DAY 125
Faith in the
Midst of a Pandemic
A series of daily
reflections for people of faith
by Rev. Robert
Bayley, Interim Pastor
Patuxent
Presbyterian Church, California, Maryland
Week Eighteen – Friday
17 July 2020
A WEEK OF PRAYER FOR OUR WORLD IN
CRISIS
Authoritarian Regimes
O God our Father, whose Son forgave his enemies while
he was suffering shame and death: Strengthen those who suffer for the sake of
conscience; when they are accused, save them from speaking in hate; when they
are rejected, save them from bitterness; when they are imprisoned, save them
from despair; and to us your servants, give grace to respect their witness and
to discern the truth, that our society may be cleansed and strengthened. This
we ask for the sake of Jesus Christ, our merciful and righteous judge, Amen. - The Book of Common Prayer: For Those Who Suffer
for Sake of Conscience
“In January 1933, after frustrating years in which no
government in Germany was able to solve problems of economic depression and
mass unemployment, Adolph Hitler was named chancellor. By playing on people’s
fear of communism and Bolshevism, he was able to persuade parliament to allow
him to rule by edict… . Most Germans took the union of Christianity,
nationalism, and militarism for granted, and patriotic sentiments were equated
with Christian truth.” - Introduction to The Theological Declaration of Barmen,
Germany 1938. The Book of Confessions of the Presbyterian Church USA
Today we pray for “those who suffer for the sake of
conscience.” One of those in Nazi Germany was Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer who,
along with other pastors, could not as a matter of conscience embrace the
unholy mixture of Christianity and the authoritarian administration of Hitler,
who in pubic feigned an embracing of traditional Christian beliefs but who in
private disdained them. They eventually paid for following their consciences
with their lives. And today?
“Authoritarian leaders may use the COVID-19 crisis to
tighten their grip. … In Hungary, … it is now a criminal offense to spread
misinformation about coronavirus … and criticism of the regime is dismissed as
‘fake news.’” - Recent article in an international news report
Ancient Israel had two types of rulers: those who did
what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and those who didn’t. Times haven’t
changed, and people of conscience who speak up find it costly.
Reflective question: From your conscience,
will you pray “that our society may be cleansed and strengthened?”
Reflective Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:19 – “Holding
faith and a good conscience.”
Reflective hymn:
“Once to Every Man and Nation” – Jams Russell Lowell
(1819-1891)
Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth and falsehood, for the good or
evil side.
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