Dong Hyeon Jeong is an associate professor of New Testament Interpretation at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Illinois. He is the author of Embracing the Nonhuman in the Gospel of Mark.
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God’s Love Cracks Categories
Illustration by Jocelyn O’Leary
WE HAVE COME to the point in U.S. Christianity when many declare that loving one’s neighbor is optional. I am not sure how anyone can read the Bible and still think that God does not mind if I care less for those who are not my immediate family.
This month’s reflections are all about caring for the other. God’s love is boundless, and we are the recipients of God’s enduring mercy; thus, we can also share a part of ourselves with our neighbors near and far. God’s bountiful love is evident in the stories of Naaman and the good Samaritan. Modern-day prophet Kendrick Lamar’s voice encourages us to be humble and to remember that we are each other’s keepers. Finally, we are invited to reflect on what it means when we hear unwelcome, and horrifying, knocks on doors.
Some public figures have expressed a preoccupation with the order of people whom we are called to love first. By advocating an unnecessary and arbitrary hierarchy, the order of love is distorted into an order of hate. Yes, we love God first as Christians. Such preferential love for God is manifest in how we show God’s love to all. We can do this because the Holy Spirit empowers us to love. If we truly have Christ’s love within us, then the sanctifying grace in us overflows because God’s love knows no bounds. God’s love traverses all concentric circles that we can imagine.
Relying on the Spirit in Trying Times
Illustration by Jocelyn O'Leary
THE POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT in this country has caused great concern among many of us, Christian and otherwise. This month’s scripture passages spark various theological and socio-political hauntings that shed insight for us on how to respond.
For instance, we need to understand that God does not seek the destruction of creation to manifest God’s plan. No calamity can be justified as somehow being “God’s intention.” In addition, we need prophetic peace with all of God’s creation. This peace demands justice and reparations. I continue to pray for Palestine, Israel, and other nations where violence abounds. Third, we stand with all the queer people who are experiencing tremendous hardships because of intentional policy choices. Fourth, we will not be fooled by hate speeches that pretend to be freedom speeches. Words matter. We are responsible for what we say on any platform or in any capacity.
Our circumstances require us to respond, in whatever ways we can and on the issues that speak particularly to us. As we do so, even while we create room for self-critique, we are invited to be generous and patient with ourselves as we seek to navigate as wisely as possible these challenging times.
Choosing To Seek Hope and Joy
Illustration by Jocelyn O'Leary
THE EASTER SEASON provokes a desire in me to find hope and joy again. I don’t want to wallow in misery just because my limited vision can see only a bleak future. Instead, I am choosing to seek hope and joy because I believe that God does indeed empower and guide us. I claim the daily practice of putting my hope in the divine, not our human condition. God seeks our well-being. We must remember this amid the onslaught of trauma brought on by humanity failing to do the right thing.
The post-Easter reflections are more positive in tone. I chose to be optimistic because life goes on, we still have good work to do, and the fight does not end. We still have to care for one another, and we hope that others will care for us. In all of these, I hope that we will find once again the power of prayer and divine love. There are resources we can seek for help, guidance, and support, and I am one of many who have received such generosity and kindness. I invite you to find your own versions of the divine and/or the mystical. The immaterial and unseen surround us, guiding us, especially in our moments of despair and need.
I end my reflection with a prayer for people and nations that are going through turmoil and upheaval. Join me in offering a prayer that we may bring peace wherever we can.
Lions, Jackals, and a Bloodied Lamb
Illustration by Jocelyn O'Leary
IN THESE UNCERTAIN times, I look for witnesses who will guide me to a more hopeful future. I do so because I cannot overcome my anxieties alone. I recognize the affective, spiritual, and communal dimensions of healing and recovery. When we heal and witness together, we are emboldened to witness the life-giving hope of the divine with the other more than ever.
In this month’s reflections, I see various sources of hope and witnessing. Beyond anthropocentrism, I see that nonhumans, particularly jackals and ostriches, are guiding us in our relationality with the divine and others (Isaiah 43:16-21). In responding to trauma, I seek the wisdom of women (“daughters of Jerusalem”) who have been down this road before (Luke 23:27-31). With their guidance, I hope for a peaceable kingdom that is unmitigated by false hopes and spiritual bypassing.
My last reflection engages Thomas the Twin (John 20:19-31) and the inauguration of Donald Trump for a second time. Here, I offer a weary posture of the discombobulated mind that is still trying to grasp the impact of his inauguration. I am trying to breathe amid a sense of despair. So, I hope that you will breathe as well, say a prayer or two, talk with a trusted friend, be with your animal companion, and relish your personal solitude. In all ways, I hope that you will find hope as you witness and become witnesses of social holiness.
Restoring Our Connective Tissues
Illustration by Jocelyn O'Leary
WE LIVE IN a ruthless world that exhausts our bodies and souls. We are constantly bombarded with messages, reels, texts, and images that set our moral compasses spinning. As seekers of a more just world, the pressure to respond overwhelms us as we have never seen before. And so, I ask: When was the last time you intentionally cared for your body and soul?
The guilt one feels when one rests is a manifestation of how oppressive systems have convinced us that to rest and breathe is contrary to the necessities and requirements of a functioning society. And yet, we must breathe because the fight for a more just world is not only outside of us. It is also in us.
This month’s lectionary readings invite us to first breathe. Then, as we breathe, we are invited to become peacemakers, witnesses of righteousness, justice-seekers, and reconciling siblings. All these invitations are heavy. They are easier said than done. Many of us have probably responded to such invitations a long time ago. Our wounds and scars tell stories of what happens when we say yes.
Scars are marks of healing from yesterday’s struggles. To breathe is to reconnect the tissues of interdependence and mutuality that sustain our work for a more just world. To breathe does not neglect the issues at hand; rather, it helps us remember that we have divine witnesses who are sustaining us here and now.