Toward Sunday

We continue with our five-week worship series this week on topics we’re not supposed to put on The Table. Each week we will invite reflection on how our faith might shape the ways we approach some of the controversial issues of our day. We hope to create a safe, if at times challenging and even at times uncomfortable, space to reflect on faithful Christian responses to each of these topics. We recognize the eclectic and beautiful diversity of our church community. We trust we won’t all have the same opinions on these difficult issues. Still, we believe the way and the life of Jesus calls us to address each of these topics through the lens of Scripture, tradition, reason, and experience.  We look forward to being in this with you all over the next five weeks.  This week we put Privilege on The Table.

January 10: Guns (Micah 4.1-4)
January 17: Fear (Romans 12.18-21)
January 24: Privilege (Mark 3.1-6)
January 31:  $.77 (2 Corinthians 8.13-15)
February 7: Jesus Christ (Luke 5.1-11)

Reflect on what feelings come up for you when you hear the word “privilege.”

Read Mark 3.1-6

“Jesus calls the man out from the crowd and challenges his opponents to state the truth about the sabbath law.  Silence in this instance is evidence of a plot.  Jesus frames the question in a way that reveals the ulterior motives at work. “to do harm, to kill” (v 4). Jesus is putting privilege on The Table. Jesus asks the question and looks around with anger and grieves their hardness of heart.   So anyone who truly cares about the law will agree with Jesus…opponents have cut themselves off from any possibility of accepting Jesus’ word” New Interpreter’s Bible, 559 (paraphrased). 
Take time this week to reflect upon a time in your life when you benefited from a form of privilege (gender or gender identity, race, class, sexual orientation, ability, citizenship, etc.).  Similarly, reflect upon a time when you experienced hardship from lack of privilege.  If possible, commit to having a conversation with someone about your reflections.

This week pray for deeper understandings of differences and stronger commitments to justice.