Lent Daybook, 28: Bad News
Look: Paper Works, 2017, Myriam Dion
From Colossal: “In the patient hands of Myriam Dion (previously), daily newspapers become timeless works of art. The artist reads each newspaper she transforms from cover to cover before envisioning an entirely new visual identity for the inexpensive yet information-dense material. Using a combination of collage, X-ACTO knife cutting, gilding, and painting, Dion forms intricate patterns, often adorning and emphasizing a single image across the broadsheet.”
Listen: “No Bad News” from Children Running Through, Patty Griffin
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“When they are diminished and brought low through oppression, evil, and sorrow, he pours contempt on princes and makes them wander in trackless wastes;
but he raises up the needy out of affliction and makes their families like flocks. The upright see it and are glad, and all wickedness shuts its mouth.
Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord.”
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”Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom? Have you not rejected us, O God? You do not go out, O God, with our armies. Oh grant us help against the foe, for vain is the salvation of man! With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.”
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”Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets: ‘Behold, I will feed them with bitter food and give them poisoned water to drink, for from the prophets of Jerusalem ungodliness has gone out into all the land.’”
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”What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, ‘I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.’ So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.’ So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.”
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”When many of his disciples heard it, they said, ‘This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?’ But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, ‘Do you take offense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe.’ (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, ‘This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.’
After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.”
Sunday Scripture readings are taken from the Revised Common Lectionary (Year C). Daily Scripture readings are taken from the Book of Common Prayer (Year 1) with the Psalm for the Morning Office.
Pray & Do:
Each week during Lent, we will devote Saturdays to connecting with An American Lent from The Repentance Project. It's God's kindness that leads us to repentance, and in His kindness and provision for reconciliation, He invites us to make confession and ask for forgiveness on behalf of not only ourselves but our forefathers and mothers. We carry a heavy load of guilt and grief in our nation as a result of centuries of grievous sin and unrelenting injustice against African Americans.
Go here to download a PDF or subscribe to receive daily reflections from An American Lent.
Read, reflect and repent with An American Lent.
Begin with prayer:
“Holy Spirit, thank you for your abiding presence. Increase my awareness of your presence leading, guiding, and compelling me to walk in the good works that you prepared for me ahead of time. You are faithful. Amen.”
If you haven’t yet, spend time today reading through the reflections for Week 5 (April 1-7). I especially noticed Tuesday’s reflection “Doctrine of Discovery” by David Bailey and Wednesday’s reflection “(Non)Accumulation of Wealth & The Racial Wealth Gap” by Rev. Bill Haley.
From David Bailey’s reflection:
Read carefully by clicking through all the links. Don’t miss the link to a history of “redlining”. (This is huge!)
Read the Leviticus passage and respond to the suggested questions in a prayer journal or in conversation with a friend.
From Bill Haley’s reflection:
Read carefully by clicking through all of the links, especially the video on the Housing and Racial Wealth Gap.
Read Ta-Nehesi Coates’ article in The Atlantic, “The Case for Reparations.” To learn what can be done to address this gross inequality, see “10 Proposals for Eliminating the Racial Wealth Gap” in Forbes magazine.
Close with prayer:
“Lord, thank you for the blessings you have given me. Those that I have worked to acquire, and those I have received as an inheritance. Show me how I might offer what I’ve been given as an act of repentance. Use me and my small offering to remove the racial wealth gap in this nation. Amen.”
Additional recommendations for your weekend:
Listen to the Fresh Air episode: “A 'Forgotten History' Of How The U.S. Government Segregated America”
Watch the 15-minute TED Talk with Liz Ogbu: “What if gentrification was about healing communities instead of displacing them?”
(See all Lent daybook posts from 2018 here.)