This coming Monday is Remembrance Day – a day when we honour those who have given their lives for the freedom of all who call this land their home. We do them a grave injustice if we ever take that freedom for granted.
With this in mind and in the wake of the election results in the USA – when the freedom of so many women, people of colour, and those in the LGBTQ2S+ community is at risk – I am compelled to express how deeply important I believe it is that we do not allow ourselves to become divided. This is not about partisanship; it isn’t even about politics. We needn’t agree on all the issues. It is, however, about human rights and being faithful to the Gospel of Christ. If we are lucky enough to feel unaffected, we need to be listening more closely to those of our friends and neighbours who are affected. What happens to one of us happens to all of us. That is what it means to be a follower of Jesus.
I know I am preaching to the choir. But, even those of us with good hearts and good intentions can become frozen in sadness and fear, convinced of our own helplessness. So what can we do in the face of seemingly overwhelming evil?
We do what Jesus modelled for us. We pray without ceasing. We listen generously. We weather storms and break bread together. We love one another. We refuse to resort to violence, even when we are being threatened. We speak up against corruption, and for those who are oppressed, even at the cost of our own comfort and privilege.
And we remember and proclaim that God has already broken the chains of evil and death. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not (and will not) overcome it.
Mother Amanda