Skip to Main Content
Women of the ELCA
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
  • Ministry & Action
    • Discipleship
    • Justice
      • Human Trafficking
      • Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
      • Racial Justice Advocacy
      • Racial Justice Advocacy Network resources
      • Domestic Violence
    • Membership
    • Stewardship
      • Thankofferings
      • Faithful Friends
      • Katie’s Fund
      • Gift Planning
    • Special Initiatives
      • Rachel’s Day
      • Raising Up Healthy Women & Girls
    • Scholarships
      • Lutheran laywomen
      • Lutheran Ordained Ministry
  • Resources
  • About
    • History
    • Executive Board
    • Staff
    • Get Involved
  • Events
  • Belong
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Daily Grace
  • Contact
« Back to All Daily Grace

Where charity and justice live

7.18.2022
|
Daily Grace

I’ve wondered how best to teach my children to love justice and live it out. Perhaps it helps to look to the Hebrew prophets, who had a lot to say about justice. One of my seminary professors called the care for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger the “drumbeat of the Old Testament” – something as regular as a beating heart. Micah 6:8 says that God requires us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God. This looks nice on a bumper sticker, but it takes work to live it out.

Sometimes we mix up charity and justice. Charitable works are short-term acts of caring to meet urgent needs, like donating to the food pantry or to a fund for emergency rent assistance. Justice seeks to uncover and transform the systemic, root causes of problems. The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops calls justice and charity “the two feet of love in action.” We need both feet to walk well.

This message is excerpted from “Let’s put love, justice on the map” by Lisa A. Smith in the June 2021 Gather magazine.


If you enjoy this resource, Donate Now.

Share this post

Sign up for Daily Grace

Daily Grace is an on-the-go companion for your journey, offering a faith reflection every day. Encounter God’s extravagant, boundless and often surprising grace by signing up for a daily email message.

Back to home

8765 W. Higgins Rd.

Chicago IL 60631

800-638-3522

[email protected]

Stay In Touch

Sign up for the WELCA Newsletter

Explore WELCA
  • Ministry & Action
  • Daily Grace
  • Resource Library
  • Events
  • Blog
  • News
  • About WELCA
  • Tools For Leaders
  • Publications
  • Donate
  • Shop
  • Photos
Explore Publications

Bold Cafe

A Lutheran perspective for women of Christian faith or any woman who is interested in how faith relates to the issues facing women today.

Gather Magazine

A mix of articles, theological reflections, devotions and stories of comfort and challenge that help readers grow in faith.

Cafe Podcast

Subscribe to our podcast:

Click to subscribe

© Copyright 2025 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap
  • Contact
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube
© Copyright 2025 Women of the ELCA. All Rights Reserved.