Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then the king commanded his palace master Ashpenaz to bring some of the Israelites of the royal family and of the nobility, young men without physical defect and handsome, versed in every branch of wisdom, endowed with knowledge and insight, and competent to serve in the king’s palace; they were to be taught the literature and language of the Chaldeans.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, August 6, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
The Babylonians were savvy. They knew there was a great deal of wisdom, intellect, creativity, and other assets in their conquered peoples. So they took advantage of the fact by bringing the cream of the crop into their own social and political order. They not only learned what the Israelites (in this case) had to offer, but educated them in the literature and language of their own culture, which only increased the pool of wisdom and knowledge.
Here in the U.S. we have a tendency to do a lousy job of acknowledging the wisdom and knowledge of the immigrants who make their home here. We get fixated on the ridiculous fear of being somehow replaced or overwhelmed by “others” to our own detriment, when historical fact shows this to be just the opposite—we have always been enriched by newcomers to our country. We would do well to open our arms and our minds and learn from one another, dig into the incredible contributions—literary, musical, artistic, intellectual, cultural—that each of us offers to one another.
Mind you, the Babylonians were imperialist conquerors and their practice was probably more about “cultural appropriation” than “cultural appreciation.” And, yeah, we want to avoid that attitude. We need to approach one another with humility and openness, rather than acquisitiveness, which, frankly, takes work. But that being said, we have so many opportunities to enrich ourselves, our communities, and our nation by fully embracing all that each of us has to offer, regardless of our diverse origins.
How am I welcoming and respectfully engaging immigrant populations in my own community?
