Testify!
Michele McGrath of Huntington Beach, CA, USA
When you hear of wars and insurrections…nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom…there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues…This will give you an opportunity to testify. -Luke 21:9-11, 13
Some days, the news of one daily crisis after another seems to weigh too heavily on my heart. Environmental degradation is causing floods, earthquakes, droughts, and wildfires. Refugee families running from war and violence face dangerous journeys and are refused welcome or safety anywhere. Oppressive governments, rife with corruption, abuse human rights and democratic gains are lost. War, disease, poverty, pollution, extinction…how do we respond?
A quick scan of my Facebook feed shows me the range of human response. Some deal with this barrage out of a mindset of scarcity and fear. Feeling there is not enough to go around, they draw divisions between groups of people and judge sharply, responding in ways that are racist, homophobic, misogynistic, mean, cruel, and hurtful.
This is not God’s way! God speaks to us in the language of abundance and reveals the Worth of All Persons, the Sacredness of Creation, the twin blessings of diversity and community.
I am so grateful when I find prophetic voices on social media that testify that love is the true logic of the universe. They don’t always use those words, of course. They foster conversations about generosity and hope. They highlight the good work that people and communities of faith are doing around the world. They advocate for the vulnerable; they give voice to the voiceless; they are generous with their grace and good humor.
When the news is at its worst, followers of Christ are called to be at our best, pointing to the God of love who is always at work in the world. When the going gets tough, we testify!
Prayer Phrase
My ordinary life is a sacred place.
Spiritual Practice
Sacramental Living
“…our everyday ordinary lives are also sacred places, or put another way, the sacred place of our living. As dwellers within the Sacredness of Creation, there is potential to be aware and appreciate the holy within the ordinary. You may remember times when it felt like you were seeing the world through God’s eyes. That’s a good description for what it means to live sacramentally-to sense divine Spirit amid daily activities.” -Jane M. Gardner, “Sacramental Living,” September/October 2019 Herald, p. 5
How are you invited to live sacramentally today?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
