“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the vitriolic words and actions of the bad people, but for the appalling silence of the good people.”[1] This quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. eloquently summarizes chapter seventeen of Richard Stearns’ The Hole in our Gospel.

Let me summarize the chapter differently.

Where the cry of justice should be heard the church should never have laryngitis.

Psalm 19 states that creation speaks of God’s glory in such a way that there is no place “where their voice is not heard” (verse 3 NKJV). That should be our story too.

Certainly, no church can do everything, but every church should be doing something to ensure that God’s justice and glory gets heard in every corner of our world.

Here at Grace we’re attempting to do our part. Without excluding our other priorities of prayer, worship, teaching, and pastoring our community, we’re attempting to grow in our compassion and concern so that we’re never AWOL when we should be present to serve.

If you’re in the LA County area this Sunday night I would love for you to join me at our 5:30pm Bridge service where we’ll be viewing the human trafficking documentary, Nefarious: Merchant of  Souls. This heart-wrenching movie will undoubtedly enlarge our hearts with God’s burden for the women and children trapped in the sex trade industry. Afterwards we will receive information about how we can partner with Traffick Free Pomona, a ministry of Pomona First Baptist Church that exists to pursue the end of trafficking in our region.

Thank you for your heart and compassion for our world. You are needed and you are loved!

The Hole in our Gospel Reading Program Chapter Seventeen: AWOL for the Greatest Humanitarian Crisis of All Time