First Saturday of Advent

Give the king your justice,
           O God,
     and your righteousness to
           a king's son.
May he judge your people
           with righteousness,
     and your poor with justice.
May the mountains yield
           prosperity for the
           people,
     and the hills, in
           righteousness.
May he defend the cause of
           the poor of the people,
     give deliverance to the
           needy,
and crush the oppressor.

For he delivers the needy
           when they call,
     the poor and those who
           have no helper.
He has pity on the weak and
           the needy,
     and saves the lives of the
           needy.
From oppression and
           violence he redeems
           their life;
    and precious is their blood
          in his sight. (Psalm 72:1-4, 12-14)
- - - -

                tzedek
O give us justice,
                            God:

not cheap justice,
         but that which costs
                  us
       our fears and prejudices;

not shallow justice,
          but the sort with
                such deep roots
    it can not be blown away
             by the winds of
             political change;

not hollow justice,
          but that passion
          for fairness which can
                    fill those who
             hunger for a square
                        deal;

not empty-handed justice,
          but that compassion
                which helps up those
             who have stumbled
              over their mistakes;

not might-is-right justice,
           but that reasonableness
              grounded in
                        weakness;

not shout-down-others justice,
           but that quiet patience
                      which insists on
               fair play for all thought
                            not good enough
                   to be on the team.

give us justice,
                         God,
O gift us with
               justice!

© 2012 Thom M. Shuman

'Bearers of Grace and Justice', liturgies with communion for Lectionary Year C; 'Pirate Jesus', prayers and poems for Lectionary Year C, are available at Amazon.