1 Samuel 1 New Living Translation (NLT)
1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.
3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children. 5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion because the Lord had given her no children. 6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.
8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle. 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.”
12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”
15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”
17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”
18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.
19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”
21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.”
23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.
24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull for the sacrifice and a basket of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. 27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they worshiped the Lord there.

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This story of Hannah’s faithfulness is inspiring to us – what confidence she must have had in God’s power! Many believe that her situation, and her solution, inspired Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mary’s prayer, also known as the Magnificat, recorded in Luke 1:46-55, shares many of the same elements as Hannah’s prayer of praise that follows the above scripture (1 Samuel 2:1-10). It is the prayer Hannah prayed after she left her son Samuel with Eli the priest at the Tabernacle in Shiloh.

So we know that Hannah’s prayer was answered and we also know that Hannah kept her vow to the Lord. That is the rest of the story – knowing the outcome. But at the beginning of this episode, Hannah had no such confidence that her anguish would be relieved through answered prayer. I think we can all relate to being in situations where we can see no good way out and finally accept that whatever our problem or circumstance, we must give over control to God through prayer.

And this is exactly what Hannah did. In her culture a woman needed to have children; that was her goal in life. In order to be accepted as a true wife, a woman needed to produce children, especially sons. Here was Hannah, the favored wife of her husband, but childless. It was a sad situation – the less-favored wife Peninnah could give their husband children, but that did not gain her favored status. Elkanah’s heart belonged to Hannah. Neither woman was happy. Peninnah worked out her frustration by taunting Hannah, ridiculing her because she was not able to give their husband children like she could. Perhaps this was why she was so unsympathetic to Hannah’s situation. Hannah did not respond in kind; instead she went to God in prayer – a very specific prayer – Please give me a child, a son.

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There was a time when we experienced a somewhat similar situation. Two of the members of a Bible study group we attended were a husband and wife, he was a research doctor and she was a graduate student in public health. She had a medical condition that made pregnancy unlikely, and there was a real possibility that she would not survive a pregnancy. Yet they asked our group to pray that she could conceive a child. Other members of the group, several of whom were doctors or nurses, shared with us that they could not pray for this outcome. They felt that if the couple were successful in becoming pregnant that the wife’s health was so fragile that either she would die or suffer severe medical consequences. They felt they just could not pray such a prayer. I was conflicted about how to pray, but I chose to pray for their success. Several months later they announced that they would be having a child. Everyone in the Bible study was cautiously optimistic, but that happiness was tinged with apprehension. We all continued to pray for a safe outcome. The rest of the story is that they were able to have a full-term, healthy baby girl. And interestingly, her pregnancy improved her medical condition. God answered their prayers in a powerful way.

Hannah did not have access to the many medical treatments of infertility that are available today. There were no medical journals for her to look at; her only source of help was prayer. And that is where she finally turned in sorrow and desperation. She was not timid in her prayer. She asked God for a son, and in that asking, she also gave a vow – if God granted her prayer for a son, she would give that son into God’s service. What faith that prayer must have taken!

After praying, she left the Tabernacle, and she was no longer depressed. She must have been confident that her prayers would be answered and that she would bear a son. How often we have prayed to God and made vows to serve God if only God would answer our prayers! We have heard examples such as: “If the test results come back negative, I will change my lifestyle to a healthier one.” Or “If I avoid an accident on the icy highway, I will go to church every Sunday.” We have all heard (and perhaps made ourselves) similar promises to God if only God will rescue us from some situation that is beyond our control.

But how often we have forgotten those vows made once our prayers have been answered. Such was not the case with Hannah. She willingly gave her son into God’s service as soon as he was weaned. Even though her giving up her son was done willingly, it was not done without heartache and pain. That took great strength of character as well as faith. There was no question in her heart or mind that because God had honored her prayer that she would honor God by keeping her vow. She was obedient and faithful to her word. That meant that she needed to tell her husband of her plan to give his son into God’s service. That must have been difficult for her to do and for her husband to accept. His son conceived with this favorite wife would not have favored status growing up in his household. Giving up a child to be raised by another is a heart-wrenching decision.

Hannah’s response to leaving her son at the Tabernacle shows again just how deep her faith was. Instead of asking God to help her grieve this loss of her son, she gives God praise (2:1-2). Again, how selfless her act was, just as was Mary, the mother of Jesus. Both women accepted God’s words and actions with faith. Their sons would impact people and nations, both while they were living on earth and throughout the ages. Hannah’s son, Samuel became a prophet, counselor, and Israel’s greatest judge. He was the one who would anoint David as king, David who was in the direct lineage of Jesus.

