Psalm Meditation 805
Reign of Christ
November 22, 2015
Psalm 121
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come?
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade at your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.
8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time on and forevermore.
(NRSV)
Some days it would be great if God stood by us in some physical way, some way we could see and feel. As we stood against the evils of the world around us, we would know that God was on our side as real, tangible presence. With God right next to us we would know with assurance that we were among the ‘good guys’ doing the work of God in the world. We would also know that God would be there to back up any action we took and would protect us from the ‘bad guys’ we would have to confront in our battles.
The difficulty is that God does not pick sides in most of our arguments and disagreements. God does not join one side or the other so much as God works in us to move us to take the side of God on a daily basis. God is not in the business of beating people up, using force to get us to live the right way. God is love. As such, God leads us in the way of love through the example of a variety of people past and present. It is possible that God is embarrassed by some of our arguments since we continue to force our way into the hearts and minds of others, all in the name of the God of love.
Rather than looking to God to help us beat up our list of ‘bad guys’ perhaps we would serve God better by cultivating the love to which God calls us. Rather than name calling and attacking each other’s positions, we find and make ways to love each other with our similarities and differences intact. It is a difficult way to go and it takes much longer than using force to win the day. As people of God we do well to care less about winning as we spend more time following the lead of those who love.
November 16, 2015
LCM
Monday, November 16, 2015
Monday, November 9, 2015
Psalm Meditation 804
Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 15, 2015
Psalm 30
1 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
8 To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
(NRSV)
Our foes are not always other people and they are not always outside of us. Some folks have internal foes along the lines of illness and disease, others have foes that shout out fears and inadequacies more loudly than any other internal voices. Illnesses and diseases can drain us of our strength and energy in such a way that we can’t bring ourselves to do anything. I have heard that, in cases of serious illnesses, we are not fighting an illness we are the battleground on which the battle is fought between disease and medicine.
Those who go up against fears and anxieties can be drained as easily as those whose battles are with outside forces.
The psalmist thanks God for deliverance from a bout with something that could have been fatal. There is also the recognition that this was punishment for sinful arrogance on the part of the psalmist. By turning to God in this time of distress, not only has the illness been removed there is a companion healing of the sin that brought on the illness in the first place. There is both physical healing and a restoration of the broken relationship between the psalmist and God.
While we no longer see every illness as a punishment for sin, we can continue to turn to God for comfort in the face of any and all foes. With different knowledge and several more years of experience, we see God as present with us in every time and place rather than the cause of our disease or prosperity. God continues to turn mourning into dancing, sorrow into joy and to be with us in every time and circumstance of life.
November 9, 2015
LCM
Twenty-fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 15, 2015
Psalm 30
1 I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.
2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O LORD, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
6 As for me, I said in my prosperity, “I shall never be moved.”
7 By your favor, O LORD, you had established me as a strong mountain; you hid your face; I was dismayed.
8 To you, O LORD, I cried, and to the LORD I made supplication:
9 “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the Pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?
10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!”
11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.
(NRSV)
Our foes are not always other people and they are not always outside of us. Some folks have internal foes along the lines of illness and disease, others have foes that shout out fears and inadequacies more loudly than any other internal voices. Illnesses and diseases can drain us of our strength and energy in such a way that we can’t bring ourselves to do anything. I have heard that, in cases of serious illnesses, we are not fighting an illness we are the battleground on which the battle is fought between disease and medicine.
Those who go up against fears and anxieties can be drained as easily as those whose battles are with outside forces.
The psalmist thanks God for deliverance from a bout with something that could have been fatal. There is also the recognition that this was punishment for sinful arrogance on the part of the psalmist. By turning to God in this time of distress, not only has the illness been removed there is a companion healing of the sin that brought on the illness in the first place. There is both physical healing and a restoration of the broken relationship between the psalmist and God.
While we no longer see every illness as a punishment for sin, we can continue to turn to God for comfort in the face of any and all foes. With different knowledge and several more years of experience, we see God as present with us in every time and place rather than the cause of our disease or prosperity. God continues to turn mourning into dancing, sorrow into joy and to be with us in every time and circumstance of life.
