Finding Something To Live For

[Note: Today’s guest bloggers are Rick and Marcy DeJesús-Rueff. Marcy is a retired educator and has been a member of Spiritus Christi Church for over twenty-seven years.  She is also the founder of Spiritus’ Buddy Readers ministry and is one of the leaders of the Spiritus Indigenous Solidarity Group. Rick is retired from a 47 year career in higher education in which he worked to increase access and opportunity for those often left out of higher education.  He continues to be active in the community, serving on the boards of non-profit organizations. Thank you, Rick and Marcy!]

“…when you have something to die for, then you have something to live for.”  – Myles Horton

The question at the heart of today’s reading from the Book of Daniel is this: What are we willing to die for so that we have something to live for?  Do we have sufficient faith in our God to follow the path of justice even as we face the threat of retribution from the current administration and those who would offer it support?  How will we put our faith into action as they put our faith to the test?

As we absorb the harsh reality of the rollout of current executive orders, which has made cruel disregard for the human dignity of others a signature policy, we can take some solace in the April 5 “Hands Off” protests conducted around the nation.  Here in our community, an estimate of three to four thousand people congregated at Rochester’s Cobbs Hill to protest against this administration’s policies as well as the work of billionaire Elon Musk to seemingly make the federal government incapable of fulfilling its responsibilities to senior citizens, veterans, hospitals, schools and colleges – essentially, to make the federal government unable to meet the needs of “the least of these” (Matthew 25) and therefore to ignore Jesus in our midst.

In today’s reading from the Book of Daniel, (3:14-20, 91—92, 95) we are told of the protest of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.  They protested King Nebuchadnezzar’s demand that they worship a golden calf, a false god.  They were steadfast in their protest, so steadfast that they were willing to suffer a fiery death at the hands of an evil king rather than betray the one, true God in whom they believed.

What might we make of their defiant protest in the face of what appeared to be a powerful leader who was capable of stripping them of their lives in a cruel manner?  We may speak of their courage, of their determination, of their strength of character or of their ability to overcome their fears.  Yet, what is clear, is their faith in God that made them capable of exercising all of the qualities just described – courage, determination, character, and fearlessness.

What does this faith enable them to do?  While the Book of Daniel describes them surviving the fiery furnace into which King Nebuchadnezzar had them cast, perhaps it is more important to recognize that before they were cast into that fiery furnace, they declared that even if they were not protected from the flames, they would still remain faithful to their God.  That is, they were willing to accept death if that is what faithfulness required.

Back during the Civil Rights era of our nation, college students came together to protest racial segregation, first by conducting lunch counter sit-ins, but then moving on to working on voter registration for Black people in areas of the nation which systematically denied Black people the right to vote. They created the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, SNCC, to pursue their goals despite the tremendous opposition they faced from those in our nation who supported racial discrimination.  Their opponents were willing to kill SNCC members in order to thwart their efforts to register Black voters.  Sadly, we know that those threats were real as SNCC members Goodwin, Schwerner and Cheney were viciously and cruelly murdered in Mississippi.  They were just three of many who perished during the Civil Rights era at the hands of those who opposed racial justice. Yet, as they considered how to confront evil, SNCC members were remined by one of their mentors, Myles Horton, that “…when you have something to die for, then you have something to live for.”

Those of us who showed up to protest on April 5 took one small step towards “the fiery furnace.”  What is the next step we must take, with our faith in God as the source of our courage, determination, strength of character, and our ability to overcome our fears?  Is our next step to participate in a boycott of those companies that support the MAGA agenda?  Is it to work on voter registration drives?  Or to help get out the vote?  Or is there something else that should be our next step?

And let us remember, Shadrach did not stand alone, he was joined by his brothers.  Goodwin, Schwerner and Cheney did not stand alone, they were part of SNCC.  All of us who showed up on April 5 can continue to stand together in support of each other as we work to elect a government that will act with generosity, compassion and care for “…the least of these…” among us.  We stand up not just for ourselves, we stand up for “…the least of these…”, we stand up for Jesus, WE STAND UP FOR EACH OTHER!