Social justice Advent calendar: Union Church's "25 Steps Toward Justice"

This post holds our series from 2017. If you’d like to receive the 2020 Advent series, please email Union Truth & Justice. You can find 2019’s series here.

In response to the examples of injustice we see in the world around us, our Union church community has decided to devote time during this Advent season to better understanding the ways that injustice poisons our world.

Every morning, we send an email that explores these issues through the lens of prayer and Scripture. If you would like to be added to the email list, email us at truthandjustice.union@gmail.com. If you'd prefer not to receive daily emails, but still wish to participate, you can read a web version of each email below.

Injustice takes so many forms in our community, and in our world. The 25 topics we've chosen to focus on this year are certainly not an exhaustive list. But for those wanting to engage in a regular practice this year, and to focus on how Scriptural principles can be applied to our daily lives, in our current context -- we are excited to journey with you this season.

December 1: Blessing of Hope
December 2: Hidden bias
December 3: Overcoming our biases
December 4: Ta-Nehisi Coates, Between the World and Me
December 5: Sexual harassment
December 6: Peggy McIntosh's "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"
December 7: Food Justice
December 8: Lin-Manuel Miranda and Puerto Rico relief
December 9: Puerto Rico, immigration, and code-switching
December 10: Mental illness and homelessness
 December 11: Military Veterans and homelessness
December 12: America's poverty myth
December 13: Redlining in Seattle
December 14: Seattle's Native and indigenous communities
December 15: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, "The Danger of a Single Story"
December 16: Pastor Mike Thomas of Seattle's Radiant Covenant Church
December 17: Rev. Lena Thompson of Lake Burien Presbyterian Church
December 18: Ability and disability
December 19: Christian hip hop artist Lecrae leaves Evangelicalism
December 20: Asian Americans in the church
December 21: Dr. Soong-Chan Rah and the need for reform
December 22: Kerning Cultures: What's in a name?
December 23: Choose 180: Community support for youth in the justice system
December 24: Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus

25 Steps Toward Advent. Introduction. 2017

Tomorrow, we’ll begin 25 Steps Toward Justice. Every morning in December, you’ll receive an email inviting you to engage in an area of injustice by reading an article, watching a short video, or engaging in a reflective activity.

During Jesus’ time on earth, justice was integral to how he engaged with people.  As we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth—and the joy, healing, and wholeness he desires for each person —we pursue a deeper understanding of God’s heart for justice and how our brokenness manifests itself on earth. God gave us his Holy Spirit as our Advocate, to partner as his hands and feet in his work of justice today.

Are you feeling nervous yet? Yeah. Us, too. These topics can be difficult and uncomfortable. When exploring the reality of injustice, it’s easy to feel discouraged, misunderstood, overwhelmed, defensive, or unfairly stereotyped because of our skin color, gender, or other things we have no control over.
Yet, this is obviously important work as we seek first the kingdom of God.

During these next 25 days, let’s walk together through this season of Advent as we prepare to embrace the expression of God’s love for all of humanity and creation through the birth of Jesus.  Trust the Holy Spirit’s work in you. If you feel troubled, confused or perplexed, you are in good company with Mary as she heard the news that she would be the mother of the Prince of Peace.

We enter into this not as experts, but as people committed to continually listening, seeking, and challenging ourselves to see and interact with the world more as Christ does.

Jesus looked each person in the eye, saw them as valuable and forgiven, and asked them to follow him and join his work of healing, forgiveness, grace, and redemption. We pray that God will open our hearts and equip us to join in this work.

- If any of your friends, family, neighbors or coworkers would like to receive these 25 Steps emails, please email us at truthandjustice.union@gmail.com so we can add or remove you to/from the list.

Please note that the emails may initially go to your spam or promotions folder, so be sure to check those boxes! In Gmail, you can add truthandjustice.union@gmail.com to your contacts by clicking “More Options”  in the upper right hand corner of the message, and then clicking “Add Sender to Contacts List” in the email header.”

Wishing you and your loved ones a meaningful holiday season.

—Beth and Sayuko
on behalf of Union's Truth & Justice Initiative
with special thanks to Kierstin for her resources and insight

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life." Psalm 139:23-24

Two Beginnings...

This Sunday, December 3,  marks two beginnings:

1. The season of Advent when we prepare to more fully receive the love and lordship of Jesus in our lives.
2. The recognition of Union as a new church independent of University Presbyterian Church with whom we had our origin.

