I Want to See
A short reflection on liberation as love
Greetings, friends!
This is it! The final day of Advent. As I reflect back on 22 days of practicing hope, peace, joy, and now love, I am encouraged that it is all within our grasp, even if only in small ways. I’m hoping to come back to some of these practices all throughout the new year. We need a little nourishment for the road, you know?
It’s Christmas Eve - the fourth Sunday of Advent - and the theme is Love. Jesus. God. Word made flesh. Setting aside all power and privilege to come as a defenseless baby, born among barn animals. A scandalous, yet holy birth in the midst of conflict, oppression, and violence. This is how he chose to come. Emmanuel, God with us, and not always in the ways that we would expect.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
Living in a nation filled with relative abundance, I suspect it’s not often we reflect on liberation. After all, most of us dwell in some the freest countries in the world. This is particularly true if we come from a place of privilege – white, upper/middle class, able-bodied, Christian, cisgendered, straight, married, male. Aligning with all but one of these categories, I would say I am a woman of privilege. I am grateful to enjoy many freedoms here in the United States - freedoms that I want others to enjoy, too. Isn’t this what it means to love my neighbor as myself?
Social concern for the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed is not a mere political position for me. It is deeply rooted in my Christian faith and my understanding of the teachings of Christ. In Luke chapter 4, Jesus tells us he came to liberate. The act of liberating others is an act of love, and as followers of Christ, I believe He invites us into this holy work, too. To love our neighbors means that we should want for them all the things that we desire for ourselves: equity, good health care, security, a warm place to sleep, healthy food to eat, and clean water to drink. The freedom to have our voices heard, to make choices for ourselves, to move about undeterred, to love who we want to love without fear of consequence.
Love and liberation are inextricably linked. Love requires that we seek the flourishing of our neighbors, too.
In the gospels we read that Jesus performed many miracles, among them giving sight to the blind. The healing of blind Bartimaeus in Mark 10 is the one that feels most relevant to me right now. Bartimaeus was a blind beggar, sitting on the side of the road as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho. When he heard that Jesus was among them, he called out to him to be healed. The crowd tried to silence him, but with persistent faith, Bartimaeus made an even louder plea. To his surprise, Jesus called him over. And instead of healing Bartimaeus right away, Jesus asked a question: “What do you want me to do for you?” Bartimaeus replied, “My teacher, let me see again.”
He asked to see. And then Jesus restored his sight.
“He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind”
So we can understand the literal interpretation of this text, but as I read it again with Holy Imagination, I wonder if He could also be speaking metaphorically? Could “the blind” be those of us who have turned away from His teachings? Those who have chosen power and control over restoration and reconciliation. Could He be referring to people of faith who have turned a blind eye to injustice, or to those of us who have been complicit without even knowing it? No one does this faith walk perfectly, so I wonder- what would happen if we humbled ourselves and asked God to reveal the things we’ve missed? What if we simply said, “I want to see.”
As I reflect on the character and teachings of Christ, it is clear that he sides with the underprivileged and overlooked. And as followers of Christ, it is our call to do the same. Who are the oppressed and the marginalized among us? How can we use what influence we have to help liberate them? So my prayer for us this year is this: that we would set aside our biases and the desire for power, control, and certainty that so easily blinds us - so that we would see the dignity, the humanity, and the imago Dei in every one.
May it be so.
This month wraps up one full year of The Gathering Place! I’m so thankful that you’ve chosen to meet me here for a short time each month. I look forward to being with you again in 2024! In the meantime, here are a few of my more popular posts from 2023 in case you missed them the first go around:
On Self Love
The Grief We Don’t Talk About
The Angels of Peace are Weeping
An Open Letter to the Curious Christian
When Prayer Feels Hard
🎄🎶 Before you go, I want to share this super groovy version of O Come, O Come, Emmanuel by the Good Shepherd Collective. I’ve had it on repeat all throughout December. Hope you enjoy!
May hope, peace, joy, and love be yours in abundance this Christmas season and throughout the New Year! Even if you have to dig deep to find it.
xo, Jana
Thoughtful. I heard a podcast the other day I think you might like. It was Englewood Review of Books. They reviewed Loving Disagreements. It’s relevant to dome of the issues you mention. Thanks for your words!