January 6, 2021 A Tragic Day

January 6, 2021 our nation, the world, witness a tragic -- extremely sad -- manifestation of the real Donald Trump.  

Yesterday day, January 6th in the church year, was a day when we celebrate the manifestation of the light -- Jesus -- that came into our world to battle the forces of evil.

This morning I am struggling with the dichotomy of the truth of light and darkness.

So God and I are having a serious prayer conversation. I'm telling God about the horror I felt, as I watched on TV last evening.  

Confessing my feeling about our supposed "President":  I confessed, "I can’t forgive this trader, and his mob friends, who claim to have the good of the nation at heart.  I know I am supposes to forgive seven times seventy.  So forgive me for my inability to forgive."

That man should first be silenced of all electronic devices, then shackled and put in prison.  He is a trader to this nation he claims to love and care for.

As I sit here not knowing where to go with my thoughts or feelings a shocking truth comes:  "I know you don’t force people to follow you or believe in you."

It is true God/Jesus don’t force.

It is just the truth!

Clearly what happened in Washington D.C. yesterday was not the will of God.

I don’t often presume judgement on others.  However I can’t help but believe that we witnessed the work of Satan moving that mindless mob in the name of a man who claims to be President of the United States.

So I will bolding say: we watched evil working on the soil of America. 

I sat for sometime trying to find hope in all of what I am feeling. Psalm 27 came to mind:

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation;

   whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life;

   of whom shall I be afraid? 

² When evildoers assail me

   to devour my flesh—

my adversaries and foes—

   they shall stumble and fall. 

³ Though an army encamp against me,

   my heart shall not fear;

though war rise up against me,

   yet I will be confident. 

⁴ One thing I asked of the Lord,

   that will I seek after:

to live in the house of the Lord

   all the days of my life,

to behold the beauty of the Lord,

   and to inquire in his temple. 

⁵ For he will hide me in his shelter

   in the day of trouble;

he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;

   he will set me high on a rock. 

⁶ Now my head is lifted up

   above my enemies all around me,

and I will offer in his tent

   sacrifices with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make melody to the Lord. 

⁷ Hear, O Lord, when I cry aloud,

   be gracious to me and answer me! 

⁸ ‘Come,’ my heart says, ‘seek his face!’

   Your face, Lord, do I seek. 

⁹   Do not hide your face from me. 

Do not turn your servant away in anger,

   you who have been my help.

Do not cast me off, do not forsake me,

   O God of my salvation! 

¹⁰ If my father and mother forsake me,

   the Lord will take me up. 

¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord,

   and lead me on a level path

   because of my enemies. 

¹² Do not give me up to the will of my adversaries,

   for false witnesses have risen against me,

   and they are breathing out violence. 

¹³ I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord

   in the land of the living. 

¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;

   be strong, and let your heart take courage;

   wait for the Lord!

What in my long life I have come to believe, with all my entire being, keeps me balanced is:  the Light overcomes the darkness.

That God is, and will, be the strength that guides this nation past the Herod’s of this land.

Herod’s who even kill tiny little boy for fear of losing their power.

My Limited View Of Life As This New Year Dawns

Yesterday, on the last day of 2020, I was thinking about all that the past twelve months has bought.

And I wondered if my individual view of life, defined by Covid-19, has been accurate or somewhat limited.

Somewhat limited by my personal environment, mentality and emotional state-of-affairs?

We have all listened to the nightly news,

    learn to live with masks covering our faces,

         live without hugs and closeness to family,

            found ways to entertain ourselves without others,

                     and celebrated major holidays without family.

When life offers up all of those limitations you begin to wonder if you are experiencing the new slogan: “We Are In This Together.”

All of this remembering, of the past year, prompts me to wonder.  To wonder if our normal limited view of living also clouds our perspective on the reality of God’s truth and activity in our world.

This wonder occurred to me, as I was driving home from a shopping trip, Monday afternoon, when I noticed a flock of geese flying in an un-uniform V.  The usual point of the V was not as clearly pointed as it normally is.  It was cluttered by invading birds who were vying for first position — the lead.

So I began to wonder about this natural habit that birds have to fly together — and why they do

It made me think of our limited view of why birds fly in formation; and why we live and think the way we do.

Is it to them just the way of winged creatures coming together for the flight?

 

Imagine humans coming together, like the flight of the birds, souring through life  together in their quest for life, or direction, or prey, or whatever.

As I drove home on Monday it seem to me a symbol of God’s original plan for His entire creation; to come together for one purpose — the well being of the flock.

Then I began to imagine all of God’s creation functioning together in order to accomplish the purpose of God — actually coming into being.   

Coming together — into being — in an entirely new way.

With a view of life that is actually quiet strange to a humans normal way of thinking. 

It would be a dream of all people coming together flying in formation.  Right before our eyes.

Like the coming together of all created beings to live out God’s simple plan.  The plan of peace and goodwill for all people.

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace…..(Lk.2)