November 9, 2015
LCM
Monday, November 2, 2015
Psalm Meditation 803
Twenty-fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 8, 2015
Psalm 80
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches;
11 it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
(NRSV)
Many of us know what it is like to be picked on; to be the go to person for venting when the actual target of ire is too scary to approach. In pack animals, dogs for instance, we know about the alpha male and female, there is also a position called the omega dog. This animal interjects itself into fierce fights in order to give the strong animals a different target for their aggression thus saving the stronger animals from each other. The upper level dogs take a few nips and swipes at the omega animal and then go away recognizing it is not worth the effort to pick on this poorer specimen. The omega animal is also vulnerable to attack without having interrupted a fight. Any animal who needs to vent can do so on the omega animal. It is not rough enough to do permanent damage to the omega, only enough to get that little bit of aggression out of the attacking animal’s system.
Because humans are communal creatures we also have an omega person or group among us. Within a group there is a person who gets all the abuse from almost everyone else. As a group we will pick another group to receive our undifferentiated aggression. A racial or ethnic group or groups usually fits the bill. One or more of those groups may change from time to time.
The psalmist voices the concern that Israel has become one of those groups for the peoples who surround them. They feel as if they are a vineyard with no wall that can be harvested at will by any and all who come their way. The cry goes up to God to restore to the people a sense of security as well as the wherewithal to stand up against the folks who bully us. And those who are bullied and picked on join the psalmist in asking that, at the very least, God be present with us and give us a sense of wholeness in the face of the trials we face. Knowing we are not alone makes a tremendous difference.
November 2, 2015
LCM
Twenty-fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 8, 2015
Psalm 80
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O LORD God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people’s prayers?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure.
6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
8 You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.
9 You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.
10 The mountains were covered with its shade, the mighty cedars with its branches;
11 it sent out its branches to the sea, and its shoots to the River.
12 Why then have you broken down its walls, so that all who pass along the way pluck its fruit?
13 The boar from the forest ravages it, and all that move in the field feed on it.
14 Turn again, O God of hosts; look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15 the stock that your right hand planted.
16 They have burned it with fire, they have cut it down; may they perish at the rebuke of your countenance.
17 But let your hand be upon the one at your right hand, the one whom you made strong for yourself.
18 Then we will never turn back from you; give us life, and we will call on your name.
19 Restore us, O LORD God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
(NRSV)
Many of us know what it is like to be picked on; to be the go to person for venting when the actual target of ire is too scary to approach. In pack animals, dogs for instance, we know about the alpha male and female, there is also a position called the omega dog. This animal interjects itself into fierce fights in order to give the strong animals a different target for their aggression thus saving the stronger animals from each other. The upper level dogs take a few nips and swipes at the omega animal and then go away recognizing it is not worth the effort to pick on this poorer specimen. The omega animal is also vulnerable to attack without having interrupted a fight. Any animal who needs to vent can do so on the omega animal. It is not rough enough to do permanent damage to the omega, only enough to get that little bit of aggression out of the attacking animal’s system.
Because humans are communal creatures we also have an omega person or group among us. Within a group there is a person who gets all the abuse from almost everyone else. As a group we will pick another group to receive our undifferentiated aggression. A racial or ethnic group or groups usually fits the bill. One or more of those groups may change from time to time.
The psalmist voices the concern that Israel has become one of those groups for the peoples who surround them. They feel as if they are a vineyard with no wall that can be harvested at will by any and all who come their way. The cry goes up to God to restore to the people a sense of security as well as the wherewithal to stand up against the folks who bully us. And those who are bullied and picked on join the psalmist in asking that, at the very least, God be present with us and give us a sense of wholeness in the face of the trials we face. Knowing we are not alone makes a tremendous difference.
November 2, 2015
LCM
Monday, October 26, 2015
Psalm Meditation 802
Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 1, 2015
Psalm 21
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O LORD, and in your help how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him—length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind.
11 If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
(NRSV)
We do like our lives to be predictable and sensible. I have heard that those who claim to like change are most often talking about self-imposed, self-directed change. These folks are as upset as the rest of us by change that comes from a place outside their control, especially unpleasant change. We don’t like to discover that our fortunes have suddenly changed for the worse, that those we count as our enemies have taken the upper hand. In those situations even those who claim most loudly that they like variety and change are going to call on God to rescue us from this unwanted and unwelcome change.
