May 16 2020 Martyrs of Sudan – Hebrews 10:32-39

Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward. 

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I’m not going to pretend that I understand the complicated, commandeered and tragic story of Sudan’s governance. What I can say is that the country was divided up for political purposes, including the politics of various faith traditions, in a way that created increasing animosity between its people. There was a large fundamental Muslim contingent in the north, that was large enough to impose its fundamental understanding of Muslim law on the minority Christians in the south. 

Famine in the 1980’s heightened tensions, and civil war again broke out. Much of the fighting was in the name of Allah. I personally cannot imagine that Allah condones this, since Allah is only the translated name for God, that some children of Abraham use. In any case, four million people were displaced. A group of Episcopal and Roman Catholic clergy signed a declaration committing t’hat they would not abandon God, despite the plundering. Those who stayed in Sudan did not fare well. Two million were killed. That’s 2,000,000 people killed. 

I know that there was a crisis in Sudan, a famine in Sudan. I either didn’t know or didn’t grasp the extent of the man-made horrors. 2,000,000. 

It’s fascinating that one of the appointed reading for today is this bit from Hebrews. Do not abandon that confidence (in God). It brings great reward. It’s hard to imagine how rewarded the 2,000,000 felt. 

I suspect some think the reward is that they were able to meet Jesus. That seems wrong to me, sort of like people who tell a grieving parent that their child was needed in heaven. Um, no. 

Some may think the reward has to do with the resulting growth of the Church, which grew from 1.6 million to 11 million in 30 years. I don’t think people’s death is needed to grow an institution, even the church. 

So where’s the reward? Where’s the reward in suffering at all, or suffering explicitly for your faith? 

Although it does not compare to facing martyrdom, I’ve had a challenging year. My confidence in my faith doesn’t necessarily alleviate the suffering, but I do have  a deep sense that I am not alone. I don’t suffer in isolation. Jesus suffered, and through Jesus, God knows what human suffering is like, and through the Holy Spirit, God abides with me, knowing. This belief stems solely from a deep confidence. That does bring comfort. 

My confidence in faith also gives me a deep sense that my loved one is loved and comforted by God too. While their faith is not so deep, my faith assures me that through Jesus’ suffering, he knows. God knows. And through the Holy Spirit, God is with my loved one, and God is watching over us all. That my loved one is in God’s tender hands brings me comfort. 

For the martyrs of Sudan, I believe that their faith made them know they were loved, know God was with them, know All shall be well. Their faith made them know that their families, their country, their communities, were in God’s tender hands. Even in the midst of suffering – perhaps especially in the midst of suffering – faith in God brings deep comfort. 

And while I don’t think church growth is something to be comforted by, there is something about the legacy of the faith of those martyrs that could be counted as a reward. Today, 20 years later and half a world away, I’m writing about and inspired by their faith. Their commitment to their faith bolsters mine. 

This morning, I’m thinking about faith in the midst of suffering, and how the rewards are both to the sufferer and to unknown people who witness that faith. Today, I want to notice the faith of others, and let it wash me in a renewed sense of my own faith.