The Oasis - January 27, 2021

by Pastor Dan

Today is January 27th, a day designated by the United Nations as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. I plan to keep this week’s reflection brief, for one because I share this week’s Oasis with some important words from Pastor Eric, but also to leave space for us to hear the voices of so many who were silenced during the Nazi regime.

Today, people all over the world pause to remember the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, and the millions of other victims of such a horrific period in history. We pause to remember, because despite the commitment to ‘never forget,’ the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau was 75 years ago. We have had a lifetime to let the memories of the past fade into images from a bad dream, yet the sins that led to such atrocity still linger in this world. Bigotry and injustice and cruelty still exist in hearts and in actions, and it is the calling of righteous people everywhere to stand against those wherever they appear.

I ask that we all observe a moment of silence this day to honor the victims of the Holocaust—those who died, and those whose lives were forever changed by it. Let us feel their hope for a better world in our hearts, and let us listen for the voice of God in our midst.


Loving God, hold us when we stumble, give us strength when we are weak, protect us when we are oppressed, and give us courage when we are afraid. Help us to remember what has been, help us to recognize what is, and help us to imagine what could be, so that we can build together a world without horrors, a world without hate, and a world where only love wins. Amen.