The psalmist raises up the king as one who is, and always has been, unfailingly quick to praise and exult God for all the help directed toward the king. Because the king has been predictable, it would be good if God were to remain predictable as well. Since our enemies and God’s enemies overlap at this point it would be good if the skills of the king of God would come together to defeat this enemy in a convincing display of military precision. The psalmist is so sure that the aims of king and God are the same it seems that the two are being addressed simultaneously.
Change comes whether we like it or not. Sometimes change is good for us. When things go from bad to good we like that change. When we find ourselves challenged by the changing conditions of our lives we may come to see those challenges as having been good for us despite the pain caused by it. When things go from good to bad we can be disheartened by the changes even as we discover new connections between ourselves and others. And sometimes change is bad from every angle and we would not wish that kind of change on anyone. In all of these, God is with us. God rejoices with us, helps us discover ways to grow through changing circumstances, is present with us in our suffering and stays with us in the most calamitous of circumstances.
October 26, 2015
LCM
Twenty-third Sunday of Ordinary Time
November 1, 2015
Psalm 21
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O LORD, and in your help how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him—length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the LORD, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace when you appear. The LORD will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind.
11 If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
(NRSV)
We do like our lives to be predictable and sensible. I have heard that those who claim to like change are most often talking about self-imposed, self-directed change. These folks are as upset as the rest of us by change that comes from a place outside their control, especially unpleasant change. We don’t like to discover that our fortunes have suddenly changed for the worse, that those we count as our enemies have taken the upper hand. In those situations even those who claim most loudly that they like variety and change are going to call on God to rescue us from this unwanted and unwelcome change.
The psalmist raises up the king as one who is, and always has been, unfailingly quick to praise and exult God for all the help directed toward the king. Because the king has been predictable, it would be good if God were to remain predictable as well. Since our enemies and God’s enemies overlap at this point it would be good if the skills of the king of God would come together to defeat this enemy in a convincing display of military precision. The psalmist is so sure that the aims of king and God are the same it seems that the two are being addressed simultaneously.
Change comes whether we like it or not. Sometimes change is good for us. When things go from bad to good we like that change. When we find ourselves challenged by the changing conditions of our lives we may come to see those challenges as having been good for us despite the pain caused by it. When things go from good to bad we can be disheartened by the changes even as we discover new connections between ourselves and others. And sometimes change is bad from every angle and we would not wish that kind of change on anyone. In all of these, God is with us. God rejoices with us, helps us discover ways to grow through changing circumstances, is present with us in our suffering and stays with us in the most calamitous of circumstances.
October 26, 2015
LCM
Monday, October 19, 2015
Psalm Meditation 801
Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 25, 2015
Psalm 131
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore.
(NRSV)
Every now and again it is good to remind ourselves that we are not as important and impressive as we feel the need to appear. All of our compensations come to naught in the presence of God. Sometimes we compensate for a sense of inadequacy and make ourselves seem larger than we feel. Sometimes we deal with an overconfidence based on a misjudgment of our abilities in an area. Either way, we do well to stand in the presence of God aware that we are not our skills or lack thereof; we are beloved children of God.
In the presence of God we can rest easy; no bluster of ego or false modesty is required. We simply settle into the comfort of being in the presence of one who knows us completely and loves us as we are. This is no in-spite-of or because-of love. God loves us, pure and simple. In the awareness of that loving presence we relax into it with a quiet assurance.
In the midst of one of these moments, the psalmist wishes each one of us that kind of peace, rest and assurance found in the presence of God. The wish for us is not a moment of peace and contentment; the wish is that we feel this now and into the eternal future.
October 19, 2015
LCM
Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 25, 2015
Psalm 131
1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; my soul is like the weaned child that is with me.
3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time on and forevermore.
(NRSV)
Every now and again it is good to remind ourselves that we are not as important and impressive as we feel the need to appear. All of our compensations come to naught in the presence of God. Sometimes we compensate for a sense of inadequacy and make ourselves seem larger than we feel. Sometimes we deal with an overconfidence based on a misjudgment of our abilities in an area. Either way, we do well to stand in the presence of God aware that we are not our skills or lack thereof; we are beloved children of God.
In the presence of God we can rest easy; no bluster of ego or false modesty is required. We simply settle into the comfort of being in the presence of one who knows us completely and loves us as we are. This is no in-spite-of or because-of love. God loves us, pure and simple. In the awareness of that loving presence we relax into it with a quiet assurance.
