On Thursday, October 1, the Rev. Dr. Robert M. Franklin, Jr., addressed the 海角社区 community for The Bernhard Christensen Symposium. His topic: 鈥淢oral Leadership: Integrity, Courage, and Imagination.鈥� As Dr. Franklin listened to insightful Auggie students鈥� inquiry and questions to his presentation, he lifted up the call for us all to 鈥渟teward your moral authority.鈥� In doing so, he quoted the recent departed civil rights activist and U.S. House of Congress Representative from Atlanta鈥檚 5th district, John Lewis. Rep. Lewis wrote in his final words to the American public in the July 30th The New York Times Op Ed piece, 鈥淭ogether, you can redeem the soul of our nation.鈥� Leaning into MLK鈥檚 words, Rep. Lewis went on to write, 鈥淓ach of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up, and speak out.鈥澛� Thank you, Rep. Lewis and Dr. Franklin, for reminding our Auggie community that our call to serve as neighbor to each other neighbor is a moral obligation. May we have the integrity, courage, and imagination to do serve.
Let us pray:
O God of righteousness, stir us to stand up, speak up, and speak out with moral courage. The very soul of our nation depends upon it. Too often we are witness to and, at times, part of the failure of leadership to address the four-fold pandemic of COVID-19, systemic racism, climate change, and economic injustice. Embolden us to:
seek forgiveness where we have failed;
re-orient ourselves to your ways of mercy and loving-kindness;
listen to the needs of others with humility;
heal the hurt within us and around us;
work alongside each other for shared liberation;
imagine new ways of living into reconciliation and peace;
and celebrate love鈥檚 truth and power alive in each other and in all creation.
This we pray in your holy name. Amen.聽
Rev. Justin Lind-Ayres
University Pastor