Today I am leaving for Finland and will not be back until January 13. Although I will have a laptop with me I am not sure whether I will be doing morning reflections while I am gone. So, you may be receiving sporadic messages, but because of my various travels, I can’t guarantee it.
I have a layover at Heathrow in London. In light of new threats about Greenland, I’m sure glad it’s not Copenhagen. Like many of you, I’m having a hard time wrapping my head around this White House version of empire building. It boggles the mind to see almost nothing in response from the majority in Congress.
Traveling always gives one a different perspective. Hearing what people in other countries have to say makes us ask questions, important ones about who we are and what we say we stand for. As millions here at home face skyrocketing health costs and cuts to benefits we have worked for, we need to ask ourselves the same questions. We may not like the answers but it’s clear we’re headed in the wrong direction. Something needs to change, seriously change.
Prayer for the Day
Confusion and uncertainty bring temptations, O God,
To hold fast to old images of who we are;
The world spins about us so quickly, O Lord,
That we cannot hold onto an anchor in the sea.
Enlarge our vision and broaden our perspective
So that we are able to change before it’s too late.
In the name of the One who is fearless,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.
Alice Walker, American writer
We will be known as a culture that taught and rewarded the amassing of things, that spoke little if at all about the quality of life for people (other people), for dogs, for rivers. All the world, in our eyes, they will say, was a commodity.
Mary Oliver, from her poem "Of the Empire"
O Lord why do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
Let those be caught in the schemes they have devised.
For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
Those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, “God will not seek us out”;
All their thoughts are, “There is no God.”
Psalm 10: 1-4