“You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice. You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were once an alien in the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:2, 9).
These are interesting words of wisdom from Exodus. Don’t just go along with the crowd, the commentator, the campaign letter. Bear witness–put yourself in a situation where you can see and hear and speak with your neighbors, the neighbors you avoid as well as the neighbors who think as you do. Do justice. Try to be fair and don’t hold back the justice due to the poor. Don’t oppress those you call outsiders because in your heart and history, you are one, too. What a different set of values to take with us as we enter into conversation in community, not to mention to the voting booth!
This message is excerpted from “May we use our voices” by Joy McDonald Coltvet in the September 2020 Café online magazine. Today we commemorate Nikolai Frederik Severin Grundtvig, bishop, renewer of the church, 1872.
There’s still time to register to attend the Just Love Gathering in Phoenix, Arizona, September 21-24, 2023. Will we see you there?
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