Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I am speaking in human terms because of your natural limitations.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, May 16, 2023
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I. Love. This. So often people call out the Bible for it’s pro-slavery anti-woman anti-LGBTQ+ language, and with good reason. And, frankly, a lot of that nonsense originates with Paul. But here, he point blank lays it out: God’s love is so beyond your ability to grasp I have to put it into terms that you can understand. And what they people understood was slavery, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. It’s unfortunate, of course, because so many people have taken it as literal and applicable in all contexts and it’s just not.
It therefore becomes our job as members of the priesthood of all believers to invite the Holy Spirit into our discernment of what the scriptures have to say to us today in our present context, and to be open to the way the societal attitudes have changed rather than doubling down and insisting we go back to “the good old days” of slavery, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. Also, those things are still in full swing, so we need to invite the Holy Spirit to push us out into the world to proclaim a gospel that welcomes everyone through our actions of demanding the social changes that lead to real justice.
Do I sometimes find myself stuck in my old ways of interpreting scripture and longing for the way things used to be? Why or why not?
