"...and there was no one left to speak for me."

                                                               Martin Niemoller

Sometimes I just get so tired. Up is down and wrong is right. Our society demands transparency, but works in the shadows. We are afraid to speak our minds, but call ourselves the “land of the free.” Have we forgotten what freedom really looks like? As long as we allow ourselves to be threatened into silence, into inaction, freedom eludes us. The more rights we give away, the fewer we retain.

Is something going wrong in your world? Speak up! Is someone being unjustly persecuted? Give your support! There is no stronger feeling of loneliness than feeling that everyone is arrayed against you.

John Wesley, the father of the Methodist Church, died an Anglican. His criticisms of the Anglican Church were meant to bring reform, not split the church. This culture of dissent is no longer valued in our world. We can only embrace those with the same ideas, shunning any hint of criticism or disagreement. When did it become okay to drive away those with opposing views? When did it become acceptable to silence the opposition?

Adolph Hitler gained control over the legislative and executive branches of the German government and systematically began destroying his opposition. His resulting dictatorship attempted to eliminate the Jewish race from the face of the earth. Attempts to reign in Hitler’s power, such as Operation Valkyrie, resulted in Hitler’s savage reprisals, including the death of over 4,800 people, among them Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

As we become complacent and emasculated, the Devil is at work in our world. I know it is so “unenlightened” to believe in the Devil, but I believe he is alive and well, in our homes, in our schools, in our government, and even in our churches. All across the world people are rejoicing that we have lost our voice, that we have lost our fire.

Bad things are happening, and we have no response. Bad things happened to Joseph, back in the days of the Old Testament. He was thrown into a well by his jealous brothers and sold into slavery. Through his dependence on God he was able to make the best of his situation, ultimately becoming so powerful that he was able to save his family and his nation from famine. How easy would it have been for him to ignore their requests for food? How easy would it have been to act like he did not recognize his brothers? Genesis reveals that Joseph knew that God could take the bad actions of Joseph’s family and turn it around and turn it into something good. “You intended evil against me, but God intended it for good...” Genesis 50:20.

God is working through you, and God is working through me. We have to take a stand and fight back against the evil in our world. God will stand by us, but we can’t sit idly by. If we do, we stand to lose our chance. We stand to allow the evil to grow and fester. We stand to let evil perpetuate.

Martin Niemoller was a German theologian and a contemporary of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. The German church received much criticism for failing to speak out against Hitler, and by default, allowing the extermination of over six million Jewish people. Niemoller was one of the few who spoke out against Hitler and this landed him in a Nazi concentration camp for seven years. Upon his release he penned the following verses:

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out -
Because I was not a Jew.

And then they came for me -
and there was no one left to speak for me.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, "Our lives begin to end the day we are silent about the things that matter."  If we give up our voice, we risk losing it for all time. Stand up for injustice. Speak the truth. Let your light shine!

We Have This Treasure

"But we have this treasure in clay pots so that the awesome power belongs to God and doesn't come from us. We are experiencing all kinds of trouble, but we aren't crushed. We are confused, but we aren't depressed. We are harassed, but we aren't abandoned. We are knocked down, but we aren't knocked out.

We always carry Jesus' death around in our bodies so that Jesus' life can also be seen in our bodies. We who are alive are always being handed over to death for Jesus' sake so that Jesus' life can also be seen in our bodies that are dying. So death is at work in us, but life is at work in you." 2 Corinthians 4:7-12

I've had a tough week. It's been back to work after the holidays, packing away the Christmas decorations, and returning to a routine. A beloved cousin of my husband's died, and I was viciously attacked by a vigilante group "in the name of the church." I've had better weeks!

Sometimes when you are at your most vulnerable you are open to a word from God. At the funeral of Garland's cousin, J. W. "Pete" Mangum, Dr. Sean Michael Lucas, of First Presbyterian Church in Hattiesburg, MS preached on this text from 2 Corinthians. Though a sinner and a weak vessel, Pete lived a life for Christ. He was a wonderful man who loved God and loved his family. I never heard a bad word spoken about him.

In my personal time of trouble, I needed to be reminded of the solid rock upon which I stand - Christ Jesus. Whatever tempts or rocks my fragile, weak vessel, I have a protector who is greater than any sin or evil which this world may throw at me.

Sometimes the "death" in our lives threatens to obscure the glimpses of Christ's life showing through our own. We need to lean on God, asking Him to put this death in subjection to His will, so that the light of Jesus might shine through us into the world.

At the family lunch today after Pete's funeral, my husband's guide dog, Maddie, was surrounded by Pete's great-grandchildren. The love of family is a powerful balm and healer. Thanks be to God for the gift of family, and of His son, Jesus!

New Year's Resolutions

Sometimes the stars align perfectly or, if you believe as I do, we get a glimpse of God in our earthly realm. Today was one of those days. Our Sunday School class was set to begin an 8-week series called The Wesleyan Way by Scott Jones. Prior to Sunday School, at the 8:30 worship service at Main Street United Methodist Church, Rev. Todd Watson's sermon, entitled "New Year's Resolutions" revolved around the theology of John Wesley. Coincidence? I think not!

Todd's sermon began with a reading from Malachi 3. Malachi was the last Old Testament prophet before Jesus appeared on the scene. Malachi lived during the time of Israel's captivity by the Babylonians. Small groups of Israelites were being allowed to return to Jerusalem, where they were rebuilding the Temple and the city walls. Despite these advances, things were different. The people were dying spiritually. Malachi tells the Israelites that if they will return to God, God will return to them. Things can improve.

We face a similar situation today. We are surrounded by beautiful facilities, we have relatively easy lives, but we are looking for momentum, something to carry us forward. We yearn for a return to God.

John Wesley encouraged believers to grow and move forward. Wesley composed a Covenant Prayer to help us return to God and renew our relationship with him. I was unfamiliar with this prayer, but find it so perfect for this time of year, this time of life:

I am no longer my own, but thine.

Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt.

Put me to doing, put me to suffering.

Let me be employed for thee or laid aside for thee,

exalted for thee or brought low for thee.

Let me be full, let me be empty.

Let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.

And now, O glorious and blessed God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

thou art mine, and I am thine.

So be it.

And the covenant which I have made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

As Todd read the prayer aloud, he encouraged us to use this prayer as a springboard for our return to a relationship with God. But - - do we really want to make this return? What are we willing to give up to get there?

As 2015 begins, what a perfect time to step back and examine our life. Where are we with God? Where do we want to be? Can we be open enough to stop blocking God's movement in our life? Can our life reflect our faith? Are we brave enough to claim God's possibilities?

Thanks be to God for a clean slate!