Being Bold

Weekly Devotion – October 16, 2011 – Boldly Shaping Partners of God for the Transformation of the World

Theme/Title:      “Being Bold”       

Scripture:     Mark 15: 42-43; Ephesians 6: 10-20; & Acts 19: 8-10

Media:          Montage of boldness http://proves.glogster.com/boldness/

Reflections:

We progressive, United Methodist Christians don’t want to offend, make people feel uncomfortable or in some way cause someone anxiety.  We also live by a motto: “Live and Let Live – Believe What You Will.”  So it is hard for us to think about being “Bold!”

Boldness implies all the things we are hesitant to do and be: A bold person may be willing to risk shame or rejection in social situations and be willing to bend rules of etiquette or politeness. Boldness does not necessarily mean obnoxious; it is possible for one to be bold, while staying silent. Outside a social context, "boldness" can also refer to a willingness to get things done, even despite risks.

There is no other way to get the message of God’s grace and love out into the world except by faithful people boldly speaking the truth and living the faith.  How can we hope to make the world a better place if we aren’t willing to be bold about it?  You can’t change the world and remain hidden, soft-spoken and unnoticed.  Think about those who have changed the world: Civil Rights marchers, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr., suffragettes, Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement, demonstrators in Tiananmen Square, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, those who participated in the “Prague Spring”, etc… examples of boldness for a cause that was just and right, a cause whose goal was to change the world for the better – which is God’s goal too.

To be bold means taking a risk, being visible and willing to suffer the consequences of the boldness you live.  Boldly doing anything shows your level of commitment and reflects the seriousness of what it is you are being bold about.  Only when people of faith are willing to boldly engage others and the world do great and wonderful things happen.  If Joseph of Arimathea hadn’t asked for the body of Jesus there won’t have been a tomb.  If Paul hadn’t been willing to stand up to the arguments, taunting and physical abuse we might not have the church we have today.

We all need to be bold in living our faith – like it or not God needs us to be beacons and loudspeakers broadcasting the grace and love of God to the entire world by our words and actions and in this way we can shape the world and others into what God dreams it can be.

Meditation: Have I been living my faith boldly?  If so how?  If not, why not?  How serious am I about what I believe and value?  Am I serious enough to live it fully and obviously?  What would me living my faith boldly look like, sound like, feel like?

Prayer: Pray for boldness.  Offer thanks for the boldness of others.  Pray for God’s help to live your faith boldly.