Non-violent resistance: This is the Way

Dear Minooka UMC Found Family,

“Jesus demonstrates that the way of God in the world is one of non-violent resistance to violence and violent oppression.” 

I forget who said that, but they sound quite wise 😉

It seems to me that the last thing any of us needs right now is a rehash of the litany of violence rampaging our planet, our politics, and our neighbors. So I’ll skip that part, if it’s all the same to you. 

Still, in the midst of all this violence, it is more than reasonable to ask: How? How do we engage in non-violent resistance? 

Pray. 
I offer this from our Bishop Dan Schwerin: 

“O God of all the earth, Lord of borderless love, we lift to you this prayer of lament and healing. We lament this incendiary moment. Our land feels dry and harm seems ready to kindle and burn at every turn. Fill us with knowledge of you, just as the water covers the sea. We pray for all who grieve anywhere with us this day. We pray for all the healing that is possible in our land.”

Act. 
This Saturday, September 20th, Minooka UMC will have a table at the Joliet PrideFest telling people about our wonderful welcoming and affirming congregation. We do this to redress decades of violent rhetoric from and by Christians toward our LGBTQ+ family and neighbors. We do this to embody the inclusive love of the God we know in Jesus—the God who is Love. 

Read. 
When we read scripture, we can commit to learning to evaluate what we read through the lens of Jesus. That is, reading through the lens of non-violent resistance. 

We will attempt just that in worship on September 21st, when we consider the relatively famous parable of the talents from the Gospel According to Matthew. 

As you’ve come to expect by now here in Parable Club, we wonder what else might be hiding beneath the surface of this story? Might there be other ways to hear this parable? What is Jesus even talking about and why does it matter to us today? We’ll explore those questions and more in Parable Club: Talent Show!

For more prayers, ideas, and actions, read last week’s letter or the letter from two weeks ago. 

Plotting Goodness,
Pastor Dave