“Justice” is not “charity.” Typically, charity meant sending money to the poor and taking care of people’s needs at a distance. Like a United Way with prayer… It was the practice of paying professionals to do the work for us. Justice, on the other hand, is the pilgrimage of the community of God toward the establishment of the Kingdom of God. Christianity is really about doing God’s politics. Contrary to some people’s belief – and deep wish! – the Gospel is political and Christians who wish to be faithful to the Gospel are engaged in politics. From a justice perspective, we come to note that we live in the midst of a “system of domination” which we support and to which we contribute simply by living in its midst. Our first step in the practice of Justice is to listen to our “liberator God” who challenges us to engage in struggle in fight for God’s kingdom of justice and peace. Our faith is something we practice every day of the week, not just on Sundays and it implies working for justice, in our world, in our country, in our community, in our workplace, in our church. For a powerful statement of this understanding of “Justice,” read the United Church’s 2007 document “Living Faithfully in the Midst of Empire.”