Did you hear the story about Eutychus, in the book of Acts? He is the youth who fell out of a third story open window late one night while listening to one of the apostle Paul’s very long sermons. (Spoiler alert: he died, but Paul brought him back to life).
No? How about Deborah, the wise woman who counseled many while she sat under a palm tree … dispensing her wisdom in the midst of the oppression of her people?
Or, what about the five daughters of Zelophehad, who successfully challenged an unjust law in the highest courts of the land so that they could inherit their father’s land and carry on the family name?
Some of you may have heard the great Louis Armstrong singing “Shadrac, Meshach and Abednego” (check out this youtube video - Louis Armstrong - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (youtube.com) … but do you know the story from the book of Daniel, when they refused to bow down to a golden idol and ended up in the fiery furnace? (again, spoiler alert: God saved them).
By now, you know that I love a good story. Whether it is a book, or a movie, or a family story told over the years, I think that stories make up the fabric of our lives.
A good story helps us to tell our own story, and when we tell our own stories, we get close to our authentic selves – who we truly are in the deepest of our being. When we see ourselves in a story, or relate a story to something we notice in our own lives, we understand ourselves and the world around us a little better.
Perhaps we notice the people today that are challenging unjust laws, and feel compassion. Or, we are reminded of the times in our own lives when we, like Jonah, have tried to run away from something that we feel we have been asked to do because it just feels too hard. Or, maybe your strong faith has moved you to perform radical acts of hospitality like Lydia did for Paul and the other apostles in the Book of Acts.
These are just some of the 16 people you will meet in our upcoming Faith Study.
In the participant study journal, there is beautiful artwork with accompanying artists’ statements, questions for personal reflection and group conversation, and space to journal. The series is described as being about “ordinary people of faith – doing what they can with what they have to make a difference”, looking at “16 bold stories of those often overlooked in our biblical narratives.”
In the artist’s statement for the piece “They stood” (pictured below), Lauren Wright Pittman writes:
“The text says the women came forward; they stood, they spoke, they questioned, and they even demanded. Any one of those actions alone is difficult for the unseen and unheard. All they wanted was to receive the inheritance of their father and to keep his name from fading. I’m sure the pain of their father’s death was potent, but they needed to be recognized, valued, and seen as human beings in order to survive.
The catalyst for this moment isn’t only the women’s strength; it also took a man in power to listen, to open his heart, to wrestle, and to offer his grasp over this patriarchal law to God. When Moses offered up his control and dared to consider a new way, God heard the voices of these women. “They are right,” God said. The old law was no longer suitable, so God made way for change. Though the laws were probably carved into stone, God shows us in this text that the law is living, breathing, adaptable, and changing.
This text invites us to come forward, to stand, to speak, to question, and to demand change when we experience injustice. When the powers in place don’t budge, that is not the end of the story. When you personally aren’t experiencing injustice, that does not mean you should bask in your comfort. For those whose voices are less valued, for those who go unseen, for those who have fought a long and continuing fight, we must breathe life into those old, tired, worn-out laws. In this image, the winds of change, the breath of God, surrounds the tent of meeting and the voice of God descends on these women, hearing their cry. New life sprouts from the ground as the law is heard afresh.”
Some of the stories featured in the series you might have heard before, and some of the stories may be entirely new to you. I hope you can join us, in person, or by zoom, at 7 pm on Wednesday September 18 to add your voice to the conversation. Email or call the office to let us know you are coming so we’ll have the materials ready for you, or we can send them to you electronically.
Image: They Stood, Lauren Wright Pittman, Sanctified Art Study Journal, sanctifiedart.org
