Friends, we lifted up a few names of people who risked their lives while speaking up against the injustices they witnessed or experienced themselves. During this month I will share with you stories of persons whose stories are less known but their contributions were equally meaningful. One such name is Claudette Colvin -- a civil rights activist in Alabama during the 1950's.

So, this week during worship we heard about Jeremiah’s calling to be a prophet. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jer. 1:5). Jeremiah lived in difficult times, politically speaking. He ministered from around 627 BCE, during the reign of King Josiah over Judah (considered one of Judah’s last good kings), until after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonian Empire and the exile of so many Judeans in 587-86 BCE (This was the same Babylonian exile I wrote about last week.) Jeremiah’s prophetic career would involve crying out against Judah’s infidelity to its covenant with God and warn of God’s judgment. (Long story short, the people wouldn’t listen very well, and the exile would happen anyway.)
 

Friends it is a cold and frigid day today, but this is only the beginning from what I am hearing. I hope that we will all make wise choices and be careful if we need to be out and about! Even though I am in the safety and warmth of my house, something else gave me chills this morning. An email, from Church World Service, reminded me that: “January 27th marked two years of attacks by the administration against refugees and Muslims.” Meredith Owen went on to speak about the impact of bans on refugee and Muslim bans on the lives of many and how it also has hindered our capacity as a nation to welcome refugees. The refugee admissions goal for Fiscal Year 2019 is set at 30,000, which is ‘a new record low.’