September 2020
 
Saving Civility

 We may be in the most divisive and contentious season of American life since the ‘60’s…the 1860’s. Everywhere we turn, thoughtful, civil conversation has been tossed out the window. Of course, it is nothing new to have social conflict during an election year, but our current issues run far deeper than political differences. Lives are at stake—our own and the people we love. At this moment, over 190,000 Americans have died from a virus that some consider a hoax. On September 4, a new model used by top health officials projects the number of deaths in our country will go over 410,000 by January 1, 2021.
 
The relentlessness of this virus has created a deep angst. By now, we all know someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. It may be us. Some of us have had loved ones die. On Monday, Sept. 7, our first United Methodist pastor in Missouri died from COVID. Rev. Fred Luper was the pastor of Elwood and Onward UM Churches. Please pray for his wife Jane, their family, his churches, and all who loved him. There are at least 14 more UM pastors in Missouri battling COVID. Please seek God for their full healing.
 
The tragedy of a worldwide pandemic would be more than enough to rachet up our rhetoric, but there is more. Multiple videos of deadly racial injustice have rattled our nation’s soul. Thankfully, a broader awareness of personal and systemic racism is bringing hope for new and long overdue progress. More white Americans than ever before are seeing the deeper problem and desiring to address unresolved issues.
 
The final trial of this troubling trifecta is an economic meltdown. With over 22 million jobs lost in April and May, economists now say millions of those jobs, perhaps 40 percent, are gone forever. The personal toll of these lost jobs on individuals and families is impossible to gauge.
 
When our lives, our livelihoods and our dignity are on the line, the first casualty is civility. With so much at stake and emotions running high, we are seeing extraordinary levels of hurtful and sometimes hateful speech on social media, among families and friends, in schools, in workplaces, and even in churches. But we do not have to stay caught in conflict. It is a choice. In a quarrelsome culture, here are 5 Ways to Save Civility.
 

1. Begin where you agree. Find common ground and stand there first.
2. Be a learner, not a judger. We naturally default to judging, assigning blame, and thinking, “What’s wrong with them?” Instead, switch to a learner mindset and ask, “What can I learn?” “What do I want for others & for me?” “What assumptions am I making?” Jesus put it this way, Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 
3. Stick to the facts. Avoid exaggeration or embellishment. Sticking with verifiable facts builds trust.
4. Speak like you are right and listen like you are wrong. By all means, hold your convictions, but hold them with humility. Say, “This is what I believe. Help me understand what you see that I don’t see.”
5. Win the person, not the argument. Winning an argument at the cost of losing someone for whom Christ died is too high a price. The Apostle Paul counsels Christ followers to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). Even if we ultimately agree to disagree, we can still love others by respectfully treating them as we would want to be treated. Love is something we do.

 
In conflicted times, people long for someone to model a more excellent way. At the height of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln delivered a speech that referred to Southerners as fellow human beings who were in error. An elderly lady chastised him for not calling them irreconcilable enemies who must be destroyed.
 
“Why, madam,” Lincoln replied, “do I not destroy my enemies when I make them my friends?”
 
Perhaps Abe was on to something, something we need today.
 
Praying to model a more excellent way,
Roger Ross
P.S. For encouragement, you can receive a weekly Prayer Text by texting KINGDOM to 573-227-6557.
 
 
As our country and world continue to battle COVID-19, we are painfully aware of the racial and ethnic injustices that plague our national character. We have much to bring before God. 

Feel free to pray for a different area each day. Thanks for praying!
 

• SUNDAY:  REPENTANCE & SALVATION- Pray that as we humble ourselves and seek God’s face and turn from our wicked ways, God will release healing, salvation, and justice across our nation and world (2 Chron 7:14). By faith, see the people of God, the church, standing in the gap for the sick, the oppressed, the hurting, the lost, and the lonely. Lord, multiply your Kingdom through us. 

• MONDAY:  PEACE- Pray for God’s perfect love to cast out all spirits of division, suspicion, anxiety, panic, and fear that threaten our communities and sense of community.

• TUESDAY:  LEADERSHIP- Pray for wisdom, truth, direction, compassion, and strength for all leaders (political, medical, economic, religious, judicial) facing tough decisions. In particular, pray for Bishop Farr, the leaders of the Missouri Conference, and all our pastors and church leaders to seek God’s wisdom to guide their steps to best care for those in physical & spiritual need.

• WEDNESDAY:  JUSTICE- Pray for justice to roll down like waters and right living like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:24), so we may repent of racism and overcome the evil powers of this world with good. 

• THURSDAY:  RESOURCES- Pray for sufficient human & medical resources for our healthcare systems as well as necessary resources for all other sectors (i.e. financial) and institutions (i.e. schools, churches, local government).

• FRIDAY:  PROTECTION- Claim the blood of Jesus as a shield and healing over people, institutions (esp. Schools and Universities right now) and systems as well as all first responders and medical personnel in the battle against COVID-19. Please pray for Jane Luper, the wife Fred Luper, our first UM pastor in Missouri to die of COVID. Also remember Fred’s family, his two churches, and all who loved him. His funeral is on 9/12. Please seek God for full healing for at least 14 more UM pastors in Missouri battling COVID.

• SATURDAY:  RESEARCH- Pray for all types of researchers to develop an effective, affordable, and safe COVID-19 treatment and vaccine.

• (Some prayers adapted from Rev. Dr. Peter Bellini, a United Methodist Pastor and Professor at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, https://davidfwatson.me/2020/03/14/10-guidelines-for-prayer-in-these-covid-19-times-by-dr-peter-bellini/)