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DAILY ITINERARY - Doing Justice: Bible Studies on Advocacy - Trip Report
Doing Justice: Bible Studies on Advocacy
(Produced by World Vision with many contributing authors)
Devotions created by Rae Waterman
Advocate: a person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy; a person who pleads a case
on someone else's behalf.
In the introduction, the authors write:
"So what does Christian advocacy look like? We believe it is different from other types of advocacy because it recognizes that there
is a higher authority than those powers on earth. It seeks to interpret and speak to today's issues informed with the mind of Christ and brings about changes in the lives of people. It also serves as a
witness to the coming of the kingdom of God. And it does all that in humility, because it is God who will bring about sustainable change."
Day 1
Read: Acts 9:23-27
Barnabas is an example of "advocacy with…" He stood alongside Paul when others were suspicious of him and formed a partnership with him.
Reflection: Are people just born with dispositions to
be good advocates? Or can these characteristics be learned?
Quote: "Advocacy is an expression of Christian witness. It is a vital part of holistic living. And it testifies to something far
greater than the world can offer."
Day 2
Read: Luke 4:14-21
Jesus was an advocate who embodied Isaiah's call to justice and right living.
Reflection: This text is sometimes called Jesus' manifesto. Jesus' advocacy included four good news messages. Name the four found in the text. What do you think they mean?
Quote: "To
help lift burdens, to set captives free and to declare liberty to the oppressed: that is advocacy, and that is the message of the cross and our role as World Vision staff (and ours as WOV partners).
Day 3
Read: Deuteronomy 32: 1-4
Justice means working for the dignity, respect and God-given rights of all people. Justice in the Bible looks out especially for those who are
abused, excluded and exploited. Christian justice reflects the character of Christ. It is rooted in self-sacrificial love. It restores. It rebuilds lives. It is built on dignity and hope.
Reflection: What do these verses tell us about God's character? About God's actions?
If God is just, then we are expected to be just as well. How can we make justice a part of our
thinking and our living?
Spend a few moments in silence, praying this prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkenss, light;
Where there is sadness, joy;
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen
Day 4
Read: Isaiah 65: 17-25
Reflection: What differences do you notice between this vision and the kind of world you encounter day by day?
If this is what the new world will look like, what to we learn from this vision about the issues
we should be advocates for?
Quote: "World vision believes that justice is a God-given right for every person. It must be available to every person at every level of life."
Day 5
Read: Genesis 1: 26-31
Being made in the image of God means that we aspire to emulate God's love for justice and pursue acts of justice.
Reflection: If we genuinely believe that everyone
is created in the image of God, how will that affect how we view others? How will it affect our relationships with people who believe and live differently than ourselves? How does the "created in God's
image" belief influence the work World Vision (and WOV) does?
Quote: "As members of the World Vision family, we are "doers" of advocacy. Advocacy, to different degrees, becomes the goal of our
work, the heart of our work and the way of our work. We are all advocates on behalf of the poor."
Day 6
Read: John 14: 1-14
What an amazing promise and invitation Jesus gives us- to continue the work that he began, drawing on the resources that he gives us.
Reflection: How does it make you feel when Jesus tells us we will do
even greater things than him? Does it make you feel hopeful? Burdened? Anxious? Empowered?
Pray that God would give you a passion for justice. Ask God to give you a heart that
responds to issues of injustice around you.
Day 7
Read Psalm 11:1-7
The Bible uses strong language when talking about God's hatred of oppression and the abuse of power.
Reflection: How can we adopt God's hatred for injustice? How can our reaction against injustice be translated into positive work for justice?
Quote: "Any practice that perpetuates inequality
and denies justice and human rights must be challenged and changed. Advocacy does that. Advocacy is a ministry of influence. Its tools are persuasion, dialogue and reason. Its goal is change."
Praise God that He cares about and even demands justice. Ask God to give you the strength to love justice like God does.
Day 8
Read: Genesis 1:26-31
Being made in the image of God means that we aspire to emulate God's love for justice and pursue acts of justice.
Reflection: What does it mean to be created in the image of God? How can we become more
like what God created us to be? If we genuinely believe that everyone is created in the image of God, how will that affect how we view others?
Sometimes we can be slow to recognize God's image in us
because we are so aware of our own faults. Read Psalm 139:13-18. Thank God for making you in God's image. Ask God to work in you so that you can better reflect God's character; including God's love of
justice and concern for the poor.
Day 9
Read: Isaiah 58:1-10
How can we say that we love God if we are treating people unjustly? God doesn't want empty worship – he wants integrity in our words and actions.
Reflection: How was this worship at odds with the
people's day-to-day lifestyle? Think about this in your own life.
