The following message from one of our pastors is from the most recent Outlook newsletter.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Justice

As we approach the July 4th weekend, let me share a few thoughts with you that come from Elie Wiesel, Nobel Laureate, Congressional Gold Medallist, and Medal of Freedom recipient. He posits that all people have dreams of happiness, peace, and liberty. He understands that there is something in the human heart that seeks these qualities. He reads in the Declaration of Independence a people’s desire not only for sovereignty but also justice. The Declaration calls us to stretch to our highest ideals, ideals from which we have frequently fallen far short, but are there to call us yet again. From his own personal experience, he sees in the American heart a compassion for the refugee and respect for others. He recognizes that at times in our history we have not always allowed our compassion and respect to flow, but there have always been some voices who would remind us of our core principles.

Wiesel, who was liberated from the Buchenwald concentration camp by American soldiers, writes, “Hope is a key word in the vocabulary of men and women like myself and so many others who discovered in America the strength to overcome cynicism and despair. Remember the legendary Pandora’s box? It is filled with implacable, terrifying curses. But underneath, at the very bottom, there is hope. Now as before, now more than ever, it is waiting for us.”

This July 4th, as we do our celebrating, may we also dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of justice and hope for all.

See you Sunday,

Jim Standiford

 
Dr. Jim Standiford