What’s with those shoes?
You may wonder that on Sunday as you see a variety of different shoes hanging on the backdrop in the sanctuary. You’ll see work boots, sports cleats, kids shoes, dance shoes, muddy shoes, pristine shoes, military boots, high heels— all types of shoes.
Why?
Because we are starting a new five-week series titled Walking In Their Shoes. All different types of shoes will be displayed because each pair represents a unique story. You’ve heard the phrase “Try to walk a mile in my shoes.” This phrase encourages us to imagine what life may be like for a person who is different than us. How would it feel to experience life in their shoes?
We all see the world through a particular lens. This lens has been shaped by our particular upbringing, our families, our gender, our socioeconomic status, the culture in which we were raised and many more factors.
For example, I grew up in the Pacific Northwest; that affects my story. I grew to love grunge rock music as a teenager largely because the Seattle area was known for bands such as Pearl Jam and Nirvana. Yes, I still occasionally sing along to Even Flow and Yellow Ledbetter.
I am the son of parents who worked in ministry; that affects my story. I was constantly around the church and “church life” as a teenager and young adult. This no doubt affected the vocation that I ultimately felt called to.
I am the father of two daughters (soon to be three!), but grew up with two brothers; that affects my story. Becoming a parent, being a brother, a spouse…all of these things shape who I am.
What contributes to your story and the unique way you see the world?
This series is designed to assist us in learning from one another’s stories. To do this, we will study the prophets of the Bible. The prophets— Amos, Jeremiah, Isaiah, Obadiah, Ezekiel and the rest— acted as mouthpieces for God. They delivered God’s message to the people i.e. God literally spoke through them. What you’ll notice as you read the accounts of the prophets is that God’s message had a common theme: speaking up for the voiceless.
Too often in society some stories are heard and others are diminished or go unnoticed. This was true in Old Testament times as well. God spoke into these disparities through the prophets. Pastor Dana and I have chosen five prophets to study. We will explore one prophet per week through this series. With each prophet we’ll ask the same question: Who’s story is God illuminating through this prophet’s message?
This week I’ll begin by exploring Ezekiel. I look forward to “Walking In Their Shoes” with you on Sunday.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
-1 Corinthians 12:26
See you on Sunday!
-Pastor David