Read and reflect on these words from Jeremiah 9:23-24:
"Thus says the Lord: Do not let the wise boast in their wisdom, do
not let the mighty boast in their might, do not let the wealthy boast in their wealth; but let those who boast boast in this, that they understand and know me, that I am the Lord; I act with steadfast love, justice,
and righteousness in the earth, for in these things I delight, says that Lord.
Day 10
Read: 2 Corinthians 5:18
Reconciliation is God's initiative. It is grounded in God
restoring the world to God's intentions. It is found in the process of restoring the brokenness between people and God, within people, between people, and with God's created earth. Reconciliation between
people is a mutual journey. It includes a willingness to acknowledge wrongs done, extend forgiveness, and make changes.
Reflection: In what way are you an ambassador of Christ, working on the
ministry of reconciliation for the kingdom of God?
Day 11
Read: Ezekiel 34:4-6
Leaders can be corrupt, whether they lead in the areas of politics, organizations, churches or business. When that happens, we have a duty to stand up for the truth.
Reflect: It is difficult to
confront corruption in leadership. This scripture invites us to be meticulous in observing what wrong that leaders do, the good they do not do, as well as the positive parts of any leadership. Like the
prophets of old, our advocacy will include speaking with leaders on behalf of the poor and oppressed in society. Corruption in leadership can erode any gains society has made. Leaders have been entrusted
with power and authority to act on behalf, and for the benefit, of those they lead.
If we expect our leaders to shun corruption, then we need to do the same. We have a responsibility to be pure and
trustworthy ourselves. What stops you from being corrupt? Is there anyone in your life who is like Ezekiel – challenging you about your behavior and attitudes?
Day 12
Read: 2 Samuel 11:27, 12:1-13a
The prophet Nathan confronts David with the injustice he has committed and makes him face up to the truth of what he has done. He uses a story, showing that the way in
which we communicate is as important as what we say.
Reflection: Uriah has been silenced. Bathsheba has no voice. It is up to Nathan to confront David with what he has done. It's not
an easy task, but it's a central element of advocacy in the Bible. Advocates need discernment to be able to see what is really going on, wisdom to know how to confront those in power and determination to see it
through. Nathan's advocacy led to heartfelt repentance on David's part, and God graciously created good out of disobedience and sin.
There are many ways to tell the truth. Nathan communicated with
David without alienating him. What else can we learn from Nathan about speaking the truth to people?
Day 13
Read: Mark 10:46-52
It may have been obvious what Bartimaeus needed, but Jesus still asked what he wanted. We need to empower others to speak up for themselves. They should not assume that we know what they want.
Reflection: What principles of empowerment do you find in the passage? What are some ways these principles are put into practice within World Vision?
Quote: "Empowerment is a mutual process.
It involves partnership. Both the weak and the strong need to work together for empowerment to take place. Self-determination is the key principle of empowerment. It is the weaker partner who should
identify the need. Then both the week and the strong work for a solution."
Day 14
Read: Genesis 41:37-41 and Genesis 41:53-54; 57
The wisdom that God gave Joseph led to peace and safety for the Egyptians in the middle of famine. Good governance can bring peace to people. That makes it a legitimate aim of our advocacy.
Reflection: Joseph's story shows us that power can be used for the common good. Powerful people can have a genuine desire to make the right decisions. What implications might this have for those who
we see as "allies" or "targets" in our advocacy work?
Pray: O God, bless thy servants, our leaders, and grant them the counsel of thy Spirit, that all your people may be ruled in justice and
righteousness and may be enabled to live in peace, to they honor and glory. (Adapted from a prayer by St. Francis)
Day 15
Read: Matthew 5:1-16
There is a cost involved in following Jesus and in speaking up for the truth.
Reflection: The beatitudes listed above are an invitation to a Christian lifestyle. Living the lifestyle leads to
becoming "salt" and "light" – which can be costly. Which of the beatitudes are easy for you and which are difficult for you to put into practice? How are you challenged by the beatitudes?
Quote: "Following Jesus means embodying the values of his kingdom. That includes building peace and fighting for a world in which justice reigns. Doing so is, in many cases, taking the road to
persecution. The cost is high, but is there any other way of being happy? Martin Luther King Jr. said: 'If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live'."
Day 16
Read: Luke 11:1-13
Reflection: Luke's version of the Lord's Prayer links respect for God, the kingdom coming from heaven to earth, having enough bread for each day's needs, forgiveness
for our sins and the need to forgive others. This is a picture of the kingdom of God coming both spiritually and materially. What are examples of advocacy that can address both spiritual and material
realms?
Consider these words of St. Teresa of Avila: "Christ has no body now on earth but yours; no feet but yours; no hands but yours. Yours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ is
to look out on a hurting world. Yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing well. Yours are the hands with which he is to bless all now."
What affect do these words have on you?
DAILY ITINERARY - Doing Justice: Bible Studies on Advocacy - Trip Report
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