#AdaWisdomChallenge
READ Proverbs 9 (listen). WRITE out one verse and SHARE with someone.
Proverbs 9 is the conclusion to the lessons that open the book (Proverbs 1-9). It contains a direct comparison between the invitation of wisdom and folly along with a contrast between the wise and mockers.
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) John 4:9
Read: John 4:1-26
Listen: John 4
TODAY’S MESSAGE
Samaria was home to the Samaritans, a group of people the Jews despised. Instead of going around the region like many Jews, Jesus walks up to a well outside a village in Samaria. In doing so, he steps into a 500-year ethnic conflict that had boiled into brutality during his childhood.
This story is filled with racial energy centering around the temple in Jerusalem. Both the woman’s first sentence and the narrator of the text highlight the conflict. The past had found its way into the present of this story. The author doesn’t ignore it, and we are supposed to feel it. This story is in the Bible to help us in situations just like we find ourselves today.
Pastor Jeff Manion challenged us not to ignore our past. Our country has a horrific and sinful history when it comes to African Americans. Slavery and Jim Crow find their way into the actions and attitudes of the present. One important step we can take is to recognize that our country has a history. It happened, it isn’t just stories and it wasn’t that long ago. Looking back helps us see that many of the attitudes of the past find their way into the present, even if policies have changed.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Commit to honestly look back and say, “That happened.” As you find yourself confronted with the atrocities of the past, confess them to God on behalf of our country. Tell him you’re sorry that our country treated people that way. Ask him to help you see how the past has found its way into the present.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
