“Protect Your Light” by The Rev. Kaji Douša

When Jesus tells us to be light of the world, to be light for the world, it occurs to me that light has to be protected. I look at the work of our prophets who are shining light on God’s truth and calling out injustices or difficulties that the world doesn’t want to hear about. And as I watch my friends who are so boldly speaking truth, I also watch the back end of that, where trolls come out and threaten them, where people actually send bombs to their homes. Most of the people who have a checkmark by their name and say things that a lot of folks don’t want to hear are also under pretty consistent threat of death, so that our prophets, just as has always been the case, are being opposed, and yet I think about the light that they’re shining on behalf of God. I look at a candle, and how, when the wind is blowing around that light, around that wick, the candle can so easily be blown out. The wind is the trolls, the wind is the evil. What are we doing to protect that light? I call on people of faith – of all faiths – to look for your prophets and consider how far you’re willing to go to protect them, because if we are called to be light, that means we’re also called to protect that light. Amen.