all oppression shall cease
The word "salvation" in the Bible refers to many types of salvation, but primarily to much more immediate forms of transformation than the life-after-death meaning contemporary Christianity often assigns as paramount. The late Marcus Borg sought to reclaim many of these meanings in his 2011 book Speaking Christian, and today's line reminded me of the joyous expectations they convey:
* salvation as liberation from bondage (economic, political, and religious)
* salvation as return from exile
* salvation as rescue from peril
* salvation symbolized in stories of sight restored to the blind, the dead restored to life, the sick made well, fear transformed into trust, unjust situations restored to justice, and violence replaced by peace
Salvation isn't just about what happens after we die. Salvation is a gift to us in the present. God is at work in us and through us. We aren't called to acquiesce, to sit tight and wait for heaven. "All oppression shall cease" is a promise we can claim both now and in the future -- and as God's hands and feet in the world, we are called to participate in the fulfillment of that promise. We aren't and won't be perfect, but the One who is at work in us can use us in this richer, deeper work of salvation.
Marcus Borg, Speaking Christian (New York: HarperOne, 2011), pp. 38-50.
* salvation as liberation from bondage (economic, political, and religious)
* salvation as return from exile
* salvation as rescue from peril
* salvation symbolized in stories of sight restored to the blind, the dead restored to life, the sick made well, fear transformed into trust, unjust situations restored to justice, and violence replaced by peace
Salvation isn't just about what happens after we die. Salvation is a gift to us in the present. God is at work in us and through us. We aren't called to acquiesce, to sit tight and wait for heaven. "All oppression shall cease" is a promise we can claim both now and in the future -- and as God's hands and feet in the world, we are called to participate in the fulfillment of that promise. We aren't and won't be perfect, but the One who is at work in us can use us in this richer, deeper work of salvation.
Marcus Borg, Speaking Christian (New York: HarperOne, 2011), pp. 38-50.
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