| October 13, 2020 Good afternoon, Jesus, help us live in peace STJ 52 ” Jesus, help us live in peace, from our blindness set us free. Fill us with your healing love. Help us live in unity. Many times we don’t agree On what’s right or wrong to do. Fill us with your healing love. It’s so hard to really see from the other’s point of view.” Gerald Derstine ( or JD Martin ) We have all witnessed the polarization of politics, health care and gun control in the United States. The two different factions seemed to line up against one another in everything. There is no middle space. There seems to be no common ground . Where do you start a conversation when you know you are polar opposites ? Maybe in Canada it is the same. I hope not, and I hope we cannot argue in civil ways, and see things from the other point of view. That is hard. In a class in Lancaster Theological Seminary, with African Americans in attendance, it was my position or task to defend slavery from a biblical perspective. If you already believe something, it is easy to find ways to defend it. Defending slavery made me understand to always question my assumptions. I might be wrong. In the Bible, we have people who disagree. Jesus and his disciples. Peter and Paul about where they should take the Gospel. Ruth and Naomi in whether to go back to Israel. Job and his friends. Moses and God in the desert. James and John, and all the other disciples about who is the greatest. So, we have to find way to see from the perspective of others. We need to do this in the church, and in the society where we live. ” If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live in peace.” Paul in Romans 12:18. We need to be challenged by these words ! Salaam and strength for the journey of our life and faith.  Fred Tread on bold new paths! Fireflies flash the direction Hope springs eternal ! Monica Pieper Landoni 2020 |
