By the way: The Bible ‘woke’ me up
By Reverend Dr. Nancy Cocks on July 20, 2024.
Three years ago, a friend told me I was “woke”. He didn’t mean to dismiss me. Instead, he recognized that my values reflect the kind of social conscience African Americans (who originated the term) develop when they come to terms with the implicit and explicit racism they’ve experienced in the US for so long. The Bible “woke” me up the semester I had to summarize the message in all the Biblical prophets. You can’t avoid God’s concern for the needs of vulnerable groups in society and the wake-up call the prophets sound for God’s faithful to respond. Their words challenged me to examine my priorities and commitments as someone who tries to be faithful to God’s call. So over the years I’ve been reading the power dynamics in our society with a watchful eye for the most vulnerable. That reading has been informed by relationships in my ministries – with parishioners who struggle in poverty, students who suffered sexual violence, indigenous families coming to terms with trauma rooted in residential school experience, refugees resettling in Canada after enduring horrific conflict or torture. But when people call me “woke”, they rarely ask to understand why I work to address these realities. They seldom want to hear why I get so angry at leaders who trivialize my concerns. Those concerns all go back to the feisty Hebrew prophets, who were unafraid to chastise rulers and criticize God’s own people for ignoring God’s call for compassionate action. These concerns are also embodied in Jesus’ ministry, in his attention to the marginalized and his daring critique of those who sought power for their own benefit while ignoring struggling lives and obvious need. I guess today many people would dismiss Jesus as “woke”. But he changed my life by changing my values. So go ahead, call me “woke”. I’m in good company. Rev. Dr. Nancy Cocks is a retired Presbyterian minister and long time social justice advocate. 10-9
