Today, the Jewish world begins reading the book of Leviticus. It starts with God calling out to Moses.

At the end of Exodus, the moment Moses completed assembling and setting up tabernacle, “Then a cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.” (Exodus 40:34)

God was there. Moses was there. And yet, God had to call out to Moses.

Was Moses waiting for God to approach him? Was he afraid? Did he think his task was completed, that it was now someone else’s turn?

Something held him back. But waiting for the call to action, the call to do the right thing, can lead to inaction. To missing an opportunity to step forward. To waiting interminably for just the right moment.

Sometimes there is no right moment. Sometimes you have to jump in and do the right thing because you know it is right, because you know that the time may not be right, but the message is urgent. As the wonderful John Lewis so famously said, there is a time to make good trouble.

It is time to make waves, to speak out, to be unafraid. Perhaps especially when you are most afraid.

I thank God for the many thousands of people who are marching today, taking to street corners in small towns and descending upon our nation’s capital. They are standing up to send a message. Many of them likely are afraid. Despite their fear, they rise.

May our hearts rise with them, and may they continue doing the daily hard tasks of working to make this nation a better place.