Given by Rev. Madison Shockley September 6, 2020
We are living in extraordinary times. Our reading talks about the people of Israel living through dark times. The prophet, Ezekiel, lived in Israel during this time of great catastrophe. They were held in captivity in Babylon. It was Ezekiel’s job to keep the Israelites faithful during these times. Just like the Israelites, we must hold on to our values and tenets of our faith. God’s call to the prophet was to speak to a rebellious and stubborn people. Hearing these words today sound like Ezekiel is speaking to America too. There have been others prophets. All have spoken God’s message and warned us in love. This has given us an opportunity to repent and change. It is up to each of us to listen and take this warning. It is not easy to talk to people who we disagree with. We must continue to speak though. We must listen and try to understand. There must be a dialogue. As of today, 180,000 have died from COVID-19. Conspiracy theories are too numerous to count. We must keep talking. We must warn them in love.
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