The first means we are beginning a new series, "Slow Christmas:  Time to Ponder" and initiating two Advent practices:  an Advent calendar for our kids to pray for others around the world and a series of Advent readings, videos and exercises to help us develop the eyes of Christ as we look at and engage the world around us. The family Advent calendars will be available to pick up on Sunday. To receive the Advent readings called 25 Steps toward Justice, please email:  truthandjustice.union@gmail.com   They also will be posted here.

The second beginning, calls for us to elect a governing body to help us discern steps to live into our vision of being Externally Focused, Internally Alive and Eternally Connected through a deepening communion with Jesus. This means that during Sunday's worship gathering, we will formal elect Studio 3, our current servant leadership team, to this office for the duration of their existing individual terms (one, two or three years).  

There will also be an opportunity for you to identify yourself as a part of this local expression of Christ's church known as Union.  There is no pressure here--just like we often say during communion, this is between you and God--if you identify as belonging to Christ and see yourself committed to the people and work of Union there will be an opportunity to underscore your commitment by signing a page that will be attached to the charter document.

On one hand, we do not want to make a big deal about this since nothing really changes in terms of what we do or believe. On the other hand, we are the first new church in the Seattle Presbytery in a very long time and there are people who want to be with us on Sunday to welcome us as a new church. So, if there is a touch more formality and a few people you do not recognize on Sunday, consider it an acknowledgement of God's faithfulness in our journey so far and people's excitement about the Union story.

 What does change with chartering as new church?  Our mission, ministry and financial decisions as a community are no longer subject to approval by UPC. We can create a budget and financial and human resource procedures that better fit our size and style and we will be able to have more timely and accessible financial reports. In short, we can more nimbly respond to God's call to seek the welfare of the city and reveal Christ's grace and truth that other's, as well, may know life and not just life but life abundant.

From a financial perspective chartering brings with it a need to increase our budget to take on the expenses for the services we received from UPC, namely payroll services, informational services and insurance expenses.  That is about an 8% increase in our budget. UPC has also functioned as a line of credit for fluctuations in giving throughout the year. 

To meet this challenge, we encourage you to set some time aside and consider how God may be calling you to further support Union as we go forward. In addition to increased giving, signing up for regular giving on the Union web page: http://unionchurchseattle.org/give/would be a great support as well. Since we are approaching the end of the year here is the dutiful reminder that all giving received by midnight, December 31st, either at 415 Westlake or on line, can be deducted from this year's taxes.

Your commitment and generosity, combined with God's faithfulness, has brought Union to this new beginning where we can all the more explore what it means to follow Jesus in a world full of changing ways but still in need of the one called The Way.  Thank you for the gift of journeying together.

Every Blessing,
James B. and Renée

Externally Focused+Internally Alive+Eternally Connected

What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?  Micah 6:8

Seattle Voter's Forum: Casting ballots with our whole city in mind. Worship in Action

By Beth Douglass

Seattle's next election day is coming. On November 7, we'll cast our ballots for mayor -- but Seattle voters have more to decide than whether to elect Jenny Durkan or Cary Moon.

As we flip through our Washington State voters' pamphlets and prepare to fill out our ballots, we want to be intentional about considering the impacts our vote has -- not only on our families and neighborhoods -- but on all families and neighborhoods in Seattle. As our city's economy continues to grow at rapid speed, we're becoming even more aware of the impacts on Seattle's underrepresented communities, which are receiving even fewer resources from industries focused on pouring into other areas of town.

For the past year, Union church's Truth & Justice initiative has looked to explore the different ways this gap in our city continues to widen. From youth incarceration, marginalization, homelessness, the history of America's criminal justice system, and workshops to help us begin to identify our own implicit biases and cultural lenses, it's been an exciting year. We are so grateful for the many community partners and leaders who have been instrumental in helping us host these timely events and discussions.

On Suday, September 22, we hosted a voter's forum at the close of our 4th Sunday community service and volunteer activities. Gathering in the cafe of Kakao Coffee and Chocolate, we gathered to discuss a variety of issues on our November 2017 ballot.

Our goal was not to walk away having decided how to vote, but to have the chance to engage in dialogue with others in our community, and to ponder together how we can vote in a way that is guided by Scripture and informed by Christ's heart for the world and the types of actions he took.

The forum began with the video, "That Is Privilege?," which we watched in an effort to see some of the ways our experiences are different from others, and to explore the ways that various parts of our identities and experiences can impact our experience with the world. 

View the full list of questions, compiled by Buzzfeed, used in the video.

In smaller discussion groups, we discussed a variety of current issues, paying specific attention to the impacts they each have on underrepresented populations, such as those expeirencing homelessness, immigrants (documented and undocumented), refugees, people of color, historically non-white neighborhoods, single parents, those with disabilities, who are renting their living spaces, who don't have a car, people with significant medical needs, and more.

