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Pastor Bryan Carter: A Call for Justice (Micah 6:8)
Pastor Bryan Carter, senior pastor of Concord Church in Dallas, reminded his hearers of John Lewis’ work in racial justice and his encouragement to find “good trouble.”
Carter describes the prophet Micah, whose name means “God cannot be put in a box,” as “a mouthpiece for God … to speak against injustice.” He asserted God wants to use his hearers today in the same way.
The book of Micah is written like a court case. God lists the charges against his people and what he requires of them: “act justly, love mercy and walk humbly before your God.” Carter notes God starts the list with justice. Justice is a verb that implies the presence of injustice, Carter said.
Justice is God’s heart, and “every single follower of God” is called to enact justice today to combat systemic and community injustice. Carter outlined what justice looks like in education, criminal justice, economics, housing, employment, health care and immigration.
To read more about what justice looks like, see the Baptist Standard’s “Justice looks like …” series in the Texas Baptist Voices column.
This sermon was delivered online on Aug. 9, 2020, to observe Dallas Day of Unity and Justice during the morning worship service of Concord Church in Dallas.
Dallas Day of Unity and Justice grew out of the efforts of Pastor Carter, Pastor Jeff Warren of Park Cities Baptist Church, and other Dallas-area pastors to join together in 2014 to engage racial inequities in their community.
A companion sermon by Jeff Warren, pastor of Park Cities Baptist Church in Dallas, is available here.
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