Mercy without justice, is like keys without a car,
jam without a jar, near without a far
leather pants for a rock and roll star.
Mercy without justice
Mercy and justice go hand in hand
I was walking along with a friend of mine
when we saw a man holding a cardboard sign
it said anything will help have mercy on me
gave him some change gave him some cash
went on my way and I didn't look back
I felt good! Helping my fellow man
I imagined the man using money to buy
a cheesesteak sandwich and curly fries
and eating til his belly's full, problem solved
And I'm sure the man's there thinking bout me
Grateful for my christian charity
and just then my friend said, "Jack do you think that's all?"
Well I was really confused cause my name's not Jack
my compassionate deed was under attack
and I was like “what else was I supposed to do?”
Just out of the blue he really got my attention
What did I miss, what wasn’t mentioned
and so I said, “tell me what you mean”
He said, “Mercy requires no one sleeps on the street
shivers in the cold or doesn’t get to eat
to love our neighbors right here right now
Justice demands that we ask the question why?
that we work to change systems that perpetuate the lie
to make our future fair as God intends
An epiphany hit me like a fish across the face
this is what it means to live and breathe my faith
changing my ways from that day on
Get my hands dirty, way more involved
making new connections for the good of us all
mercy and justice go hand in hand
words and music Jeff Lowery and Joshua Puhn copyright 2012
www.jefflowerymusic.com
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