Daily Worship

Leaving cycles of oppression behind

James Cathcart July 08, 2024 4 7
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Exodus 1: 11-14 (NRSVA)

11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labour. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labour. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.

Humanity is good at lots of things. Toast. Molecular biology. Marmalade. Podcasts.

We are also bad at a lot of things.

One of the bad things that we’re all too good at is setting up loops of injustice where the fear and resentment that drives our worst instincts compounds to make us ever more fearful and resentful. In this snapshot from Exodus we see that prejudice and oppression just make more prejudice and oppression.

This ancient drama we read is part of the ongoing drama of humanity learning to live with itself. We ourselves are part of that story. Our everyday actions contribute to the direction of travel of the species. Are we winding the vicious cycle forward — using fear to leverage whatever power we have over others? Or are we breaking the cycle and using hope to share whatever we can to nudge ourselves on to a virtuous cycle?

When you’re next at the crossroads, when you next have the choice to round up or round down, give up or step up, fold or build up, stagnate or grow, will you flourish or be churlish?

 

When my back’s against the wall

when I’ve given my all

when the story’s too tall

when they’ve had the gall,

when I want to give up and go home because it’s my ball…

Am I going to flourish or am I going to be churlish?

 

When I’ve had it up to here

when I want to give in to fear

when they’re grinding my gears

when I’m holding back tears

when my lip curls into a sneer

Am I going to flourish or am I going to be churlish?

 

When I have got used to the power

when I just want to glower

when I’m embellishing the ivory tower

when it’s the eleventh hour

and I’m sweet on being sour

Am I going to flourish or am I going to be churlish?

 

 

Prayer:

 

Dear God,

Daily, daily, daily

I have to

learn, learn, learn.

Thank you for your patience

and help me to

flourish.

Amen.