Week 3
Thoughts from Class
This week our assignment included reading the book Christian Faith and Social Justice: Five Views edited by Vic McCracken. As the name suggests, the book lays out five views of social justice that Christians tend to take or argue for. These include: libertarianism, political liberalism, liberation theology, christian feminism, and virtue ethics. Each chapter is authored by a scholar with responses from the four other scholars, creating a dialogue between the view points.
As part of our reflection we were asked to identify which of these views we felt most comfortable with and which we felt least comfortable with. If we are to boil down each viewpoint to the barest of “bare bones,” I still can’t choose which I identify with most because I struggle to balance out the parts I don’t identify with. In short, I think each of the views has their pros and cons and to say that one is the “right way” leaves out so much.
Response to Scripture
The scriptures for this week were: Genesis 32:22-31, Psalm 121 (2), 2 Timothy 3:14—4:5, Luke 18:1-8
Genesis: As someone who has spontaneously dislocated both hips, this story calls to memory the absolute pain I felt after those incidents. However, my injury was not nearly as God-filled as Jacob/Israel’s. Nevertheless, I always admire Jacob’s strength, determination, and faith in this story. He fights on, all through the night, because his faith tells him he’s wrestling with the Lord. Where are we called to wrestle with the Lord?
Psalm: We are living in an age where there is death, destruction, and despair all around us. I think it can be easy to forget that God assures us we will be protected.
2 Timothy: “All scripture is inspired by God…” How often do we forget this? How often do we cast out the verses and the stories that don’t fit our narrative, our understanding of who God is. When we don’t agree with what some of scripture says, I think this is a poignant reminder that we can glean something from all of them - even if it’s practice in exegetical work or crafting a rebuttal.
Luke: As I read this text I sit in the tension of unanswered prayers and conviction on whether my faith is in accordance to God’s desires. Yet, I am also mindful that unanswered prayers do not mean that God is not listening. If there’s one thing I hate it’s when people are told “You didn’t pray hard enough. You didn’t have enough faith. Your belief wasn’t strong enough.” That’s not the way I believe God works. However, passages like this remind us that while God will grant us justice because we are the chosen ones, it is because we are the chosen ones that we should act out of faith.
Resources
(1) A song or hymn connected (2) a media piece - art, film, music, cartoon, meme, blog post, etc. (3) an action someone could take - prayer, legislative action, meditation, petition to sign etc. Each resource is related or connected either the lectionary text or the focus area of expansive language.
Song/Hymn
The song I chose for this week is also the Psalm of the week. As a child we had a WOW Worship CD set and I memorized every song on those disks. To this day, when I read the Psalms that inspire dozens of songs, I can’t help but sing them.
Pop Culture Reference or Media Piece
I think this is the last children’s book I have to share, at least for now. This week I want to share Mother God by Teresa Kim Pecinovsky. Not only is the artwork from Khoa Le absolutely beautiful, the imagery and metaphors used to invoke the feeling of love from a parent are a wonderful exploration.
“You know God the Father, but God is your Mother too. You are made in Her image - She is making all things new.”
Action - Meditation
Reflect on the times you have wrestled with God or your faith. The times you have sat in the tension.
God, I know you answer prayers. And I know that unanswered prayers don’t mean you’re not listening. Help me to understand where you are at work, even when it’s not as I expect.
God, I am coming to you wrestling, struggling with who you are or where you are. Bless me as you blessed Jacob.