Have you ever been hushed? Someone gives you the eye- you know the look – that you need to be quiet. Or they actually say – hush! Maybe some of us heard that often as a child. Maybe some of us hear it now. Hush, be quiet, or worse.

They tried to hush Jesus. In human terms – they did. In a passage from the Bible’s Book of Matthew – Jesus angered the religious hierarchy, his voice silencing theirs for the moment, and at least to the human eye at the time, He paid the ultimate price for doing so. So my question is: Who’s paying the ultimate price now?

If you are familiar with my ministry for the conference, you might assume that I am about to launch into a diatribe about the albeit obvious silenced voices of our times. Though as always throughout history, silenced voices at some point erupt. The MeToo movement. The March for Our Lives movement. women in the middle east, domestic violence, the LGTBQI movement, the environment, historically the civil rights movement  etc. Once silenced, today we hear a multitude of voices for justice on many topics. Voices that are rising up, some with more success than others, all needing our support, especially as a denomination who’s canon is justice and mission. So you might think I’m here to issue the needed call for continued public support for the voices once silenced now rising.

But none of that is what I wish to share about today.

The silenced voices that I want to talk about are ours, yours and mine.

Entertainer Tina Fey noted in a recent interview with David Letterman that to proclaim opinions on current events, especially but not limited to, anything political, is like landmine hopscotch. How many people do you know that are so divided by their respective opinions that they are no longer friends, no longer on speaking terms. If we stop talking, and equally important, if we stop listening, we will never move forward, as a church, a community, state or nation. Perhaps, because things have become so divisive, and as a nation we seem to have been given permission to speak caustically, neglecting respect, perhaps we are indeed moving toward a self-imposed silence. Whether to a small degree or completely, I have run across many people who are drawing within. Keeping it light, or keeping it tight. Refraining from saying what they really think. Friends we do not, we do not, have to agree with one another. It’s ok. We are only called to speak with civility and respect. Called to open hearts and open minds if you will.

While our silence may be a good place to momentarily rest, it is not a good final destination! There are important reasons for us to have the inner strength to speak up.

Our silence can be interpreted as our approval. Silence is an active form of communication. We are always being observed by others, especially as Christians.

Secondly, the greater good should always be a priority. Some of us stay silent for fear of condemnation or criticism. Or out of concern that we may offend someone. But by staying silent we may contribute to the harm of the very people we are trying to help.

Third, your voice is important. No one else may know what you know. You can’t assume the obvious is obvious. Your experience and knowledge have value. People can’t read our minds.

Lastly, when we share with one another we may find community. There may be others who hold the same opinion. Or your conclusions may be a springboard for others to examine the issue before us in a new way. Jesus gathered the 12. The momentum continued after he died and rose, and moves on and on, today. With you, with me.

It bears some self-examination, doesn’t it. Why am I silent? What is keeping me in that place? What do I believe so strongly in that I know, deep in my heart, just as Jesus challenged the status quo, so too must I? My voice will NOT be silenced. Not by the crowd. Not by the status quo or the powers that be. And certainly not by my own choosing.

If I now determine to tiptoe back into the waters, or jump full throttle on the hopscotch landmine, how do I do this – without hurting you, without hurting me.

There are ways to speak that promote civility, where we can demonstrate strength and not weakness in our thoughts, voice and conviction. Where we can have robust, passionate discussion and still know that the beliefs we hold in common far outweigh any issues that divide us. David Zubik, a bishop in the Roman Catholic diocese of Pittsburgh has published 9 points regarding civil dialogue that we can find helpful.

1. The first point is listening to one another. Authentic listening means that we do more than simply take in the words from another person. Authentic listening means we look to be empathetic, to understand the heart behind what is being said.  That we proactively look for the bridges we can build between our differing opinions.
2. Second, as we engage with someone who has a different opinion, that we posture ourselves with the presumption that we are each working for the common good. That we actively believe we can find places where we can stand together first, and then address where we disagree.
3. We live in a democratic society. We have been assured of our right to freedom of speech. So in that assurance, next Bishop Zubik asserts that we should recognize the validity of the various groups in society. I don’t think it is a challenge for me to recognize that there are Republicans, Democrats or Independents – each worthy of my respect whether I philosophically agree or not. But we know there are groups or causes not worthy of our respect, such as groups that would advocate for the annihilation of a particular race or religious belief. To quote Bishop Zubik “These ideologies must be heard for what they are – efforts to deprive some human beings of the dignity and respect that is theirs as children of God.” So while they are protected under the First Amendment which allows the expression of their ideas, as people of God we must condemn them firmly and without violence. Remember what I said about our silence being interpreted as our approval. No… we cannot be silent. Christ… knowing his world as he did, and what could happen and by God’s will and scripture what would happen, and He could not, would not, and will not be silent.
4. Next – we show respect for those with whom we differ. At the very least we can affirm their desire to make the world a better place. Perhaps we just don’t agree on the method.
5. Fifth, we enter always into a spirit of inclusion. That means all members of society. We become in tune with the language we use, as well as our body language. While we may not agree, none the less we can disagree in ways that do not hurt, embarrass or defame the other person.
6. We must distinguish between fact and opinion. Whenever possible let the facts speak for themselves. Now I will grant you, learning the facts these days is so much harder than it used to be. With biased news organizations on both sides of the political equation or for that matter the religious right or left, finding the facts is easier said than done. Social media and the internet have given rise to finding some source that will support whatever we want to believe. But it is our responsibility to seek out the facts and share those.
7. Yet facts only get us so far don’t they. Disagreements about values are difficult but essential, so we need to have those robust discussions. We can offer critique without insulting the person.
8. We should not assume we know someone’s motives. Noted Methodist author Lyle Schaller stated that people come to their beliefs and opinions by virtue of their experiences. It would do us well to remember we likely do not know someone’s full story and therefore have no justification to judge another person’s set of beliefs.
9. Lastly but not least, we must be willing to be self-critical. At Annual Conference we as your General Conference 2016 delegates of which Anthony and I are both a part, in reviewing The Anatomy of Peace talked about the fact that we need to be willing to take a hard look at ourselves. We need to examine the roots of our own positions, and the motivations behind those positions, so that we are clear about the whys and hows of our beliefs, and perhaps, as we go through that self-examination process, modify our own thinking. I have always believed that I can learn from someone whom I disagree with, so I do need to listen. I only ask that I be given the same consideration.

