The Narrative of Persecution (Disagreement, Anti-bias, and Love)

Have you been part of a playful rivalry - be it sports or personal or otherwise?

Recent events (like the Executive Order Eradicating Anti-Christian Bias and the creation of the White House Office of Faith) suggest a growing sense among many American Christians that they are oppressed or targeted. This sense seems strong enough to either motivate people in government to act against it (or, at least, for those people in government to manipulate it. Either way, it's not great.) Let's explore why that narrative has taken hold, what it reveals about our theology of persecution, and how Jesus reframes persecution — not as something to fear or politicize, but as a chance to witness through humble endurance.

Now that you've answered the Icebreaker, here's another question - this one, about persecution.

Hopefully that makes enough sense to get you started.

God of truth and mercy,
teach us to see clearly.
Keep us from confusing 
comfort with faithfulness,
or privilege with blessing.
Give us security in our convictions
even as you give us humility enough to listen.
Make our lives a testimony of grace, not of grievance.
Amen.

Choose one person to read the non-bolded words. 
Everyone else, read the bolded lines together.

Christ who was misunderstood, rejected, and betrayed —
teach us what it means to follow you in a world that does not always understand.
When we feel small or dismissed, remind us: You were with the outcast and the ignored.
Forgive us, Lord, when we mistake discomfort for persecution.
When we wear the language of victims though we hold power,
or use our wounds as weapons instead of invitations to grace—
free us from that smallness of spirit.
Release us from the need to be right, so we can be whole.
When we are tempted to defend our place or protect our comfort—
teach us to choose love over control, service over safety.
Form in us a courage that does not need to win.
When others speak against us, or when we are simply not seen—
let us meet their eyes without resentment, and their needs without condition.
Give us joy that cannot be taken, even when our standing is.
When we suffer for doing good, or lose what we thought we’d earned—
remind us that your kingdom grows not through power, but through mercy.
Let us count it blessing to share even a fragment of your cross.
Lord Jesus, who lost everything to love us—
teach us to lose well, to love deeply, and to rest in you.
Amen.

Spotlights about sensitive topics such as this aren't simple, and it can be easy to give a wrong impression or just plain be off. If you felt like that was the case in this Spotlight, please let us know. Thank you.

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