It can take courage to speak up. It can also take courage to keep quiet.
Sometimes the right thing to do is to speak up. Sometimes we have to bear witness to the truth or advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. A model from the Bible is the prophet Jeremiah. He was imprisoned several times for speaking truth that the people did not want to hear. Nonetheless, he persisted, because it was the right thing to do. It took courage.
Sometimes the right thing to do is to keep quiet. Sometimes our comments are not helpful. Sometimes our comments are a distraction from our mission. A model from the Bible is Jesus. Jesus was a great leader and speaker, but it wasn’t his words or his miracles that saved us. We were saved by his silence, quietly going to the cross to pay for the sins of humanity. The Bible says he was like a lamb led to the slaughter, never opening his mouth. It took courage.
In our sermon this Sunday, we will look at the courage to speak up, and the courage to keep quiet.