“If Jesus is Lord, then Caesar is not.” These words drew me to the edge of my seat. Dr. Ruth Padilla Deborst carried a sense of deep urgency yet she delivered her message with a seemingly confident joy. As I reflect on our session together I cannot help but feel the weight of her words as she spoke of the false “might makes right” ideology recklessly spilling out of America. The ache that drove me to say yes to this cohort intensifies as I am challenged to think of those outside our country who are on the receiving end of this administration’s recent policy shifts. My ache swells into a longing to see the reconciliation promised to us by our risen Savior. My longing rises into a prayer. “How long, O Lord?”
“Who is harmed when we seek to make ourselves great?” Dr. Deborst set this question before us with quiet intention. Once again I was drawn in. It is such a simple response to power, yet it wields enough force to break down walls. I’m tempted to get this printed on poster board and stick it in the ground next to every MAGA lawn sign I drive by. This question demonstrates leadership from a place of compassion. This question is the anthem of the meek.
“Who wins and who loses?” This is another simple question but one worth asking at every turn. As we listen I’m reminded that so often we are tempted to respond to injustice with theological acrobatics, pulling together verses and arguments to fortify our own positions. While a strong theology is important for our spiritual maturity, Dr. Deborst’s direct line of questioning challenges me to avoid overcomplicating Jesus’ call to love God and love our neighbors.
“An acquaintance with pain can be a gift in our formation.” I would not describe myself as someone acquainted with pain. Some of this is due to circumstance and some of this is due to avoidance. Either way this quote serves as a timely reminder in my life. Though personal, political, and economic uncertainty is before us we are not to fear the trouble that lies ahead for the Lord draws near to the brokenhearted. What a gift it was for us as listeners to hear Dr. Deborst tell a story of her own painful experience with a smile on her face as someone who has been made more joyful because of it.
6 comments
Hi Dave, thank you for your comment on my post! I was excited to see that you are in Oregon too. Are you in Portland (and used to be in Bend)? Please let me know if you’re ever coming down to Eugene. I don’t get to Portland too often, but it does happen from time to time.
I wanted to let you know too that I loved seeing your garden spade in your video (really beautiful) and I was very excited to hear you talk about Guns to Garden Tools. I had heard Jer talk about it on a podcast and I was telling everyone about the project after that. Just hearing about it gave me a lot of hope. It struck me as such a creative and real way to address a very polarized issue and I thought it was such a shining example of finding a third way. So I was very excited to see that you had been a part of that!
Thank you for your post too, which so simply and clearly brought out some of the points that really resonated with me …but much more so in retrospect after reading your post and the way you framed them. “Who wins and who loses?” really got me to thinking that the current administration is very strongly entrenched in the idea of winners and losers (and making sure that someone is the loser). I like to believe there’s another way, beyond this winner and loser binary…one which lifts everyone up in different ways. It sounds like you all touched on that with the Guns to Garden tools project. I’d love to hear more about your experience of that at some point and if it’s ongoing?
Thank you so much for your kind words, Colin! Yes, we were in Bend for the last 5 years or so. My family and I relocated to Portland just this past year. I have never been to Eugene but it is definitely on my list of places to visit!
Guns to Gardens is an ongoing project that is about to have its fourth official event at Antioch Church in Bend on March 15th. Now that I am in Portland I am working on connecting people who might be interested in standing up similar events in other cities. Here is my number if you would like to connect some time! (408) 528-5377. I’d love to chat more and learn about the work you are doing with the Elsewhere Ensemble. I was a music major in college and studied the trumpet for many years so I was very excited to see a musician/composer within the cohort!.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Dave. Ruth’s words are powerful and really get to the heart of what it means to follow Jesus. Her questions remind us to think about who is affected by the choices we make and challenge us to put love and justice first. It’s a good reminder that faith isn’t just about what we believe—it’s about how we live and who we care for. Thank you for this call to action!
“theological acrobatics” This. Whew. Let me check myself with this regularly. And the idea of acquaintance with pain…so different from comparing and contrasting suffering – which is paralyzing.
Dave, I appreciate your transparency about the introspection caused by these words/phrases you highlighted. Much like you mentioned with the avoidance of pain, it is not always easy to embrace words which call us into introspection because they also often call us into a willingness to take action.
Hey Dave, These quotes really do a wonderful job of giving a snapshot of Ruth’s talk -her beautiful invitation to authentic discipleship and a redirect of some of our most harmful North American theologies. I am especially touched by, “Who is harmed when we seek to make ourselves great.” I agree it’s an anthem for the meek. Thanks for your perspective!