I began my column in the Wakefield News/Bessemer Pick & Axe on April 1, 2019 – no fooling! This is the article that I shared back then; it seems just as appropriate now.

I’m tired. I’m tired of opening my email news feed to stories with blurred pictures, blurred because graphic images have been blocked. I’m tired of staying up late on Saturday night or getting up early on Sunday morning to rewrite prayers for worship. I’m tired of saying, yet again, that the white supremacist agenda is not a Christian agenda. I’m tired of saying over and over that it is wrong when anyone picks up a gun and kills people because they: worship God by a different name, love someone differently, have different color skin, speak a different language, come from a different country, or whatever. This is wrong! I’m tired of the simple fact that I have to respond to these sorts of things at all!

It’s time to act, instead. It’s time to share stories of people working together. It’s time to share images of various faith communities cooperating with one another. It’s time to share how people care for one another. It’s time to tell a new story, such as: the story about the community that helped the farmer whose barn collapsed under the weight of the snow or the story about the people who are helping ranchers in Nebraska whose cattle are drowning in their fields. It’s time to share all of the stories about people who live out the love of God – by whatever name they call God. It’s time to live lives of caring and helping. It’s time to change our world.

You might think, “We’re from little bitty Ewen, Trout Creek, Bruce Crossing, Bergland, Kenton … What can we do?” We can do MANY things. We can let the TV stations know that we want to see these stories of love and cooperation. We can share these stories on FB, Twitter (now called X), etc. We can send articles to local newspapers. We can call or send postcards to our state and national representatives and senators, and even our president. We can show what Christian faith really looks like!

We have a God who loves everyone so much that he was willing to die for them. Luke 13:31-35 tells us that some people said to Jesus, “Get away from here. Herod is trying to kill you.” And Jesus responded, “Tell that fox that nothing is going to change God’s agenda. I’ll be working. I’ll be healing. I’ll be teaching. I’ll be feeding the hungry. I’ll be headed to Jerusalem – knowing full well that I will die when I get there. Herod can’t change that.” Then Jesus compares himself to a Mother Hen who desires to gather her chicks under her wings to give them shelter.

In the battle between a fox and a mother hen, the fox wins. Right? Not according to Jesus. In God’s agenda, the Mother Hen wins. She protects her chicks. She covers them with her wings. She camouflages them. She hides them from the predator. SHE may die in the process, but she saves the chicks.

In the battle between Herod the Fox and Jesus the Mother Hen, Jesus the Mother Hen wins. He protects all people. He covers them with his mother-hen wings. He wipes away their sins. He hides them from Satan’s claim upon them. He dies! But he saves the people. And his victory is even more complete when he defeats death itself – rising from the tomb three days after his death.

This is the God who needs to make the news! This is the Lord whose ways we imitate. This is the teacher whose love we learn and live. We need to stop reacting and start acting. We need to get the word out there. We who believe in a God of love need to stand up to hatred and violence with love and peace.

Only love can conquer hate. Only light can defeat darkness.

It is time that we show God’s love and shine God’s light into our dark and broken world.

Shalom, Pastor Kay