One of the toughest acts to carry out is to rise up from a position of comfort and engage in a task that requires our full commitment and engagement. Many parents or parental figures can recall moments when feeling sheer exhaustion, they experienced the blessing of a place of rest and comfort, a sweet zone where they hoped no one would interrupt their sleep. However, I am sure that most of these beloved caregivers would report that on more than one occasion, the cherished state of comfort they had found was interrupted by the call or cry of a child who needed care in the middle of the night. During moments like these, parents process so many thoughts: Maybe I’m not really hearing the call; or maybe somebody else will respond to the cry; and the central thought: my child needs me; as tired as I may be, I must respond, I must get up! During an era where our societal narrative so often includes accounts of violence involving and impacting children in their schools, their neighborhoods and even their homes, we must “get up!” No matter the actual time of day, for our children, it’s the middle of the night, and they are crying out for help, for healing, for love. We are at a point in time where we must accept collective responsibility to live as agents of God’s healing of the hearts, minds, and bodies of all of our children, and to function as ambassadors of God’s hope who safeguard children’s health, safety and positive development. Like Phillip, who in response to God’s call gave up his sweet zone and comfort spot, and got up and traversed the wilderness highway from Jerusalem to Gaza, where he would guide an Ethiopian eunuch into a relationship with Jesus Christ, we, too, must respond to God’s call for us to sacrifice our sweet zones of comfort in order to get up for our children! Commit to their healing; engage in actions that give them peace. Respect them! Protect them! Never neglect them! Get up!
Prayer:
O living, loving and liberating God, give us the level of
fortitude that required in order for us to break the chains of
personal and societal comfort, so that we may embrace, embody and
demand the things that make for peace and healing of all of our
children. Amen
*****
Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan Jr. is a fourth generation Disciple who recently celebrated the 30th Anniversary of his ordination to ministry. He is the President of the Disciples Justice Action Network (DJAN), and has recently completed a stint as Executive Director of Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, a national victims' families-led anti-death penalty organization. Dr. Sullivan also served as Regional Minister and President of the Northwest and Pennsylvania regions, respectively.
*****
Rev. Dr. Jack Sullivan Jr. is a fourth generation Disciple who recently celebrated the 30th Anniversary of his ordination to ministry. He is the President of the Disciples Justice Action Network (DJAN), and has recently completed a stint as Executive Director of Murder Victims’ Families for Reconciliation, a national victims' families-led anti-death penalty organization. Dr. Sullivan also served as Regional Minister and President of the Northwest and Pennsylvania regions, respectively.
*****
A Little More...Reconciliation Ministry:
http://reconciliationministry.org/
Our 2016 prayer vigil theme is Helping Our Children Heal from Violence. For more resources visit disciplesjustice4children.org and docfamiliesandchildren.org.
Our 2016 prayer vigil theme is Helping Our Children Heal from Violence. For more resources visit disciplesjustice4children.org and docfamiliesandchildren.org.
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