For years I’ve espoused the excellence of the devotional book Celtic Daily Prayer. This was the daily reading for May 11th:
How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a land that we feel is still strange to us?
Part of our task is to recognize signs of hope, outcrops of the Kingdom, to recognize works of the Spirit even where God’s Name is not named.
We can waste so much energy assuming everyone is against us, and in reacting defensively. Whoever is not against us is for us. This may be the time to form spontaneous coalitions between those who care passionately about the same cause, even if they are different from us. Together we can achieve so much more.
What struck me about this entry is how it contrasts with the negativity of so much of what we see, read, and hear from our public figures. In politics, the media, public institutions, and many churches, our leaders have succumbed to a culture of defeatism. They deal in fear — fear of Trump, fear of the decline of democracy, fear of restriction of rights, fear of terrorism, fear of gun control, fear of … well, you get the idea. They bemoan the lack of civility in our world while ruthlessly attacking those who disagree with them.
Is that really how we want to sing the Lord’s song? I don’t think so.
We must recognize the signs of hope and embrace others who see the same hope. In this way we can live out our role as light and salt in this world, to be known by our love.
Together we can achieve so much more.