LOVE JUSTICE

We are all bound, each and every one of us, by the inescapable suspicion that something is not right with the world.  Things simply aren’t supposed to be this way.  A brokenness in humanity cries out through division and suffering.

This innate sense of injustice connects us and compels us to an equally inescapable suspicion: perhaps something can be done if only we begin in the right way.  We can set things right, we can repair the fabric of society where it is being torn apart, we can heal the wounds of the world and challenge the power structures that perpetuate anger, pain, and oppression.

Is this what is referred to by “social justice?”  Perhaps.  Yet there is a richness of meaning missing from that phrase that leaves out the longing for connectivity and community we all share. The ancient Hebrews had the best word for it: shalom.  Which can be translated: nothing missing, nothing broken.

We must add the ideas of justice, harmony, and enjoyment to capture the full meaning of the word. Shalom means just relationship (living justly and experiencing justice), harmonious relationships and enjoyable relationships. Shalom means belonging to an authentic and nurturing community in which one can be one’s true self and give one’s self away without becoming poor. Justice, harmony, and the enjoyment of God, self, others, and nature; this is the shalom that was intended for humanity to experience.

Living lives of love and justice then is about restoring shalom – standing in the breach and weaving the fabric of society back together.

What does that look like?  How do we begin? Elements is a space to engage those conversations.

At Elements we hope to create energy that actively and creatively breathes life into a hurting world.  To engage one another in such a way that each of us might take our place as strong threads

by: Brian Kammerzelt

www.TheJustLife.org