Scripture – Proverbs 21:3: “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (NRSV)
Proverbs is a great book in the bible, containing some wisdom that is as old as anything in the Bible. Looking at the scripture above, you might think that it is easy to follow such a wise course. In the ancient world, sacrifice was not abstracted like it is today, it was very specifically tied to the death of an animal on an altar. This was supposed to show God that humanity was willing to destroy something of value to them to show their love for God. Over time, this type of sacrifice became very ritualized, ultimately to the point where it became nothing but a mindless requirement of religion, calling for neither thought nor faith, and not even a true sacrifice of self. Righteousness, on the other hand, is always hard. It requires true sacrifice, by putting aside the simple acts of rote ritual for actions that actually transform the self and the world.
Society is usually happy with sacrifice as ritual. It says that Christians should pray in their churches or in their homes, but they should keep it to themselves. But it is wrong when we sacrifice our comfort or privilege to speak out or to seek justice for those most in need of it. One of the great proverb writers of the 1800s was G. K. Chesteron, who is said to have written, “Right is right, even if nobody does it. Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong about it.” So when we think about what the proper function of the church is, or even more simply what kind of choices we should make for ourselves, remember that it is always easy to go with the flow and do what everybody thinks is the right thing, the ritualized “sacrifices” that we are “supposed” to do. It is harder to go against the current, to seek justice and to live righteousness. I think you know the wise thing to do.
Prayer: O Wisdom of God, give us the insight and courage to do the truly righteous things in every part of our lives. Amen.
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