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In today’s world we are called to give up and let go of those we love, not as completely as Hannah, but we all have had feelings of loss or worry or concern when we have had to let go of some influence over another. I remember Pastor Doug commenting when we registered our first child for kindergarten that this was the beginning of the end, the end of our almost complete responsibility for our son. We were giving over some control to teachers and others involved with the school system. We needed to trust that those new caregivers would treat him well.

Teachers also may have misgivings at the end of the school year for some of their students, hoping that they have adequately prepared each student to move on to the next level of instruction. When a couple marries, their families give over some control of their child to the love and care of the chosen mate. Implicit in all of this “giving over to another” is the faith that those others will love, cherish, and care for a the loved one. Even when a child chooses to go out on their own, faith to let go carries with it the hope that the child will remember lessons taught to them in earlier days by parents and others. There is also the hope that they will continue to trust in God’s leadership so that healthy decisions can be made. Giving up and letting go is hard, but if we can have confidence that God is still a big part of the decisions that are made, we can feel less worried about how well a child will react to all of the difficulties that are sure to come.

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God has called each of us to be nurtured for a time, to learn and grow in faith, and finally then to become secure in our own faith and confidence in God’s leading that we can nurture others and help them to learn and grow in their faith so that they can, in time, nurture others. God has entrusted the work needed to be done in our world to us – God’s family. God lets us go so that we can do the things God desires for us to do. What faith and confidence and trust God has given to us in this “letting go.” At the same time, although we are given the freedom to prayerfully make our own decisions, God is ever beside us in the form of the Holy Spirit. We can know with certainty that God is always with us; we never have to make decisions alone. Thanks be to God!

-Pastor Joyce Donigian

Wednesday June 3, 2020

1 Thessalonians 1:2-10 2 We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, 3 remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father, 4 knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

5 For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. 6 And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit,

7 so that you became examples to all in Macedonia and Achaia who believe. 8 For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything. 9 For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.

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In this letter to Christians in the city of Thessalonica, Paul is complementing them for their visible faith. I’ve divided his words into three sections, each adding an important thought. Much of what he tells them can encourage us as well.

In the first section, Paul begins by saying that good behavior like theirs leads him to give thanks and prayer support for them. We are encouraged by this to give thanks for one another and to pray for one another. The other side of this coin is for us to do something which will encourage others to give thanks and prayer support for us. This is not so we can be puffed up. It is for God’s use and glory. Every prayer that gives thanks to someone for being an example of Jesus is a bit of glory for God.

Paul then affirms that their saving relationship with God was not shallow. They weren’t just agreeing with words and promises. Good behavior was visible to others. Paul especially complimented their patience. I think he meant they did not get frustrated and stop when they hit roadblocks.

In the second section Paul describes the origin and nature of their faithful behavior. They were empowered to act with the help of the Holy Spirit. There was power in their actions, beyond what they could have done alone. For some of us, shelter in place is giving us time to ask the Holy Spirit to enter us and assure us and empower us more completely. Moreover, their expression of faith was not casual. They were joyous about their new faith. And they did not take the easy path. They faced opposition and did Christian work regardless.

In the third section, Paul describes the fruit of their faithful behavior. Others saw or heard about them and they became examples that encouraged others. Paul explained that their reputation spoke so clearly that he did not have to do all the work of convincing others. This is really true at First UCC. Our mission work, our music, and our community meals show faith that we pastors could never convey with words.

The point is that what we are seen doing has a huge effect of what others think. Good behavior convinces other of the truth of our faith. Bad behavior does the opposite.

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Here is an example. In the 1960s there was growing opposition to the war in Viet Nam. However, some of the anti-war group expressed themselves in ways that alienated those who they hoped to influence. I was in college at the time and a debate was scheduled on campus between anti-war and pro-war supporters. I went into the auditorium to hear the debate. There were news media in attendance. As a group, both the debaters and the audience were dressed neatly. The debate began with both sides stating their positions.

Then, 5 minutes into the debate, 4 people dressed as hippies came in. They walked down the center aisle and sat in the front. Two young men and two young women. The men were dressed in torn, dirty, and flapping clothes. They had long hair and tattoos, not usual at the time. The women were also disheveled and tattooed and their clothes were equally torn and dirty. They were obviously braless. I was on the aisle but could not tell which smelled most unwashed as they passed; I’m guessing they all were competing.

Immediately the newsmen sprang into action. Cameras began flashing and others with camcorders followed and proceeded them down the aisle. The debate was mentioned on the evening TV news. There were hundreds of neatly dressed people in the auditorium. All the video coverage was on these four. They made the issue a debate over cultural norms of appearance rather than about the war. This kind of confrontation simply hardened the positions of both sides. During the democratic convention of 1968, the sides came into more and more extreme conflict.

