Post-Election Commitments For Justice and Solidarity (Part 1 of 2)
Dec 10, 2024
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The hosts reflect on pivotal post-election commitments, emphasizing the need to stay awake and engaged in the quest for justice. They discuss the importance of caring for one another and confronting systems of injustice without succumbing to contempt. Listeners are encouraged to draw inspiration from historical figures while organizing in solidarity with marginalized groups. Balancing self-care and social responsibility, they stress recognizing God's work in everyday life and fostering community connections.
The importance of staying awake to deep longings for justice encourages individuals to confront painful emotions rather than numb them with distractions.
Creating spaces for vulnerability and open dialogue within communities fosters resilience and supports proactive engagement in love and justice.
Deep dives
Embracing the Advent Season
Advent is recognized as a season of waiting and expectation, contrasting sharply with the consumer-driven rush of the holiday season. It serves as an opportunity for spiritual reflection, encouraging individuals to be present and intentional in their preparations for Christmas. Families are encouraged to engage in meaningful rituals like lighting candles and reading scriptures, fostering a deeper connection to their faith. This reflective period aims to cultivate a sense of hope and longing for spiritual renewal, aligning personal desires with a greater expectation of love and goodness.
Staying Awake to Longings
A significant commitment during Advent is the call to 'stay awake' and remain in touch with deep longings for justice, peace, and goodness. This involves recognizing the pain associated with these desires and resisting the urge to numb out from them through distractions. Fasting and intentional silence can enhance one's ability to confront and process these feelings, helping individuals discern what they truly seek. Such practices not only cultivate personal awareness but also align individual desires with communal values, fostering a more profound collective faith experience.
Resisting Complacency and Injustice
The discussion highlights the importance of actively opposing systems of injustice and not acquiescing to pressures that might encourage compliance. Individuals are encouraged to speak truthfully about societal injustices, recognizing that failing to do so may lead to moral complacency. This commitment requires discernment about when and how to advocate for those marginalized by oppressive systems while maintaining integrity in relationships. It underscores that taking a stand for justice is inherently linked to compassion for all involved, including those who might perpetuate wrongdoing.
Practicing Solidarity and Community
Creating spaces for vulnerability and open dialogue within communities is emphasized as an essential commitment for faith practitioners. Such environments allow individuals to share their struggles honestly without the fear of being dismissed or judged. This communal support fosters resilience and fosters a culture of love, where members can explore difficult questions surrounding faith and justice together. Ultimately, this commitment to solidarity encourages proactive engagement in the community, promoting actions that align with the principles of love and justice espoused in their faith.
Ben, Matt, and Christy discuss a few post-election commitments that are crystalizing for them as they contemplate what it means to live as followers of Jesus in the coming season. Here are the commitments we discuss in this episode (more coming in Part 2):
Stay awake. Don’t numb your longing for the world to be made right.
Keep caring for one another.
Keep telling the truth about systems of injustice and evil.
Refuse contempt - don't let them get you to hate them.
Learn from the great cloud of witnesses.
Learn to organize in solidarity with the marginalized.
Learn to notice God at work in your ordinary life.
Get as healthy as you can so you’re not triggered into harmful ways of relating.