One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” Acts 18:9-11

These are the words of the Lord to Paul as he continued his mission work in Corinth. These are the words of the Lord that should speak to us as we struggle as individuals and as a nation to unite against the hate and discord we now see on a daily basis in our country and abroad. In expecting our civic leaders to come up with a solution, we are forgetting the words that came from our Lord “Do not be afraid, keep on speaking, do not be silent.”

It would be easier to turn my back on the events of the last few weeks and claim that it doesn’t really have much to do with my life. After all, I didn’t know anyone personally who lost a loved one and I don’t live in any of the cities that were touched by the recent headlines, although Orlando is getting pretty close to home! Why then is it so difficult to watch the news lately, why am I close to tears as I think of the families of the latest victims of violence? Because we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. And it is not up to someone else, but up to us to not be silent, to continue to speak and live the work of Christ. We have decided to follow Jesus and there is no turning back.

Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to not be afraid, to keep on speaking and not to be silent when I see and hear those things that need to be changed. Please give us the wisdom and the skills to begin to make those changes to bring peace in our community and the world. Amen.