Certain writers from long ago are so timeless that they speak to us today. Shakespeare was such a writer. The characters in his plays present us with many of the questions we face in our lives today, some serious, others not so much. To what and to whom are we faithful or loyal, how do we measure love, or how do we betray our ideals are just a few of the questions characters in his plays raise.
Writing in a time when having the wrong religious practice or political opinion could cos you your life or freedom, he was able to have his characters express ideas that could be considered dangerous.
One theme he examined was the usurpation of power for unjust ends. We certainly face that today as some state legislatures rush to suppress the ability to vote by certain groups of people, such as minorities. Reading Shakespeare is not just admiring the beauty of his language but understanding crass attempts to maintain political power.
Prayer for the Day
Open your word to us, gracious God, we who seek your face and truth,
So we are better able to understand our world and time;
Come, open your ways to us, saving God, we who seek to follow you,
So we can bring your justice and righteousness into our daily lives.
Empower us to call the corrupt use of political power to account
And be with us as we seek to protect those who are poor and forgotten.
In the name of the One who called authorities to account,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
Those who rage against and work against expanding the electorate know what's at stake. The goal is to block access to the ballot and to policy making because letting the agitators inside might yield new laws to remedy inequality or injustice. The fear of these elected officials is a loss of power, grounded in an assortment of causes like racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, or an inchoate desire to keep the world as it was when they sat at the peak of influence.
- Stacy Abrams, working to expand voting access
Supporters of tough voter ID laws are not afraid of voter fraud—they are afraid of democracy.
- Adam Cohen, political writer
The Lord works vindication and justice for all who are oppressed.
Psalm 103: 6