let the stones speak

After more than a few conversations with folks this past week, it has become increasingly evident to me that many of us hate turning on the news. When I have asked the question, “How are things with you?” the answer has increasingly become, “I am good if I can ignore the news.” People are tired of the onslaught of bad news. 

​It doesn’t matter where we turn—social media, television, newspapers—they all inundate us with headlines and photos of the suffering of this world. We hear about earthquakes and natural disasters, and the images flood our minds and can break our hearts

What doesn’t make the news very often is good news. There is very little coverage of the local lemonade stand. There is very little coverage of the good things going on in the world. It seems as if good news just doesn’t pay the bills for the news outlets. We need more stories of friendship, love, and peace.

Jesus said that if people in power tried to stifle the message of love and a kingdom of peace, the stones themselves would cry out. This message cannot be silenced. You can kill all the prophets—Gandhi, Jesus, Martin—but the stones will cry out.

If the message is stifled, then the stones will cry out. But maybe it isn’t physical stones that cry out. Maybe it is us that cry out. We are the living stones of the Church and when the message of Christ is stifled and drowned out time and time again, then the stones will cry out, then the stones must cry out.

As living stones, we cry out, save us.  We also cry out that enough is enough. We cry out that the evil in this world seems to keep its stranglehold on humanity and that no matter what happens, we are diametrically opposed at every turn. We cry out to God for God to do something. Maybe, just maybe, God is calling us to cry out with one voice, to drown out the evil of this world with our witness to love…
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37 Now as he was approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38 saying,
“Blessed is the king
    who comes in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven,
    and glory in the highest heaven!”
39 Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”
~Luke 19
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Peace,
Travis Segar, Pastor for Care and Community