Today’s Readings: Psalm 140; Genesis 48:8-22; Luke 8:26-39; Acts 21:7-16; Psalm 46
One of my favorite experiences in seminary was bumping into people from various parts of the world and seeing how our different social locations influenced our understanding of the Gospel. Most of the folks I had interacted with to that point in my life (white, heterosexual, middle-class folks) came from a place of privilege. As a result, they tended to experience the Gospel as a ringing endorsement of the status quo. When I got to seminary, however, I was surrounded with folks of different social locations who saw the Gospel very differently. Instead of seeing the Gospel as a ringing endorsement of the status quo, they saw the Gospel as a call to action to challenge the status quo in order to bring the Reign of God closer. It is this latter spirit that the psalmist captures beautifully in today’s first Psalm – for the Psalm culminates with the psalmist’s assertion: “I know that you, God, are on the side of victims, that you care for the rights of the poor” (Psalm 140:12 – The Message). So where do you stand on this issue? Do you see the Gospel as a ringing endorsement of the status quo, or do you see the Gospel as a challenge to the status quo? Til next time…
One of my favorite experiences in seminary was bumping into people from various parts of the world and seeing how our different social locations influenced our understanding of the Gospel. Most of the folks I had interacted with to that point in my life (white, heterosexual, middle-class folks) came from a place of privilege. As a result, they tended to experience the Gospel as a ringing endorsement of the status quo. When I got to seminary, however, I was surrounded with folks of different social locations who saw the Gospel very differently. Instead of seeing the Gospel as a ringing endorsement of the status quo, they saw the Gospel as a call to action to challenge the status quo in order to bring the Reign of God closer. It is this latter spirit that the psalmist captures beautifully in today’s first Psalm – for the Psalm culminates with the psalmist’s assertion: “I know that you, God, are on the side of victims, that you care for the rights of the poor” (Psalm 140:12 – The Message). So where do you stand on this issue? Do you see the Gospel as a ringing endorsement of the status quo, or do you see the Gospel as a challenge to the status quo? Til next time…
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