies for an opportunity to receive a free special gift (to be announced soon). If you pre-order more than 20 copies, Joash will show up for an hour virtually to discuss his book with your small group / church. You can also pre-order more than 5 copies to enter into a draw for this opportunity. Stay tuned for more news on pre-order bonuses!
Our Scripture Readings for this Sunday revolve around the Trinity; fitting for Trinity Sunday. Now, yes - the term ‘Trinity’ is technically nowhere to be found in Scripture. Still, the historical Global Church has always been trinitarian in doctrine and theology because of the ways in which Jesus and the early church engaged with understanding God and Scripture - a reality reflected in the earliest creeds of the Global Church such as the Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed.
Proverbs 8 is often interpreted as a messianic text - an Old Testament text that likely points to Jesus - the embodiment of Lady Wisdom - the subject of this text.
“Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth.” (Proverbs 8:23)
The rest of this Proverb goes on to talk about the earth, the fields, the skies, the hills, and the seas. This text has me thinking of Jesus’ love for creation in a new light - as the firstborn of God the Father, creation is Jesus’ brothers, sisters, and siblings. And as children of God, and siblings of Jesus, the beings of creation are our siblings in Christ too.
If I’m sounding very Franciscan in this, it’s probably because I’ve been reading a lot about St. Francis lately, specifically through Mirabai Starr’s excellent book - St. Francis: Brother of Creation. St. Francis saw creation the way Jesus likely sees creations - as other children of God and as his siblings.
I’m also drawn to this final verse of Proverbs 8:31:
“Playing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.”
Have you ever pictured Jesus as a playful, mischievous child? Well, my St. Thomas Indian Christian ancestors certainly did by passing on written and oral stories about Jesus as a playful, mischievous child. But the Portuguese colonizers refused to have it because it was deeply offensive to their western Christian sensibilities - especially since these stories about Jesus as a mischievous child closely mirrored local stories about Krishna as a mischievous child. So instead of leaning in with curiosity and asking questions about why Jesus was seen as similar to Krishna by indigenous Christians who had been following Jesus much longer than they had, the Portuguese Catholics burned these stories and anathematized the passing on of this oral tradition.1 Nevertheless, picture Jesus “delighting in the human race”. Indeed, it is wise to delight in the human race the way God delights in us.
Psalm 8 is a beautiful reflection of God’s majesty over all the earth - his creation. How much more astounding is it that a majestic God would love his creation so much that he would send his only begotten Son to redeem the world, followed by his Spirit who would comfort and empower a community of people (the Church) to join God in his redemptive purposes for humanity.
Romans 5:1-5 centers us in the Trinity by reminding us that, “God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)
The love of a transcendent and self-sacrificing God is poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (as we pondered upon during Pentecost Sunday last week) so that we may also embody this same self-sacrificing love that is transcendent to the traumas and anxieties of this earth - especially towards our marginalized neighbours.
In John 16:12-15, we are reminded that the Holy Spirit will guide us “into all the truth”. The Spirit of God in-dwells in us as God’s new creation. But the Spirit of God that hovered over the waters during creation is also to be found at work restoratively in all creation, societies, religions, and cultures - if we have the eyes to see, the ears to hear, and the minds to perceive. Truth is made known to us through Jesus. And at the same time, the Spirit of God who guides us “into all the truth” will also guide us to truth wherever it is to be found in creation. All for the sake of life and the flourishing of life that God always desired for his creation.
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FAQ’S ABOUT JUSTICE IN THE LECTIONARY
What is Justice in the Lectionary?
Justice in the Lectionary is a weekly reflection of the Sunday lectionary Scripture readings, delivered straight into your inbox earlier in the week. These reflections of mine will be from a justice-oriented, Jesus-centered, decolonized, liberative, and ancient sacramental lens. They would essentially be reflections much like a sermon / homily if I were teaching at a church from the lectionary readings that Sunday.
Who is Justice in the Lectionary for?
Justice in the Lectionary is for everyone. If you’ve enjoyed Jesus, Justice & Joash so far, I think you’ll really appreciate the ordered and consistent weekly nature of these reflections. If you’re a Christian who wants to see the Church talk more about justice (and especially from Scripture), you’ll appreciate these reflections. If you’re curious about Jesus and what justice has to do with the Christian faith, something tells me you’ll enjoy these weekly reflections. And if you’re a pastor / priest / church leader who wants to intentionally teach about the justice of Jesus every Sunday, you’ll now be better equipped to do this.
Why am I doing Justice in the Lectionary?
As I’ve made the journey to a more ancient, sacramental Christian faith and holy orders with my ordination into a neomonastic, episcopal religious order, I’ve fallen more and more in love with the lectionary - especially as an advocate for justice. Sacramentalism may seem like a trend in the evangelical / post-evangelical church right now but to people like me who have submitted our lives to holy orders, a rule of life, and an ordered way of experiencing Jesus daily, my sacramental faith is deeply personal.
One thing I’ll always be thankful for from my evangelical upbringing is learning how to understand and love Scripture. As I order my own life around the Scripture readings in the lectionary, I’d love to invite you on that journey of reflecting on Scripture from a justice-lens with me.
What is the Lectionary?
I’ll be honest - as someone who grew up evangelical, the lectionary is fairly new to me. For those of you who also grew up in the evangelical world, the lectionary is a collection of scripture readings used in Christian worship throughout the Global Church (that is Orthodox, Catholic, and mainline Protestant) - well, except much of the evangelical church that is. The lectionary keeps us aligned with the liturgical calendar seasons of the Global Church (Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost, Ordinary Time, etc.).
What is Sacramentalism?
Sacramentalism is a faith ordered around experiencing divine grace through the sanctifying and transformational sacraments instituted by Christ. The Catholic Church recognizes seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation / Confession, Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Marriage. Protestant traditions generally only recognize two (Baptism and Eucharist / Communion) and call them ‘ordinances’. Sacraments are called “mysteries” in the Orthodox traditions as sacraments mysteriously transform us to become more like Jesus - even if the process of transformation cannot be explained in the logical ways preferred by the West.
Why is it important to read Scripture from a justice, decolonized, and liberative lens?
Palestinian liberation theologian, Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb says, “The one who interprets assumes power; the one who dominates the story makes it his-story, her-story, literally creating history.”
Throughout the history of the Western Church, we see those with power and privilege act as gatekeepers and arbitrators of divine truth through Scripture. But if Jesus’ Gospel is truly good news for the poor, captive, and oppressed (as Jesus defines his Gospel in Luke 4:18), we must learn to read Scripture through the eyes of our marginalized neighbours. And when we read Scripture through the lens of our dispossessed and disempowered neighbours, it will (perhaps for the first time) sound like good news to us too.
Gods, Guns and Missionaries by Manu S. Pillai