Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“There they strengthened the souls of the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, ‘It is through many persecutions that we must enter the kingdom of God.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, May 1, 2021
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Most of us (at least in the west) don’t experience classic persecution, but our faith is regularly challenged by complacency in western society. People fall away from the church in droves because they’re disillusioned with an institution that is so far away from its earliest understanding about “getting skin in the game,” about unconditional acceptance of those society has rejected, about having all things in common so that everyone has enough.
Many folks in the established church don’t want to be challenged. A few years ago my pastor preached a sermon and talked about the Black Lives Matter movement, and a dear, dear friend said she had been so angry about it because, as she put it, she went to church to get comfort and be inspired, not to be made to feel ashamed. This need to avoid the pain of truth is a real and serious challenge to our faith.
People, living by faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ is not easy. Many, many people suffer persecutions, perhaps not because of their faith, but because of the color of their skin, or the country of their origin, or their religion or gender identity or sexual preference or age or…you know, anything that isn’t wealthy, white, cisgender male. I won’t say these persecution are necessary for entering the kingdom of God. But I will say that, like the disciples in this passage, our souls need strengthening so that we can stand up to these persecutions and help the reign of God break into the world here and now.
God, strengthen my soul for the hard work of bringing your justice to the persecuted. Amen.
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