Perspectives: Meet Joe Davis
In our new series, Perspectives, we’re inviting local BIPOC* teachers, faith leaders, and scholars to teach us scripture through the lens of their faith tradition. Part of practicing midrash is taking time to understand the many ways Scripture can be held and interpreted, and practicing the posture of listening.
Joe Davis is a nationally touring artist, educator, and speaker who uses poetry, music, theater, and dance to shape culture. He’ll be our first Perspectives teacher, on October 8.
We sent Joe this question:
Narratives of the human experience invite us to find ourselves somewhere in the story. When thinking about Scripture, where are you in the story right now?
Here’s how he responded:
“When I think about the personal narratives we share with each other, I wonder if we can listen long enough to hear the humanity. That, to me, is the invitation of the scriptures.
“Lately, I find myself in the second chapter of the book of Acts, where all of the apostles were sitting together at the same place after being instructed not to leave by Jesus (right before he ascended into heaven!).
“I imagine them feeling many of the same emotions I've been feeling—anxiety and fear springing from the uncertainty about what the future holds, a sorrow and loneliness brought from not knowing when and if Jesus will show up again.
“But it was in the space of faithful waiting and listening that they were being prepared for something far greater than what they could have ever dreamt.
“Just as promised, they were transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. People from wildly diverse cultures, "from every nation under heaven", were able to understand each other as they spoke about the goodness of God.
“My prayer is that in this space of waiting and listening, we can be transformed to hear beyond our fear and hear the Spirit calling us into a deeper relationship with our own humanity and others.”
Peace,
Joe Davis
Want to hear more from Joe?
Join us for our Perspectives Listening Session on Thursday, October 8. Then, be sure to come back the following week for a morning or evening Scripture Circle on the same passage Joe will teach us—so we can wrestle together through the ways we’ve been expanded.
We can’t wait to see what new perspectives we discover together.
*(Black, Indigenous, and People of Color)