Words for Wednesday
Some words as you center yourself for the work and service of this day or your reflection on the day.
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Gandhi
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is an attribute of the strong.” Gandhi
“As I rock my sweet baby tonight, I hear jets overhead. Can’t help but think of a mama doing the same in Syria. Kyrie eleison.” Rev. Kelli Driscoll
A Story
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And the elders and chief priests argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” So they answered, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
“What do you think? A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ He answered, ‘I will not’; but later he changed his mind and went. The father went to the second and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kindom of God ahead of you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him. (Matthew 21:23-32, NRSV)
“Every religion has a basic vocabulary: its “big words” and collections of words, spoken and heard in worship, embodied in rituals and practices. Thus, to be Jewish means “speaking Jewish”; to be Muslim means “speaking Muslim”; to be Buddhist means “speaking “Buddhist”; and so forth. By “speaking” I do not mean merely knowing either the ancient language of these religions or their modern descendants. I mean something more basic: the way practitioners use the concepts and ideas from their religion as a lens through which to see the world, the way they use them to connect their religion to their life in the world.”
(Marcus Borg, Speaking Christian, HarperOne 2011, pp. 5-6.)
Persons whose religion has been hijacked by the media and by their brand of fundamentalists whom believe that God is only on their side.
Refugees fleeing lands where bullets, bombs, and grenade launchers are more available than daily bread and nourishing water.
Those that grieve: for lives lived well and for lives that were too short.
Nurses and doctors that heal, comfort, deliver bad news, and remember why they became nurses and doctors.
Muslims, Christians, and Jews who are still fighting crusades with more lethal weapons, but with the same spite.
Colleagues, peers, and friends serving and working with the children of God in their midst to make justice happen, love as God loves, and recognize the image of God within themselves and all persons they meet.
God who we know by many names, listen, hear, act. Amen.