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Behavior has a huge effect on the opinions of others. I hope escalation does not take over in the aftermath of George Floyd’s death. I pray the legitimate issues don’t get lost in divisive behaviors. I pray we do not harden into irreconcilable positions on this as well.

In the Roman empire there was a great deal of suspicion and hostility about the growing Christian faith. Good behavior by the Thessalonian Christians, according to Paul, changed minds and gained converts throughout the region. Nero’s violent persecution of Christians did not have its intended effect. It hardened the view of Christians that Rome and the Roman system was wrong. By patiently continuing to act non-violently, Christians won over others until the Roman Empire converted.

For all of us today, how we respond to the Coronavirus pandemic will influence what others think of us and our faith. May our love for one another continue to show.

Amen.

Pastor Doug.

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Tuesday June 2, 2020

John 3:1-21

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2 He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ 8 The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” 9 Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” 10 Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
11 “Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. 20 For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. 21 But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.”

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We read John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” This wonderful sentence tells us so much about life. We exist. There is a world here – and it is loved by God. That alone is amazing beyond understanding.

Due to our aches and pains and disappointments, we may take ‘existence’ for granted. At low points we may condemn existence and agree with discouraged prophets who said they wished they could just die or had never been born (Job 3:3, 1 Kings 19:4, Jonah 4:8). Better not to exist at all, they felt. If we feel discouraged, we are in good company. God was sympathetic with their distress and their lives went on. So also God is sympathetic with us. We have been born. Existence is real and it is amazing.

Even better, existence is not accidental or neutral. It is designed as an act of love. How do we know this? To begin, Jesus said so, for example in John 3:16.

On the positive side there is additional evidence. There is joy and fun and companionship and good food and beauty in this world that we experience throughout our lives. There is also mission. We are equipped for mission, for doing things, and there are mountains of things to do. We have a lot of choice about what part of the mountain we take on. We fit our space here. What we see and what we feel and what we do are all part of God’s plan of love.

On the negative side, how does pain, disappointment, sickness, and trouble fit into God’s loving plan? It teaches us. It equips us. It prepares us. Paul declared (Romans 5:3-4), “3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” And, mercifully, troubles in this world are temporary. They do not last forever. When we die, we do not just perish. We are offered eternal life in a wonderful place with God.

“Offered” eternal life does not describe how hard God worked to convince us to accept it. Jesus entered this world as a human being and went through many struggles ending in crucifixion to make this offer known and possible. He has motivated believers for two millennia since then to spread that offer among non-believers. Such effort shows so much love.

This is verse 16. What about the rest of the chapter? Verse 16 is part of a surprising conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus. Pharisees taught that God’s will for people was fully expressed in the Jewish law. Anything beyond the Jewish law was forbidden. Because Jesus’ teaching went far beyond this law, the Pharisees opposed him at every turn. But Nicodemus was so impressed by his miracles that he came to listen to Jesus without condemning him, a brave, as well as surprising, act.

At the beginning of their conversation, (John 3:3–10), Jesus’ main explanation to Nicodemus was that following the law was not enough to build a saving relationship with God. A change of heart, a rebirth ‘from above’ was necessary (John 3:3). ‘From above’ is sometimes translated ‘again’, as the Greek word, ‘ανωθεν’, carries the same meaning. Nicodemus thought Jesus meant literally ‘again’. Jesus’ explanation seems more like ‘from above’.

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Much more can be written about what being “born from above” entails. I believe this is what it says about God’s wonderful offer of eternal life. This offer is automatic when we believe Jesus is God’s son. Believing Jesus is God’s son isn’t just an abstract belief about Jesus, however. It must include the belief that, if he is God’s son, Jesus’ teachings are authoritative. Humility, compassion, and forgiveness are not optional. They must take over our hearts. Belief that saves is belief that joins us with God, with his person, with his love, with his plan, and with his goals.

At the end of the conversation (John 3:17-21), Jesus tells Nicodemus something we know all too well. It is not easy to accept Jesus and Jesus’ teachings. They run counter to what many grow to love. They run counter to selfish behavior that seeks personal gain at the expense of others. Jesus does not mince words. Exploitive, oppressive behavior is sin and darkness.

Although Jesus did not mince his words or message to Nicodemus, he spoke to him from his heart. And later accounts show Nicodemus defending Jesus (John 7:50) and place Nicodemus along with Joseph of Arimathea helping with Jesus’ burial (John 19:39). It appears that his heart was changed, reborn from above, and he accepted Jesus’ offer of eternal life. I hope so.