If we embraced these points for holy conversation, if we embraced that we are all part of the same Christian family – yes family, truly brothers and sisters in Christ, and we know families have disagreements… if we truly believed in each other, what would the process of coming to a mutually satisfying solution look like? Can there be a win/ win? What would our respective levels of frustration look like if we were respectiful? Would be we willing to stay just a little longer with the ‘other’?

Just this past weekend, at a memorial service for Rev. Dr. Hal Cowart in Tucson, I ran into an old friend of mine, a lay member in one of our south district churches. It was great to see him – it had been a long time. He said to me, Billie, you remember I’m pretty conservative right? We both smiled and I said Yes, I remember. He said, Well I have a story to tell you. And he proceeded to tell me that one of our clergy had passionately convinced him to volunteer at The Inn Project, which is our Conference ministry helping refugees who come into this country. He told me about how he meets with people, and their beautiful little children. How he not only volunteers at the site, but now takes them to the bus station, explaining what can some times be a difficult route and reroute of tickets. With tears in his eyes, he told me what he had learned about people’s hard and long journeys through the desert. He shared that he just can’t understand how children, babies, are being separated from their families, and he fears with such pain in his heart, that family reunification may never occur. Some time ago, my dear conservative friend would never have lifted a finger to help someone who had come into our country undocumented. I asked him what he had learned. He answered that compassion and love triumph over political differences. That there has to be a better way. That there has to be a better way and whether its this issue or any other facing our denomination today  ///   he’s staying a United Methodist to help be part of the solution.

My friend’s stance was modified because one of our clergy saw his heart first, and had the presence to engage in the conversation. To not, be silent. To try. And in this case, try, try, and try again until he finally said, OK.

So we must find our voice. A voice who finds its foundation in a unity larger than the issues that divide us. The unity of the Creator God who brought you here today, who will send you out tomorrow, who will see you through the journey ahead. We must raise our voices strong. Because, if we don’t:

From the Apostle Paul… Simon:

Hello darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping
Left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone
‘Neath the halo of a street lamp
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking
People hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence

Fools, said I, you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you
But my words, like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon god they made
And the sign flashed out its warning
In the words that it was forming
And the sign said, the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls
And whispered in the sounds of silence

Yesterday I met with an amazing group of women. All liberal. All bright. All amazing. We come together on a monthly basis to discuss politics, possible actions, and really just to share our triumphs and trials in the current atmosphere we find ourselves in.

Number one on many a mind was the current administration’s duty to present a candidate for the Supreme Court. This administration’s second time to do so. In just over a year. Almost assuredly to be a strong rightest of winged conservative, and depending on who’s announced – rumored candidates if chosen will have the ability to serve 40 years or more. A stacked court with a conservative bent. Which it was before today, but there seemed to be some room for moderation.

Beyond the years it will take to redo the undo that has been going on for the last year plus, this decision will ensure a direction for this country that will greatly benefit one demographic – wealthy and white. With a few tokens thrown in to make it look for the people by the people. Or perhaps screw the people.

Not far from POTUS, the acronym SCOTUS almost sounds like a dirty word. Certainly at the moment it holds a negative connotation for someone like me and my cohorts. As my mind wanders, I think, “Well, these well educated lawyers then judges now ‘here comes da judge’ judges – shouldn’t they be able to effectively evaluate a given case without political bias & be objective? Do the right thing because its the right thing to do kind of work ethnic. I probably went wrong starting at the beginning part of the phrase – ‘without political bias’ didn’t I. Or maybe, just maybe, I didn’t go wrong and the voices on the highest court in the land will surprise me. It could happen.

So as we dust the sand off our feet and move forward, we know we have a responsibility. To hold each other up, to not give up, to be there when one falls, to say, this can change. To know facts and act on fact not fiction. To keep our heart and mind clear for the common good. It’s just going to take some work. A hell, of a lot, of work.

My quote on this home page states this country will be what we make it, or allow it to become. I’m not going to stand silently on the sidelines. If you’re still reading at this point, I assume you’ll be by my side.

Thanks for joining me! I have something to say and need the freedom of this forum to speak to you, and you to me. Poppycock or not.

This country will be what we make it or allow it to become.