Day 35 - Speaking Truth

Reading:John 18:37

Yesterday on Palm Sunday, we heard Jesus’ powerful message that if the disciples were silent, “the stones would shout out.” Tonight, as we continue to immerse ourselves in Holy Week, Roger will preach on speaking - sometimes shouting - the truth.

As we prepare our hearts for Jesus’ crucifixion, we remember the words he answered to Pontius Pilate when he said, “My task is to bear witness to the truth. For this I was born; for this I came into the world.”

As Lenten disciples, we engage this week with living faith through our relationship with the earth. And so, as followers of Christ, our task is to bear witness to the truth that the world and all that is in it belongs to God.

We acknowledge that we sin and that our sin impacts our personal lives but also the lives of others in our communities and the entire environment around us. We cannot be silent about the effects that our poor decisions and our lack of foresight often have on the earth.

When you look around the community today and for the rest of Holy Week, what truths do you see about how our lives have affected the environment, from signs of climate change to thoughtless pieces of litter in the streets?

Instead of simply grumbling under your breath about these issues, pray and ponder what specific measures you will take to speak for the truth that we are to be stewards of the land and resources God has given to us.

Pray also for efforts that are already being attempted to preserve natural resources and endangered species, to promote indigenous plant and animal life, to harness excessive emissions of fossil fuels, and to clean up and promote recycling and renewable energy in the eThekwini Municipality.

Speaking out to protect aspects of the environment, from the stones to the oceans to the trees, is not simply the job of a few tree-huggers. It is the role of the body of Christ.

For, if we do not, the stones will, indeed, shout out.

Putting Faith into Action:

Write down at least three truths you see about the environment around you. These might be positive statements, such as the beauty of the trees along your street. Or, they may be challenging statements, such as the failure of your complex to comply with recycling. After writing these statements, pray over them, and commit to speaking to someone else about them — not to complain — but to bring to light the current, real struggle and contribute to a spirit of positive change, even resurrection.