God’s wonderful, loving creation and plan for us includes us becoming more like Him. Becoming more loving people. For us, who are still sheltering in place and waiting for Bucks County to go yellow, let us think about what living in God’s love means. Covid-19 is a dangerous disease. Loving as God loves is doing our best not to give others this disease. Let us be comforted by God’s love. Let us continue to be safe.

Amen.

-Pastor Douglas Donigian

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Monday June 1, 2020

It is the same with my word.
I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to,
and it will prosper everywhere I send it.
You will live in joy and peace.
The mountains and hills will burst into song,
and the trees of the field will clap their hands!
Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow.
Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up.
These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name;
they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.”

Isaiah 55:11-13 (NLT)

Every week in many churches around the world, The Lord’s Prayer is said by Christians of every race, gender, and age. The prayer is structured to acknowledge the sovereignty of God – that God is ruler over all, and it starts with a pleading for the Kingdom of God to come “on earth as it is in heaven”. Then, the prayer includes asking God to provide us with what we may need, to forgive us of our wrongs, as we forgive others of their wrongs, to keep us far from temptation, and to deliver us from evil. Why? Because the Kingdom, the power, and the glory is God’s. Amen.

But the Lord’s prayer is not meant to be simply mere words that we have to say on a Sunday morning, or when we may say these words in our prayers during the week; the Lord’s Prayer is meant to be personally, and culturally, transformative in pointing us toward the truth that God has, does, and can intervene in our world, and that we are meant to be a part of that intervention.

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The passage from Isaiah for today’s devotional speaks to the power of God’s intervention in our world by proclaiming that even the seemingly impossible things can be done by our God. For what mountains sing? What trees clap their hands? What vegetation can grow and thrive amidst thorns and weeds?

God has and will continue to work within our world to restore it, to heal it, and to redeem it – Especially where it seems impossible to do so.

But if we, as God’s followers do nothing for that mission besides saying a prayer and not letting it transform us…we miss the point of the Lord’s Prayer, and we miss the mark on being a “light to the nations” (Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 49:6).

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On May 25, 2020, an African-American man, George Floyd, was restrained by a white police officer who put his knee and some of his weight on the neck of Floyd for over 8 minutes, which caused Floyd to die at the scene. While Floyd was on the ground struggling to get the words out “I Can’t Breathe!”, the officer kept his knee in place, and the three officers who were with him stood by and did not seek to aid Floyd.

The aftermath of Floyd’s death resulted in protests that called for the officer’s arrest for what is clearly brutality, excessive force, and murder, and justice for the officers who stood by.

Some of these protests have turned into violent riots – including the damage of government and private property and businesses, and violence against police forces, as well as against the protestors.

Riots are, by nature, chaotic, and they are seldom seen as positive by the broader public. But we have to ask, even when we don’t understand – what are the riots in response to?

Our nation has seen many instances of unarmed people of color being beaten or killed by police. Also in May 2020, 25-year old African-American Ahmaud Arbery was out for a jog, and he was killed in cold blood by white civilians in the street.

In the outbreak of Covid-19, Asian-Americans have received racial slurs, looks of fear, and have been genuinely afraid for their lives, simply because of the color of their skin.

Our nation has seen peaceful protests against these kinds of instances, and many have ignored the weight and truth behind the statement of #BlackLivesMatter and replaced it with #AllLivesMatter. All lives do matter, but that is precisely what Black Lives Matter is getting at; some people do not seem to believe that Black Lives Matter.

In 2017, some people from my hometown Alma Mater of Quakertown, called an opposing football team’s cheerleaders racial slurs, told them that black lives don’t matter, and then when the team loaded onto their school buses, some Quakertown students threw rocks at the buses while they continued using racial slurs.

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Racism is still alive and well in 2020 America. Racism is still alive in my hometown. And racism is anti-Christ. There is no way to reconcile praying for God’s Kingdom of hope and peace to come, with people who pray these words continuing to act on, or support, racism.

In addition, I do not think that it is right to say these words in our prayers, and to remain silent on issues of prejudice; to not speak up against it when we know of it.

If we cannot strive against prejudice, we cannot, truly, be a light to ALL nations and ALL people.

If we do not listen to the cries of the oppressed, we ignore the calling of God upon us to work towards bringing the Kingdom of God to earth through our compassion, through our words, and through our actions.

If our faith has as bright of a Hope as we claim, the kind of Hope that believes that God can do the seemingly impossible, then we need to be people who live that Hope by striving against injustice and racism that is a part of our fallen world.

Black Lives Matter to God, and God is continually seeking to aid the oppressed. How can we do our part as followers of God now?

-Jon Bauman