Old Testament
Amos 5:14-15
14 Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.
15 Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that the LORD, the God of Armies, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
New Testament
Acts 10:34-35
34 Peter opened his mouth and said, “Truly I perceive that God doesn’t show favouritism;
35 but in every nation he who fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.
Amos speaks to a people who have learnt to live with wrongness. “Seek good and not evil,” he says, “that you may live.” Then, more sharply, “Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the gate.” The “gate” was where judgments were made. Justice is not only a feeling; it is a practice with doors and decisions.
In Acts, Peter confesses what God has been teaching him: “God shows no partiality.” The gospel breaks open a house and a history. Access that had seemed unthinkable is granted by the Lord himself.
Education is one of our modern gates. It can open a world, or close it. It can become a quiet sorting mechanism that reproduces advantage, or a merciful instrument that draws the excluded nearer. The Lord’s refusal of partiality presses us to care about who gets in, who is supported, and who is left behind.
Lord, establish justice in the gates of learning. Give fair access for children, for adults returning, for those with disability, for those learning a new language, for those who have been told they are “not academic”. Make our systems hospitable rather than humiliating. And teach your Church to notice who is outside, and to make room.