02-11-23

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
February 11, 2023
​On this day in 1861, the United States House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution guaranteeing non-interference with slavery in any state remaining in the Union. It was an attempt to hold the Union together at a time when multiple states had already seceded and Civil War appeared inevitable. There were those who adamantly opposed slavery, yet they chose to vote with the Yeas. I know government is all about compromise, but I just cringe at the thought of saying anything is more important than liberating enslaved people. I recognize how the cringe comes from someone living 150 years after that moment in time, yet there were those who consciously set aside something so central to their convictions in an attempt to hold off a war that happened nonetheless. As people of faith, what are our core convictions? I’m not suggesting we all have the same identical list, but what do we claim to value above everything else? Do we compromise on those things? I have my list, yet lately I have recognized places where I have given ground for reasons I cannot describe as worthy. Oh, maybe I can create what sounds like a good justification, but in the end, am I making concessions that might sound good but allow suffering and injustice to remain in place?

O God, this faith thing looks easy on paper, but it can be a lot more challenging and complicated in the day-to-day implementation. I do not wish to compromise on love, mercy and justice, so I pray for assistance in standing firm when standing firm is needed for the sake of the vulnerable, the powerless and those who have no voice. Amen.