Daily Dose (February 3 – 6)

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 3 — “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” Martin Luther King Jr.
And when that happens, I forgot, or didn’t remember (or didn’t see and embrace the light inside of me) to tell the story of sanctuary, and empathy, and mercy.
The story of inclusion and compassion, in the face of cruelty.
The story of kindness and renewal, in the face of malice.
The story of grace.
There is no doubt; mercy and sanctuary and grace are not always convenient. Go figure.
And there is no perfect time to stand up. Or to do soul searching. Or to say this is who we are. Or to call on our better angels.
Easy? Heavens, no.
And yet. When John Lewis’ invitation is given, “Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble”, look at what rises to the surface.

It did my heart good to read this from Krista Tippett. “At the very same time, this is one of those moments when the strange and beautiful reality of the human condition rises in the face of what would deny it. In Minnesota, where I raised my children and grew this On Being Project a world of care and dignity one human being towards another has flourished within and around all the images coming to us of violence and protest and despair. There are churches converted to food banks. There are families accompanying other families and neighbors delivering meals and other essentials to individuals who feel vulnerable for multitudes of reasons. There are strangers bearing witness, non-violently, as homes are approached and doors beaten down. There are teachers and librarians and healers stepping up to care for children and teenagers who are traumatized by all of this. I am hearing a thousand stories that are not making the ‘news’ as I’m trying to follow it, but they too are the story of our time, and they are stories of what makes us human and humane.
We want to meet what is hard and hurting.
We want to rise to what is beautiful and life-giving.
We want to do that where we live, and we want to do it walking alongside others.
We’re asking, where to begin?” (Thank you Krista)

There is a light in every one of us. Let us, let it shine.
After Monday’s Sabbath Moment, there were a few who said, “Please don’t ruffle any feathers.” And gratefully, a majority who said, “Please, ruffle some feathers.” Ruffling is a good thing, allowing us to say No to cruelty and injustice and closing our eyes.
And allowing us to say Yes to stepping up, and “getting in the game”, for generosity and healing and compassion.

People often like to ask me what I “believe”. I’ll go with what Walter Brueggemann (in Theology of the Old Testament) calls a “credo of five adjectives” that continually recurs in the Hebrew Scriptures: This God that Israel—and Jesus—discovered is consistently seen to be “merciful, gracious, faithful, forgiving, and steadfast in love.”

Our Prayer for our week…
“O wise and peaceful God,
all across the globe people are fearful.
Unrest and violence, division and angst, sadden our hearts.
Yet, somewhere in the depths of our hearts lives your wisdom.
Unite us. Lead us to the truth that love is more powerful than fear.”
Benedictine Macrina Wiederkehr

And a song for your heart and spirit. Lift Us Up: A Song For America, Peter Yarrow

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 4 — ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Prayer (poem) for our week…
Not Exactly Refuge
When storms of evil assault our boat
we flee for refuge to Jesus,
asleep beneath a thwart
on a peaceful cushion,
and wake him: “Don’t you care
that we’re in danger?”
He wakes, and wakes us with him,
takes us with him,
gathers us in his arms,
his whole soaking church,
and climbs up into the storm
with us, faces the waves with us,
and breathes a different kind of wind
into us—us, for this storm is ours—
a breath by which we ourselves can cry out
in a voice that creates what it names,
“Peace! Be still.”
Steve Garnaas-Holmes

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Photo… “Hi Terry, A bit of brightness in our roof garden. With thanks for all your care,” Anne Carter Mahaffey… Thank you Anne… And thank you for your photos, please send them to tdh@terryhershey.com
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