What does courage look like? Sometimes sacrifice. Yes, sometimes reward, but sometimes sacrifice.
Our staff had for weeks been looking forward to a Christmas outing. Perhaps no one was more excited, than our minister himself who had specifically chosen this outing, and had repeatedly described to us rather zealously what it would be like.
The day came for this outing, and rather incidentally, it coincided with the biggest of the student protest marches that were rampant among most of our universities towards the end of 2015. Our minister gathered our staff minutes before we were about to excitedly embark upon our Christmas adventure. He told us that he wanted to cancel the outing, and instead, join the students – not so much as protesters, but rather to come along side the students, to hear to stories, and in some small way show that the church wanted to journey with them.
I didn’t initially have courage. I wanted to hand over sacrifice to someone else, and go on our Christmas outing.
After 10 minutes of presence at the protest, and hearing individual stories, I was aware that there was no where else that I would rather have been. Sometimes it takes the courage of one person – the sacrifice of one person to awaken the courage of someone else.
Someone asked me today why the church was silent during the student protests.
It wasn’t.
Our archbishop was brave enough to clear his diary, and take all his bishops to where the protests were most violent. Our bishop was brave enough to stand silently outside the cathedral in full view of the public.Our minister was brave enough to stand there and take us with him. Sometimes courage means cancelling the party.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Mat 5:9