• Homelessnes, right to shelter
• Housing, zoning, and backyard cottages
• Police reform
• Income tax
• Transportation
• School funding, education equity, and access to resources
• Seattle's rapidly growing technology industry
• Access to healthcare

At the close of our discussion time, we talked about whether we see these issues different when viewed through the lens of another. 

As we choose how to vote -- and consider the many options we see for how we can sharing of our time and resources -- it is such a gift to engage in dialogue with each other. As we learn about others' experiences, areas of expertise, and the places where they are investing their time, we are able to learn, grow, and move forward with a continually growing and expanding view of our city and the complexities of the challenges we face.

Union's Truth & Justice will host a variety of events in the coming year.  Email Truth & Justice for information. 

Why worship in action matters

Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and earth were created, things visible and invisible...and in him all things hold together."  Colossians 1:15

At the heart of God is imagination! Who could have imagined that the image of the invisible God would be Jesus of Nazareth who walked this earth proclaiming good news to the poor and hope to the afflicted and purpose to all people who, he reminded, are image-bearers of the God of Creation.

Walter Brueggeman writes: "'Imagination' may be understood as the God-given, emancipated capacity to picture (or image) reality -- God, world, self -- in alternative ways outside conventional, commonly accepted givens. Imagination is attentiveness to what is 'otherwise,' other than our taken-for-granted world."   Testimony to Otherwise:  The Witness of Elijah and Elisha

Our fourth Sundays, worship in action, are an invitation to live and worship with imagination and hope. We invite you to step into our Fourth Sundays with imagination and attentiveness to what is "otherwise" in our world.   Let us pray together that we will have eyes to see God at work and be bold to participate in our world, affirming that Jesus Christ holds all thing together.  And, share with us what you are discovering about our imaginative, creative, restorative God!

Assurance for each day

Out loud I will say:  Bless the Lord

We worship our God

            who forgives our sins

                        who heals us to become whole

                                    who brings good news to the poor

            who sets the burdened and battered free.

who rescues and restore us

making us a people in whom Your light shines.

Help us to hear your words about us: 

            through You we are your beloved,

                        Fearfully and wonderfully made.    Amen

Side by Side: Living into Our Purpose

Throughout August and September we are focusing upon the letter to the Philippians.  We are basing the title of the series on Phil. 1:27,” stand firm in one Spirit, striving side by side with one mind for the faith of the gospel.”  

The letter to the Philippians was written sometime between 60-62 AD by the Apostle Paul who was in prison in Rome. He wrote to a faithful group of believers in Jesus Christ who lived in Philippi, an ancient city but a new Roman colony less than 100 years old established after Octavius defeated Antony (around 30 BC) and then settled Philippi with veterans from the war; transplanted Roman citizens.  Now, Nero was Emperor of Rome and the pressure to worship the emperor had only increased throughout the Roman territories. The primary title for the emperor were Kyrios and Sōtēr (“Lord and Savior”) and every public event was to be given in honor of the emperor.

Paul’s purpose in writing the Philippians is to encourage them that even as he suffered in prison because he claims Jesus as Lord and Savior, they too in Philippi can resist the pressure to succumb to the emperor that cares not a twit about them and to stand together in their commitment to the true Lord, Jesus Christ who “though in the form of God emptied himself taking the form of a slave.”  They can live as people striving side by side for the faith of the gospel as they seek the well-being of one another just as their true Lord, Jesus Christ, did. They can live as people whose hope rests in their true citizenship of belonging to the God on high and not be dismayed by the opposition that would frighten them to follow an earthly emperor. They can live with a joy that transcends all circumstances because Jesus their Lord is with them in all circumstances. Why?  Because they follow the true Lord who turned power on its head and said, “if you want to be first be last”…”if you care for the least of these you care for me.”  They follow the true Lord who assures them they are not subjects of a capricious lord but beloved partners and co-workers who are being transformed into their true identity as one’s created in God’s image.

Philippians reminds us that we know who we are as we seek to know our true Lord, Jesus.  We discover our true purpose as we work together to share in the sufferings of others and live together, in all our uniqueness, by the power of the one Spirit.  We can be content in all circumstances when we remember who we are in Christ.

Our challenge in reading Philippians today:  Who vies for our attention?  What makes it difficult to trust that Jesus is Lord?  What are pressures we face from the current day “empire”?   What does it mean to have faith in the gospel?   How does gospel living change how we live “side by side”?  What is our purpose as followers of Jesus?

May our attitude be the same as Christ Jesus… (Philippians 2:5)