Justice without God // Rev. Matt Kennedy // Nov 9 2025

There is a cliche that is often true: silence speaks volumes. In last week's scripture we read of a profound encounter Jacob has with God. Yet as we turn the page in Genesis, the Almighty seems absent from the story that follows and its effects are chilling.We read a dark tale from the next generation of Abraham's family: a daughter is assaulted, a father is silent (negligent), brothers become duplicitous, and justice perverts into vengeance (Genesis 34:1-31). Sometimes the lessons of the Bible are not moral examples, but a look into what life is like without attention to God's holiness and righteousness.This Sunday we'll consider what it means to be God's holy people and the victims who suffer from our half-hearted obedience. While our motivations and commitments might be hopelessly mixed, we worship a savior who was selflessly devoted to every assault victim because the gospel tells us God in Christ actually became the ultimate victim of violence! But in his selfless sacrifice and perfect holiness, he dismantles the cycles of vengeance when he, "entrusted himself to him who judges justly" (1 Peter 2:23).