I am involved in several different
organizations in the community and state: civic, religious, political and
recreational. Most of these profess standards of unity, cooperation, the common
good, and in the case of the religious organizations, the first and great
commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and mind and
strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.” On our best days we actually
come close to living up to these lofty goals. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “there
is no limit to the good we can do if we do not care who gets the credit.”
At other times, our human desire for
recognition, power and reward gets the best of us and as soon as the prayers
for unity end, the knives come out, at times, even in the church. This past
week I was involved in several activities, some reflecting “our better angels,”
and others, not so much.
Two examples from last Sunday’s scripture readings may help us see
ourselves more clearly and inspire us to find a better way. In Second Samuel 18
we see how conflict within King David’s family lead to a disruption of the
kingdom and the death of David’s son Absalom:
"Then the Cushite came and said, “Good tidings for my
lord the king! For the Lord has
vindicated you this day, delivering you from the power of all who rose up against you.” The king said to
the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?”
The Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king, and all who rise up to do you harm, be like
that young man.”
The king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber
over the gate, and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my
son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”
Jesus’ proclamation that he is the bread of life and
that, whoever believes has eternal life caused a division among the people of
Nazareth. Some responded, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and
mother we know? How can he say, ‘I have come down from heaven’?
As we began worship this past Sunday, our
opening prayer helped bring my thoughts and actions into focus. “Grant to us, Lord, we pray, the spirit to think and do always
those things that are right, that we, who cannot exist without you, may by you
be enabled to live according to your will.” (Book of Common Prayer, p.
232)
I believe that we, the Church and
all people of God find hope in prayer and scripture and that we can be the
yeast, the leaven, in the loaf of humanity that can bring hope to the world.
The letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4:25-5:2 says this much better than I.
“Putting away falsehood let all of us speak the truth to our
neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not
let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves
must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own
hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come
out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need,
so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy
Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of
redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling
and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ
loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Building a life on this foundation
would solve most of the problems and jealousies I encountered this weekend and would
change us and change the world.
LOVE GOD, LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR,
CHANGE THE WORLD!
No comments:
Post a Comment