Dear Friends,
The story goes that many years ago now, the late Premier Khrushchev of Russia was speaking before the Supreme Soviet and was severely critical of his predecessor, the late Premier Stalin. While he was speaking, someone from the audience sent up a note that said ‘what were you doing when Stalin committed all those atrocities?’ Khrushchev shouted ‘Who sent up that note?’ No one stirred. ‘I’ll give him one minute to stand up’, said Khrushchev. The seconds ticked by and still no one moved. ‘All right, I’ll tell you what I was doing’, said Khrushchev, ‘I was doing exactly what the writer of this note is doing now – exactly nothing. I was afraid to be counted’.
Last week we stood in silence to remember and give thanks for those women and men who were not afraid to stand up and be counted as they made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. Without their courage in the face of all that was going on in the world, who knows what this land would have been like by now. But compared with some other countries, our lives have been easy since then, and sadly there have been those who have not stood against things that were wrong when they had the opportunity to do so. Perhaps life has been too easy!
The Body of Christ in our land in all its traditions is facing an unprecedented crisis. Dwindling numbers and spiralling costs are causing immense problems. As disciples of Christ we have an opportunity to stand up and be counted. After all, having faith means having trust in God. It means following his Word and yielding our lives to him. It means fully trusting in him to lead us. And Jesus says of those who can do this, ‘not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your lives’.
With love and blessings,
Marion
Categories: Minister's Blog