But Margate had a secret weapon. Our home pitch was so notoriously bumpy and uneven that it was nicknamed The Big Dipper (after the town’s famous wooden fairground ride). Surely those pampered professional players wouldn’t cope as well as the home team who were used to it?

It actually worked for 45 minutes. We were only 1-0 down at half-time. Sadly Spurs scored another 5 goals in the second half, 6-0 defeat an appropriate introduction to the life of a football fan!

At the time it never occurred to me at all that (literally) not giving our opponents a level playing field was unfair. I just wanted to win. The same blindness is very common to the vastly more important injustices that skew daily life. 

Anger and pain expressed as Black Lives Matter is not just caused by a few racist individuals. Whole economies and societies are structured in ways which are intrinsically unfair to minority ethnic groups, women and girls, disabled people, refugees and anyone living in poverty. 

Many discover that the odds of success are stacked against them from the very beginning. That Big Dipper uneven playing field needs no explanation to those used to being denied a fair chance – but is often completely invisible to those of us who benefit. 

In Isaiah 28:17 God promises, “I will make justice the line and righteousness the plumb-line.” A time of worldwide disruption is also the perfect time to reset our faulty spirit level. Only when faith in Jesus Christ supplants prejudice and self-interest can we see clearly what Justice is, build a beautiful, level field – and make sure that everyone gets to play.

Prayer
Holy God,
strengthen your Church
to be a power for good
in the relief of distress
and in working for a better society.
Save your people from being conformed
to the false values of the world.
Give them compassion
and the will to work for justice.
Amen.