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Manna for the Movement: Isaiah 61:8-11
10 Plays17 minutes ago
Welcome to Manna for the Movement, short devotionals from the CCDA community to encourage you to meet with God today, wherever you find yourself on your journey. For the next four weeks, every Thursday, this series will focus on the theme of Shalom—a concept encompassing wholeness, well-being, justice, development, and harmony. It speaks to a state of right relationship with God, with one another, and with creation, where nothing is missing and nothing is broken.
In this episode, Breana van Velzen leads us in meditating on Isaiah 61:8-11 through the practice of Lectio Divina.
The Rev. Breana van Velzen is an ordained Baptist minister. Breana holds a Master of Divinity (M.Div) from Duke Divinity School, a Master of Social Work (M.S.W) from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor in English Education with Secondary Licensure and a Minor in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington. Breana is a certified spiritual director and a non-profit consultant experienced in non-profit leadership, diversity, equity, and inclusion change-making, and theo-ethical praxis for parachurch ministry and faith-based institutions. In addition to the role of Executive Director for Durham Congregations in Action (DCIA), Breana serves on the board of Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity and is part of Baptist Women in Ministry NC and the Religious Coalition for a Nonviolent Durham (RCND). Breana’s passions include advocacy at the intersections of racial, economic, and environmental justice, education, and writing. When not volunteering or traveling, Breana enjoys slam poetry, science fiction, and baking for family and friends.
Learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved at ccda.org. Connect with CCDA on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Follow CCDA on YouTube.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Manna for the Movement'
00:00:10
Speaker
Welcome to Manna for the Movement, a short devotional from the CCDA community to encourage you to meet with God today, wherever you find yourself in your journey.
00:00:21
Speaker
I'm Reverend Breana van Velzen, and I'm connected to CCDA through mainly participation, a couple of workshops and our affinity groups. And I will be leading us today through today's reading.
Preparing for Meditation
00:00:35
Speaker
This is a space where we take a few minutes out of our day to recenter ourselves and meditate on the Bible together. So find a comfortable place to sit, silence your phone, limit distractions, and let's begin.
Lectio Divina and Isaiah Text
00:00:50
Speaker
Today we'll be looking at Isaiah 61, 8 through 11 through the practice of Lectio Divina, which means divine reading in Latin. It's a meditative way of reading the Bible in which we open ourselves to what God is trying to say to us.
00:01:06
Speaker
I will be reading from the New Revised Standard Version. Together, let's breathe in, breathe out.
00:01:20
Speaker
Isaiah chapter 61 verses 8 through 11. For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
00:01:36
Speaker
Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.
00:01:50
Speaker
My whole being shall exult in my God. For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.
00:02:05
Speaker
For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
Personal Reflection and Contemplation
00:02:23
Speaker
Was there a word or phrase that stood out to you in this passage? Take a moment to savor that word or phrase.
00:02:38
Speaker
In the second reading, ask the Holy Spirit to lift a word or phrase that is meaningful for us today. As we read again, attune your spirit to the nudge of the Holy Spirit.
00:02:54
Speaker
Isaiah chapter 61 verses 8 through 11. For I the Lord love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully give them their recompense and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
00:03:10
Speaker
Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord.
00:03:24
Speaker
My whole being shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland and as a bride adorns herself with jewels.
00:03:40
Speaker
For as the earth brings forth its shoots and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up
00:03:54
Speaker
what stands out to you in this passage? If you're able, whisper it to yourself, speak it out loud, or write it down and carry it with you throughout the day.
00:04:12
Speaker
In the third reading, imagine God sitting in the room with you, inviting you into a conversation about this passage. We are invited to respond in prayer.
00:04:27
Speaker
Isaiah chapter 61 verses 8 through 11. For i the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully give them their recompense and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.
00:04:44
Speaker
Verse 1.
00:04:47
Speaker
and their offspring among the peoples all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the lord has blessed i will greatly rejoice in the lord my whole being shall exult in my god for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation he has covered me with the robe of righteousness as the bridegroom decks himself with the garland and as a bride adorns herself with jewels For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
00:05:27
Speaker
What is this passage prompting you? What questions do you want to ask? What do you want to talk to God about?
Justice, Righteousness, and Modern Issues
00:05:36
Speaker
For me, it's thinking about how In this passage, it's referring to people who are oppressed, who are suffering, who are exiled, people who have been displaced and taken by force.
00:05:55
Speaker
And God spends the opening part of the chapter talking about God's own righteousness, God ah being on the side of the oppressed. calling for fasting and feasting that is not performative, is not, you know, hosting a feast of food unless it's including everyone are or fasting in ways that look good on the outside, but um still leave things like homelessness and injustice in our community.
00:06:28
Speaker
ah so in the opening of our passage, the first words, think God is a God of justice and love. So for me, what I've been thinking about is that this is a hope for the oppressed.
00:06:42
Speaker
God is on the side of the oppressed. And in this moment in our world where so many people are displaced because of war, because of starvation, because of greed, because of government changes, because of all kinds of issues where people are suffering greatly and experiencing trauma ah here in the United States and elsewhere.
00:07:11
Speaker
People are hungry and unhoused. People are losing family members. People are losing friends. People are worried about what happens with our government and governments across the world.
00:07:25
Speaker
ah People are really divided where people who work 40 hours a week in my town, are unhoused because they can't support themselves and their children working full time.
00:07:38
Speaker
And sometimes that feels really hopeless. ah Sometimes that feels like no one understands or there's no righteousness in the world or there's not enough. Or we ask, where is God?
00:07:50
Speaker
Where are you, God? Why is this happening? Why do people suffer? This passage reminds me that God is already there. God is planting seeds.
00:08:01
Speaker
God is among us. God is with the people who are displaced and exiled, the people who are suffering, the people who are wronged. It says, God will clothe us in righteousness and adorn us.
00:08:14
Speaker
That God is righteousness. And this is not just a being right or sticking with the law of Moses, but this kind of righteousness oh that that brings shalom and wholeness, that brings peace, that brings conciliation and reconciliation where there is none or there needs to be.
00:08:32
Speaker
This is the kind of righteousness that gets us up off our feet in both praise and in action. And so in this time where we desperately need a good gritty hope to hold on to,
00:08:45
Speaker
The end of this lament and exhortation is that of praise, of God's solidarity, of faithfulness. And so that's where I am with this passage today.
00:08:57
Speaker
invite you to continue to ask those questions. Talk to God as you reflect on this and what stood out to you.
Final Reflections and God's Love
00:09:07
Speaker
And so we'll continue with our final reading, this time more slowly, to allow for space for the Holy Spirit to speak.
00:09:16
Speaker
Isaiah chapter 61, verses 8 through 11.
00:09:22
Speaker
For I, the Lord, love justice. I hate robbery and wrongdoing. I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant among them.
00:09:36
Speaker
Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.
00:09:47
Speaker
I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My whole being shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation. He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself in her jewels.
00:10:06
Speaker
For as the earth brings forth its shoots, And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring up before all the nations.
00:10:20
Speaker
I pray that as you continue with your day, you will be reminded of this passage, God's presence and God's a love for you. May you experience the peace of God and move in that peace today.
Engagement with CCDA and Community Efforts
00:10:34
Speaker
Thank you for listening to Manna for the Movement and meditating with us. If you would like to learn more about CCDA and how you can get involved, visit CCDA.org.
00:10:46
Speaker
And together, let's see our community flourish.