Date: 11/20/2020

Discovering the New Normal
Jerry Henry of Columbia, MO, USA

Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my opponent.’ For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’” And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” —Luke 18:1–8

Too often we say, “I’m not prejudiced.” “I never condoned slavery.” “It’s not my fault. I didn’t cause poverty.” But at the same time, we choose a circle of friends who look, act, and think very much like ourselves.

A good friend once told me when her children were fighting, each would say the other one started it. Then their mother would remind them, “I’m not interested in who started it. I want to know who’s going to stop it.”

The same wisdom applies to us, too. It might not matter who started racial prejudice, or financial privilege, or religious bigotry, or sexual bashing, or any other division of persons. The question now is “Who is going to stop it?”

We cannot simply plead our innocence. We must actively remove the walls that separate us from other members of humanity. Breaking bad habits means ceasing to judge, welcoming diversity, learning new words, avoiding words or phrases that offend, appreciating the unique giftedness of persons.

Scriptures teach us Zion is not built by an individual, but by the whole assembly of humanity. We are challenged to focus on who we are, not who we would like to be, not on who we don’t want to be, but who we are. In that focus we see our faults and our excellence. There is no need to lament our blemishes; we should repent and forgive ourselves. That is who we are.

There is not time to pat ourselves on the back for our giftedness. We are to share that gift for the benefit of God’s kingdom. Any ability we possess is exactly what God placed in us, to be shared at this particular time. All are equal in God’s sight. Each one carries a gift for the kingdom. When Christ comes again, he will usher in a new order, and peace will reign. It will be a new normal.

Prayer Phrase

God, help me seek peace for me, peace for us, peace for everyone, and peace for our planet. Amen.

Spiritual Practice

The International Community

Find (or imagine) a globe or map of the world. Look at all the nations and find a country other than your own. Notice the geographic distance between your homeland and this one. Picture a person living there. Pray for this person. Sense God’s love connecting you just as the oceans connect the continents. Thank God for the spiritual connection you have with all of God’s people around the globe. Ask a blessing on the church as a community sharing Christ’s peace, drawing all into the family of God.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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