March 26
Readings – JER 20:10-13; JN 10:31-42
Lately I have been reading Jon Meacham’s biography of John Lewis titled His Truth is Marching On. I have been so inspired by John Lewis’ deep faith from such a young age and his willingness to suffer for the cause of civil rights. He saw it as his duty as a disciple to put his body on the line, say what needed to be said and be willing to suffer for the cause of justice and righteousness.
Jeremiah and Jesus are right there as well.
Jeremiah is trying to warn of impending destruction. The people of Jerusalem and the leaders of Judah are following false gods and have forgotten the covenant. For his message, Jeremiah is severely beaten and thrown into stockades. His words from today’s reading reflect his lament.
In the gospel, Jesus continues his difficult interactions with “the crowd”. They have stones in hand ready to throw at him because they’re so mad at what he said.
Both readings offer us situations of tension and decision.
For the record, I don’t like conflict very much. I don’t like to make people upset by what I say or do. I like to keep the peace. I like people to like me. It’s taken me a while to get more comfortable with getting vocal and putting myself out there. And that’s exactly the invitation of today’s scriptures.
Bible story after bible story offers characters who are in trouble or at odds with the authorities and the wider culture around them.
Given that this is our tradition, perhaps the question becomes, to what degree are we in situations of tension with the authorities and the wider culture around us? Are we speaking up about or witnessing to what our faith calls us to? Are we saying or doing anything that causes discomfort in the world around us – not just to cause discomfort but to give testimony to justice and love?
For many of us, our church and families taught us NOT to agitate, make waves or challenge authority. Yet our scriptural tradition would suggest otherwise. Playing it safe may work well in the social world but not in the faith life and the reality is that people with less privilege are pretty much always having to take a stand of some kind for their own survival. The question becomes, are we aligning ourselves with those struggles.
For today, spend some time reflecting on the tensions that you are in or those that you aspire to be in.
7 Comments
Sarah Brownell
I am like you Mike. I want everyone to get along and I want them to like me. I think there are times for both standing up for justice and for finding the way of peace and that we need God’s help and courage to discern them. Also, perhaps some of us are more suited for one or the other…and they can work well together–just like we need people on the outside of systems calling for change and people in the inside working for change. Also, I know there are some times when I feel so moved that I can not stay silent, even when I don’t really want to speak out…I take that as a direction from God to do it.
Janet Burrows
Thank you this lit a fire. BUT how do we address this tension? Suggestions? Speak up, stand out? Faith will point the way I pray oh Lord.
Mike Boucher Author
This is the question, Janet. The HOW to do it. And thankfully there is not just one way. I think about this work as “movement work” and there’s a great diagram that I’d direct people to about the various roles in movement work. This does not mean that we do not seek to be “cross-trained”! It just means that we, generally, have a few areas which our work, skills and talents will fit into more easily and that not everyone will be doing the same work/action/intervention/support.
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Francene C McCarthy
Thanks Mike. Looks like you, Sarah and I are kindred spirits. I too avoid confrontation and conflict but I do what I can as I am gifted by God. Perhaps that is what we need to recognize, the gifts we have and how God encourages us to use them. Blessings, Fran❤️
Mike Boucher Author
amen, Fran!
Virginia Biggie
Thank you, Mike. I am also a kindred spirit! Taught as a young woman to be nice and quiet and pretty. Now I find that so ridiculous. I am slow to be a person that makes waves but realizing that I must. Reading books about people like John Lewis is inspiring. I would also recommend Caste as my book club is reading it now but with tissues in hand to catch the tears shed for our black brothers and sisters and for a country that has so kept them down. Eyes are beginning to be opened.
Mike Boucher Author
Caste is an amazing book, Virginia. Thanks for recommending it!
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