We like to think it was a simpler day, a little more than a generation fro when our Nation was born, a time still full of hope, when Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809. But it was a time of deep polarization, for the deep divide between slave states and free continued as we expanded into the West.
The country was much smaller then, just around 7 million, but with more than a million slaves, almost a third of the population in the South. By the time Lincoln was President the Nation had grown to over 31 million with almost 4 million enslaved. We still bear the scars of the Constitutional crisis of 1861 for there are still so many who do not accept the equality of all persons regardless of color or ethnicity.
The crises we face today are but reflections of our unwillingness to realize the deep meaning of the promise of our Nation, one that is open, not closed. We are so inward looking, thinking only of personal desires that we have forgotten the needs of others in our society. We have to ask what our true values are.
Prayer for the Day
Called to be your witnesses, we are often fearful and silent,
Saying we are unsure how to respond to evil and injustice;
Called to share your promise, we often keep our blessings.
Afraid that they are insufficient to share with others.
Forgive our frailty, our fear, and our weaknesses,
Strengthen us to live with courage and determination.
In the name of the Transformer of our lives, `
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
How many legs does a dog have if you call this tail a leg? Four. Saying that a tail is a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
We the people are the rightful masters of both the Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.
Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)
Let your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, O Lord, and your law is my delight.
Let me live that I may praise you, and let your ordinances help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek out your servant
For I do not forget your commandments.
Psalm 119: 173-176