It’s the day in between. It’s the day after the momentous vote on the resolution that “these United Colonies are and ought to be by right, free and independent States” and the day when the document will be signed and adopted. Most of us occupy that in between time, a time of relief and uncertainty.
What to do in the in between time? Is it a time for considering the consequences of a future action, for planning ahead? Or is it a time when we bask in what we’ve done? The in between space is a time of uncertainty, perhaps a time to consider who we really are and who we can be.
All of us have our times in between – in between those events that have shaped our lives and our images of ourselves and how we want to be in the future. It is a time of deliberation, of connecting to the depths of who we are, to our faith in God and the consequences of our faith for our lives.
Prayer for the Day
We come to you, Root of all love,
May we be like the tree that grows from your good earth;
We look for ways to share your life-giving love,
And find them in the faces about us;
Hold us in community together, hold us in love,
And may the peace we share erupt as a spring in a rock,
In the name of him who is your root,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen
Thoughts for the Day
There is no greater evil than men's failure to consult and to consider.
Sophocles, Greek playwright, from Antigone (497/6-405/4 BCE)
“Let me tell thee, time is a very precious gift of God, so precious that he only gives it to us moment my moment.”
Amelia Barr, English/American writer, from Jan Vedder’s Wife (1831-1919)
O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds.
So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me
Until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.
Your power and your righteousness, O God, reach the high heavens.
You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?
You who have made me see many troubles and calamities, revive me again
Psalm 71: 17-20