Dear Friends,

 We hope that you are safe and well.

 Today's Meditation features Pastor Vince Amlin reflecting on "The Gospel According to Squid Game." How do we grow to lean on the people around us even when they are different than us?

We invite you to join us as we commit ourselves to working tirelessly to end systemic and structural racism in our society, in the church, in healthcare, in the workplace--wherever it shows up so that everyone may come to have more abundant life. May this meditation nourish our contemplative-active hearts and sustain all of us in action.

In the spirit of our philosophy of co-creating community and our awareness that the Spirit speaks through each of us, we invite you to share your meditations with us as well. We truly believe that it is God's economy of abundance: when we share our blessings, our thoughts, our feelings, we are all made richer.

We hope and pray that you find peace, healing, hope and the infusion of joy in your life!

With our love and care,

Ron and Jean

MEDITATION: "The Gospel according to Squid Game" by Vince Amlin

Daily Devotional

November 2, 2021

The Gospel According to Squid Game

Vince Amlin

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” - John 21:15 (NRSV)

In one scene of the Netflix mega-hit Squid Game, the main character, Seong Gi-hun, is trying to convince one of his fellow “contestants” to team up with him. He first met the woman when she stole his wallet and left him to get beaten up. But now she’s the one who’s hesitant to put her confidence in him.

He tells her, “You don’t trust people because they’re trustworthy. It’s because you have nothing else to lean on.”

When the resurrected Jesus calls Peter over after breakfast and puts him in charge of the flock, it’s not because he’s trustworthy. The last time they were together, Peter denied even knowing him.

And his track record wasn’t stellar before that either. He shooed away the kids who came to see Jesus. He tried to walk on water and sank. He managed to get the Prince of Peace angry enough to call him Satan.

But in the end, Jesus trusts him. Or at least entrusts God’s work to him. Because, whatever has happened in the past, he wants Peter on his team. Because the only thing he or any of us have to lean on is the people around us.

And maybe because he knows: though you don’t trust people because they’re trustworthy, sometimes if you take a chance on trusting them, they become trustworthy in the process.

Prayer

God, trust me, that I can become trustworthy. Make me into someone others can lean on.

John Edgerton

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vince Amlin is co-pastor of Bethany UCC, Chicago, and co-planter of Gilead Church Chicago, forming now.

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