We are in troubling times here in the United States according to, of all people, Mitt Romney on a July 4 piece in The Atlantic. We think of Independence Day as one of celebration, a day to reflect on our greatness, but as Romney writes, we may be on the cusp of a Nation breaking apart. We don’t think we are like countries such as Sri Lanka or Lebanon but perhaps we are more than we realize.
Our sense of security and unity is broken. We are at war with ourselves, unequaled since the Civil War, said former Federal Judge Michael Luttig. And this war is being instigated and supported by a former President, he stated. But our national divisions go deeper than that. It is a clash of people who want an old society that never existed and those who want to push forward.
“America is in denial,” Romney argues. We cannot ignore the real threats we face: the changing climate, political instability, threats and violence against elected officials and just plain workers. The pandemic coupled with the anger of people who feel left out has resulted in a society that is coming apart at the seams. We are paying for the greed that has overtaken our society as the income gap continues to rise between rich and poor.
Prayer for the Day
Despondent and despairing, we come to you, O God,
For we are fearful of changes we see about us;
Having relied on our own image of who we are for so long,
We have forgotten that you are our source of strength.
Free us from our hubris, our desire for more and more,
And awaken us to the needs of others around us.
In the name of the One who is the source of truth,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There is a fundamental national insecurity now, after a perfect storm of social chaos where covid forced us to stay apart and the killing of George Floyd unleashed a movement that broke trust in the people who protect us.
- Thane Rosenbaum, Director, Forum on Life, Culture & Society, Touro University
The Bible is inherently political in that it routinely speaks against people who abuse their power in order to oppress other people.
- Katherine Stewart, from The Power Worshippers on Christian nationalism
Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory, and lunge on their couches,
And eat lambs from the flock, and calves from the stall
Amos 6:4