Verse of the day
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”
– Matthew 5:9
Voice of the day
Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.
– Dalai Lama
Prayer of the day
May we continue to strive toward peace and freedom for all.
Verse of the day
[L]earn to do good; seek justice; rescue the oppressed; defend the orphan; plead for the widow.
– Isaiah 1:17
Voice of the day
A healthy patriotism must always be tied to the project of building a more just and inclusive America.
– Adam Russell Taylor, “Frederick Douglass, The Prophet Isaiah, and Healthy Patriotism”
Prayer of the day
Creator, help us practice healthy patriotism today and every day.
It is not so difficult to understand why, through all the ages, people searching for the meaning of life tried to live as close to nature as possible. Not only St. Benedict, St. Francis, and St.Bruno in the olden days, but also Thomas Merton, who lived in the woods of Kentucky, and the Benedictine monks who built their monastery in an isolated canyon in New Mexico. It is not so strange that many young people are leaving the cities and going out into the country to find peace by listening to the voices of nature. And nature indeed speaks: the birds to St. Francis, the trees to the Native Americans, the river to Siddhartha. And the closer we come to nature, the closer we touch the core of life when we celebrate. Nature makes us aware of the preciousness of life. Nature tells us that life is precious not only because it is, but also because it does not have to be.
This Monday is the Fourth of July, Independence Day. In 1776, the Second Continental Congress ratified the Declaration of Independence. The Thirteen Colonies declared that they were no longer subject and subordinate to the King of England. It was a moment of serious risk-taking by the signatories. By signing the document, they were effectively saying they were committing treason against the crown. It was at once a solemn declaration by the leadership and a huge celebration as the yoke of oppression was lifted from their shoulders.
So, what does the Fourth of July have to do with the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost and the Gospel reading from Luke, Chapter ten? That is what I would like to explore a bit in this blog. In the reading from Luke 10, Jesus appointed seventy others to go out and prepare the way for the Lord. Jesus didn’t send them out one-by-one, he sent them out in pairs. He said that he was sending them out like lambs into the midst of wolves (10:3). They would need each other for support as well as protection on the road. They weren’t sent out independently one-by-one, they were sent out in a community of two.
They were charged with bringing the message of God’s peace to the cities that Jesus would be visiting. In a sense, they were his advance team and charged with preparing the way for Jesus. Jesus’ instructions to them seem strange at first glance. I’m sending you on a journey but don’t bring your suitcase. You won’t need a purse, your bag, or even an extra pair of sandals. I can hear them saying this to Jesus after receiving those instructions, “Wait a minute, don’t bring anything other than what we are wearing, Lord? Seriously? And don’t greet anyone on the road?”
In my own journey with the military, we always had a bag packed with extra uniforms and enough personal items to last ninety days. The reason for having the bag packed was so that when the order came to “move out,” we wouldn’t be distracted by trying to find all our gear and packing at the last minute. We were supposed to be focused on the mission at hand without any distractions.
Commentators have said that the reason Jesus told them not to speak to anyone on the road was because that could cause a delay and their mission to prepare the way for Jesus was urgent. If a town didn’t want to hear their message or welcome them, they were told to simply knock the dust of that community off their sandals and leave.
As I studied and reflected on this story, I came to realize that the Spirit was teaching me something about life and ministry. Our culture is so focused on the history of rugged individualism that to be anything other than strong and independent was a sign of weakness. Instead of that sort of individualism or independent spirit in life, perhaps we should look at life differently. Jesus relied on the seventy to carry his message of peace and the kingdom of God to the people. The pairs that were sent out had to depend on each other and on the hospitality of those villagers who welcomed them into their homes.
As Christ-followers, shouldn’t we do the same? Relying on each other and caring for (and loving) our neighbors is a sign of tremendous strength. Instead of being so doggone independent, shouldn’t we rely on each other and support/encourage each other in life and ministry? So, on this Independence Day weekend, I’m going to focus on the way that I am called to be interdependent as I serve the Lord. I can’t do it alone and the Spirit is really good at opening doors and guiding Denise and my steps as we seek to serve and share the good news of God’s peace, love, justice, and mercy in our daily lives. So dear reader, I wish you a Happy Interdependence Day!
Gratitude…goes beyond the “mine” and “thine” and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.
Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint. . . . The choice for gratitude rarely comes without some real effort. But each time I make it, the next choice is a little easier, a little freer, a little less self-conscious. . . . There is an Estonian proverb that says: “Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” Acts of gratitude make one grateful because, step by step, they reveal that all is grace.
“What is magnificent about humans is when they decide to turn and stand. If they respond with nonviolence on principle and hold their ground, they are really magnificent.”—James Crosswell
As Denise and I sat out on our front porch at the townhouse, it was a beautiful evening. Watching the lightning to the North and listening to the frogs croaking after a lovely morning rain was truly a blessing. As we settle in to our new home and ministry, the sense of calm and peace is so apparent. Continually entertained by Stella’s hijinks we find ourselves laughing a lot. In such a setting as this, it is easy to understand and appreciate Thomas Merton’s thoughts about Love being his identity, character, and name.
Be blessed this night, dear reader, and know that you are indeed loved and appreciated… more than you may know 💖
Verse of the day
For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Do not fear, I will help you.”
– Isaiah 41:13
Voice of the day
Do not stop at the wall looming before you. Make a door. Make a door wide enough not only for you but for others. Keep moving.
– Maggie Smith, Keep Moving (2020)
Prayer of the day
Heavenly protector, be with us as we stand before the looming wall. Help us construct places of freedom for all.
Verse of the day
I lift up my eyes to the hills— from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.
– Psalm 121:1-2
Voice of the day
No hour is ever eternity, but it has its right to weep.
– Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937)
Prayer of the day
Sit with us in our anguish, Lord. Be our comfort in our weeping. Guide us as we do your will.
The trouble with much of civic religion and cultural Christianity is the lack of religious experience. People who haven’t had a loving or intimate experience with God tend to get extremely rigid, dogmatic, and controlling about religion. They think that if they pray the right words, read the Bible daily, and go to church often enough, it will happen. But God loves us before we do the rituals. God doesn’t need them, but we need them to tenderly express our childlike devotion and desire—and to get in touch with that desire. The great commandment is not “thou shalt be right.” The great commandment is to “be in love.”—The Earth Is the Lord’s; and, The Sabbath (Cleveland, OH: World Publishing Co., 1963), 75, 76–77.
