On the outside wall of a synagogue in St. Paul, facing the Mississippi River, is a saying from the prophet Amos: “Let justice well up as waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.”Being attentive to the history of the river as a major transport route for slaves possibly suggested the need for freshening up the contemporary memory with such a reminder.
Whoever chose those words to be put in that place had an instinct for what is central to the prophet’s teaching. Those who drive or walk along the Mississippi River Boulevard can hardly miss the point.
May justice and righteousness roll through the land like the mighty Mississippi.
Source: James Limburg, Hosea-Micah Interpretation Commentary, 79.
Image: Mississippi River, near St. Paul.