Reading 18: Speaking Up

Read Mark 14:43-72

I enjoyed visiting the Art Institute of Chicago while growing up in a nearby suburb. While I loved Impressionism, I was also drawn to the work of Ivan Albright, whose life-size painting, “That Which I Should Have Done I Did Not Do” (also known as “The Door”), fascinated me. The work features a door with a wreath, and a hand reaching toward the knob, all of which looks decrepit and decaying. Albright’s other work was similarly macabre, but he considered this his most important work.

Something about this painting helped me see, even as a young person, that we sometimes have difficult decisions to make in life, and that some opportunities are fleeting. Even when we spare ourselves stressful situations, we may later deeply regret our decisions.

In this Bible passage, Jesus speaks the truth, even knowing he will be condemned to death. Peter, on the other hand, repeatedly denies knowing Jesus. While he understandably did so out of fear, he is still left to regret his decision.

Like Peter, I often find it hard to speak up. Fear of embarrassing myself or making others angry can be enough to keep me quiet. As I’ve become older, however, I’ve noticed that the regret I feel over not having done something can be more distressing than the thing I was trying to avoid.

While Peter denied Jesus in this reading, we know that he was later given many opportunities to speak up about Jesus, and, with the help of God, he did and was instrumental in the growth of the church. The same can be true for us. Even though we may avoid an opportunity to speak up, with God’s help, we can try again. Speaking up can be hard, but so much good can happen when we do.

When has it been hard for you to speak up?

What would you like to speak up about, and what do you need to make this happen?

Dear God, thank you for your example of speaking up in difficult situations. When I miss out on an opportunity to speak up, give me the courage to find my voice and try again. Amen.

Kimberly Dunbar is the Outreach Ministry Coordinator for Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Brevard. She will begin the new Religious Leadership program through Lenoir-Rhyne/LTSS in Fall 2018, and hopes to become a deacon. She feels blessed in many ways especially by her nine-year-old daughter, Sophie