Theme: It's Already and Not Yet
Scripture: Genesis 1:27 The New International Version
So God created mankind in [God's] own image, in the image [he] created them.
Devotional:
I am preparing now to attend the anti-racism workshop @ Flossmoor Community Church. I have some trepidation about going *and it feels really important for me to be there today. Of course, I had a packed calendar today (Sorority Saturday 💛💙) but I rearranged my schedule so that I could attend because there was something yearning in my spirit to commune with my siblings and the church family with whom I share communion, love, and care.
Admittedly I am wondering if it's going to delve into the deep as I have been desiring. Are we going to ask the hard questions? Are we going to allow ourselves to sit in the discomfort of hurt feelings, agitation, anger, guilt, shame, pain, remorse, lack of understanding, etc.? Honestly, my thought is that we won't. We don't.
My spouse and I were discussing this morning the difficulty in disrupting emotional and mental violence (also known as bias, racism, heterosexism, ableism, classism, agism, and the list - unfortunately - continues). She was lamenting about how hard it is to speak up when she is in the presence of someone enacting this violence. We concluded that it is often because of how we are socialized to perform or behave. We're taught to be polite. We are often encouraged to ignore our own boundaries for the comfort of others.
Nah. Nope. No more.
I'm no longer feeling that impetus to disregard my ideas and thoughts for the comfort of someone else.
So what does this have to do with the already and not yet?
My devotion earlier this week led me to a thought about how God intends for us to engage in love and thrive in community. I had images come up for me during this devotion and, ironically, in not one image could I tell the race, gender, or other physical identifiers of the people in the image. It was weird. I could feel their humanity, but I couldn't make out features that would ordinarily help me to organize people into the boxes in which *I* believe they belong.
I discussed this oddity with God and was led to this thought.
"Daughter, I created you - and everyone else - in my image. I am infinitely everything at once. *AND the unique characteristics that I have bestowed on your physical, emotional, and spiritual being are there to embolden the vastness of who *I* am. In order for there to be a captured essence of God, the essence of who *I* am must be representative in humanity. This, you see, helps others to see that *I* cannot be boxed, completely understood or relegated to a category for understanding. I Am."
Well. I couldn't say anything else because I was in awe of this conversation and grateful to God to speak to me in this moment.
We are already living into the Kin-dom of God. Each of us - in our race, gender, sexuality, age, gifts, personalities, etc.- are a representation of the image of God. And we have not yet seen how once we no longer feel threatened by the "other-ness" of God's children we can lean into the "not yet" Kin-dom of God that will be. our socialization leads us into fear of other-ness.
There is more that I need to process on this, but this is what I have for this morning. Perhaps I will come back after the workshop with a more profound thought but, for now, I will leave to you reflect on this.
Amazed by God's Grace,
Pastor Dawnn
Ah, interesting. As for me, had decided if this 2024 Crossroads Program mirrored 2022’s CROAR Program, I’d quietly leave at lunchtime. Relieved to have been able to allow myself to stay, actually participate and process through Ryan and Nora’s professional training, personal insights, and their tools on how to prayerfully better live its “racisms, etc.” realities, as an actively committed, evolving “Antiracism” Christian Church Family.
ReplyDeleteAnd, although their 2024 Program Pkg. shared some pages with the 2022 P-Pkg., 2024 is more thoroughly researched, updated, and rightly so.
LSS - to have varied ages, life experiences, knowledge cores, educational levels, choose to journey all together, in appropriate-real speak, “comfortable, uncomfortable”, doable conversations is a beginning, whenever, wherever it happens…. Yes, so very much work to be done, prayerfully so, for the blessed good of our “Human Race,” all of our joyously varied representations of the image of God.
Appreciative of your Biblical and personal food for thought, and no matter how weighty, Pastor Dawnn - Thank You.
Thank you for your comments. I appreciate when folks can lean into what is being shared. I appreciate your candor about your experiences, and I am glad that the workshop was a better experience for you than the last time. I pray that God continues to open up doors - in general and at FCC more specifically, for us to ALL lean into the Kin-dom work of celebrating our diversity!
DeleteFirst time hearing this song. It's beautiful and fits perfectly with the words of your devotional. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I, too, had never heard this song before but as I was searching, it spoke to my heart and spirit. Thank you for reading and responding.
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