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26 Nov The Vision of a Gender-Based-Violence Free Society
26 November 2023
Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation or destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise. (Isaiah 60:18) The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:31)
There are many types of violence. Gender-based violence is one of them, and it is evil. Many people are hurting. Children, the poor, and many others have lost their lives. This devotion is inspired by the dream and vision of a society that is free of this heinous scourge.
In this part of the third Isaiah, the prophet stems from the immediate context of the post-exilic experience and vision and speaks of the future where there will be no violence amongst other social evils. It is interesting that the background of this text (Isaiah 59: 20) is the promise and expectation of the Messiah, and thus, it makes
sense to contemplate this text as we prepare to enter Advent. It then means that chapter 60 speaks to the church as the reign of God.
I then derive nurturing that feeds my vision of a gender-based-violence-free society from this reading of the text. I see Isaiah 60:18 as presenting a vision of an ideal society. As people of the messiah today, our society is far from this ideal, and hence there is a need to engage in a struggle towards the ideal.
As a church, we must be inspired by the vision and ideal of a violence-free society. This must challenge us to be feminists, seeking equal and humane treatment for all people. Activists of gender-based violence embrace such initiatives and movements as ‘Thursday in Black’ by which people take a prophetic stand against gender-based violence and related evils in the world. We pray for a world free from such vices and hurts from any form of violence.
The Bible tells us that we must love our neighbours. Our close neighbours are those we live with, and yet they are the very same people who bear the brunt of violence perpetrated by us. Love is the opposite of hate and hurt. It stands against the spirit and roots of gender-based violence. May we be inspired and pray for a society that is free from any form of gender-based violence.
prayer
Heavenly Parent, we call upon your great name as your children. We pray against gender-based violence in any of its forms and shapes. Grant us to love as Christ taught us in deed and in word. We call upon your name as we hold on to a vision of a gender-based violence free society. May your kingdom come. Amen!
for further thought
Can the dream for a GBV Society materialise, then what can we do?
Xolani Maseko
United Congregational Church of Southern Africa
