apathy

Systems Check

/ JJS / Leave a comment

businessasusual

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 42; 146, Proverbs 30:1-4, 24-33, Philippians 3:1-11, John 18:28-38

When the Jewish leaders arrested Jesus and took him to the Roman governor Pilate, “they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.” Let that sink in for a moment… They found ritual uncleanliness unacceptable, but framing a prophet because he might actually be speaking on behalf of God was fine. Jesus was right to compare them to tombs whitewashed on the outside and rotten on the inside.

Under Roman occupation, Jewish leaders had no authority to execute anyone but they didn’t let this technicality discourage them. By saying Jesus claimed to be a king, they made him a rival of Caesar and therefore backed Pilate into a political corner. Jesus was advocating throwing off the Roman yoke for the Kingdom of God, but that didn’t suit their purpose so they twisted the truth to fabricate evidence against him. The tactic could be ripped from today’s headlines: self-righteous group misrepresents the facts to serve some narrowly defined greater good. Pilate asked Jesus “What is truth?” and we’ve been fudging the answer ever since.

Who are the villains in this piece? Should we point to scheming Pharisees, oppressive Romans, treacherous Judas, or fair-weather crowds? The truth is, everyone was guilty. The systems in place allowed corrupt leaders to act with impunity, communities to shift blame upward, and individuals to convince themselves they had no choice when they didn’t want to consider real but difficult options. In other words, business as usual.

In what Christ-betraying systems do we knowingly or unknowingly participate? How do we help perpetuate poverty, discrimination, violence, human trafficking, and other evils? If we knew the child sold into slavery to provide us cheap sneakers was Christ, would our cries for justice be louder and our choices different? We need to examine these questions when we make purchases, accept employment, and wield – or fail to wield – privilege and influence. Choosing God’s justice often requires choosing inconvenience, discomfort, and expense.  In God’s system, where the last are first, what does it mean to look out for number one? It means working toward justice for countless others.

Comfort: Every step you take toward justice is a step toward Christ.

Challenge: Lent starts tomorrow. This year give up apathy.

Prayer: Forgive me, Lord, for not wanting to know what I do.

Discussion: Have you ever made different choices after learning “how the sausage was made?”

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll be notified of new posts through FB, and have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

 

Buzzkill

/ JJS / Leave a comment

DCF 1.0

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 89:1-18; 147:1-11, 1 Kings 17:1-24, Philippians 2:1-11, Matthew 2:1-12

Jesus once said, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown.” If Elijah is any indicator, maybe that’s because they’re royal pains in the neck. And in Elijah’s case … a pain in the royal neck. God sent Elijah to tell King Ahab the land would be subject to famine and drought until Elijah said otherwise. After that Elijah went into hiding in the wilderness where he was fed by ravens and drank from a wadi (riverbed that is dry except in rainy seasons) until it dried up. After that he lived with a widow whom God had commanded to take him in. Her meager portions of grain and oil held out for as long as Elijah stayed with her, but living with the prophet took an emotional toll on her. When her son fell so ill he stopped breathing, she thought Elijah was punishing her sins, until through prayer he restored the boy to life.

Prophets never show up to tell you you’re doing a good job. They are single minded and obsessive. They threaten your sense of security and control no matter how powerful you may be. They keep you off balance. They don’t care if your feelings and desires are incompatible with their mission.

And they are absolutely necessary.

Not every prophet is on a mission like Elijah, challenging the blasphemy of a king. Some of them are more low key annoying. They’re pulling recyclables out of the trash when we’re trying to clean up after the potluck, and asking us to volunteer at the food pantry when they know we just did it last weekend, and interrupting our gossip sessions by suggesting we pray for those people instead. We want them to just lighten up once in a while. They don’t get invited to a lot of parties.

Yet by refusing to let us get too comfortable, these people further the work of the kingdom in a mostly thankless way. The courage of conviction may feel like a real buzzkill, but our reaction says more about us than about them. These prophets are the conscience of a community. If we lean into the discomfort they cause us, we just may find reasons to thank them.

Comfort: A call to repentance is sign of love. 

Challenge: Listen to the voices that remind you to better, even if they are annoying.

Prayer: Lord, teach me to listen well when you speak through others. Amen. 

Discussion: What do you think today’s prophets are saying?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll be notified of new posts through FB, and have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!