Resisting Evil, Injustice, and Oppression October 18, 2025

Throughout the month of October, we've been reminded together what this faith community is all about - like going through a membership class together. If you have missed a Sunday, you can catch up on the app by clicking the "watch" button and selecting the week you want to watch! While there are no advantages to membership, if you would like to join Hope UMC, we'll offer that opportunity at the beginning of worship on 10/26 and 11/2.

Part of what is asked in the ritual of membership are questions of faith. Borrowing the words of a colleague, "I ask you now the Questions of Faith, not as a test, but as a way for you to express the grace of God at work in your heart and soul." The three questions asked point both inward and outward:

• Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this world, and repent of your sin?
• Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?
• Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Savior, put your whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the church which Christ has opened to people of all ages, nations, and races?

Today I am especially aware of the middle question, accepting the freedom and power to resist evil, injustice, and oppression - AS an act of faith! That looks different for each person. An old friend of mine, who has tended to lean right, is giving retirement time to a NPO supporting immigration. A Chicago United Methodist pastor who has prayed every morning outside the detention center in Broadview was beaten and arrested yesterday morning (later released) for her witness.

Many of you are choosing to be present at the protests today. Just as needed are those unable to get out but praying from their home, like my friend Roberta Bortell, whose life we remembered in a service yesterday. And we never forget the daily battles some are facing in their own homes or minds, that requires a depth of resistance.

Please know I am praying for each of you and I'm in it with you,
Jennie