In the midst of one of these moments, the psalmist wishes each one of us that kind of peace, rest and assurance found in the presence of God. The wish for us is not a moment of peace and contentment; the wish is that we feel this now and into the eternal future.
October 19, 2015
LCM
Monday, October 12, 2015
Psalm Meditation 800
Twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 18, 2015
Psalm 70
1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste to help me!
2 Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to hurt me.
3 Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!
(NRSV)
Being one of the low folks in the pecking order of a group can be a problem. It leads to being picked on and taken advantage of as a daily circumstance. The consolation is that one is still a member of the group. When an outside threat arises there are at least some members of the group who will come to the defense of anyone who is part of the group. It may not be the alpha members, however, someone will stand with any member of ‘our’ people.
Social groups do not confine themselves to picking on and taking advantage of their own, they branch out to pick on folks of other folks of lower standing then the omega member of their own group. The higher the social standing of this group the more likely at least one member of the group will reach down to pick on someone from another grouping. The greater the social distance between the groups the more likely the interactions will be dangerously abusive as the abuser discounts the personhood of the one being abused.
God does not reach down to rescue folks from the abuse; a relationship with God gives a person of even the lowest social standing a sense of worth as a child of God. When we feel loved and cared for by God and the community of God’s people we are better able to withstand the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” to use Shakespeare’s phrasing. As people of God those who heap us with abuse do not get the last word. We may be hurt, even killed and we will remain in the presence of God as a person of sacred worth.
October 12, 2015
LCM
Twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 18, 2015
Psalm 70
1 Be pleased, O God, to deliver me. O LORD, make haste to help me!
2 Let those be put to shame and confusion who seek my life. Let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire to hurt me.
3 Let those who say, “Aha, Aha!” turn back because of their shame.
4 Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you. Let those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!”
5 But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O LORD, do not delay!
(NRSV)
Being one of the low folks in the pecking order of a group can be a problem. It leads to being picked on and taken advantage of as a daily circumstance. The consolation is that one is still a member of the group. When an outside threat arises there are at least some members of the group who will come to the defense of anyone who is part of the group. It may not be the alpha members, however, someone will stand with any member of ‘our’ people.
Social groups do not confine themselves to picking on and taking advantage of their own, they branch out to pick on folks of other folks of lower standing then the omega member of their own group. The higher the social standing of this group the more likely at least one member of the group will reach down to pick on someone from another grouping. The greater the social distance between the groups the more likely the interactions will be dangerously abusive as the abuser discounts the personhood of the one being abused.
God does not reach down to rescue folks from the abuse; a relationship with God gives a person of even the lowest social standing a sense of worth as a child of God. When we feel loved and cared for by God and the community of God’s people we are better able to withstand the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” to use Shakespeare’s phrasing. As people of God those who heap us with abuse do not get the last word. We may be hurt, even killed and we will remain in the presence of God as a person of sacred worth.
October 12, 2015
LCM
Monday, October 5, 2015
Psalm Meditation 799
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 11, 2015
Psalm 120
1 In my distress I cry to the LORD, that he may answer me:
2 “Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.”
3 What shall be given to you? And what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
4 A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
(NRSV)
I don’t know what the psalmist means with these verses, however the last two speak to me of being in a minority on an important topic. For the psalmist, it is being for peace in a time of war. Once talk of war begins the voice of peace is a very unpopular one; even if it is the more sensible course it is drowned out by the sabre rattling of those who want war. War and peace is one of several topics in which it is difficult to be in the minority, especially when it feels as if it is a minority of one.
In some cases the lone voice need only speak out to discover that there are others who agree and kept silent out of fear. Those others were so sure that they were alone it was easier to go along than to speak out. Two or three may still be a minority, however a dissenting group of two or three is stronger than a solo voice and stronger still than one suffering in silence.
The voice of God rarely booms with the authority of the majority. The way of God is rarely the easy way.
October 5, 2015
LCM
Twentieth Sunday of Ordinary Time
October 11, 2015
Psalm 120
1 In my distress I cry to the LORD, that he may answer me:
2 “Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.”
3 What shall be given to you? And what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
4 A warrior’s sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
5 Woe is me, that I am an alien in Meshech, that I must live among the tents of Kedar.
6 Too long have I had my dwelling among those who hate peace.
7 I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war.
(NRSV)
I don’t know what the psalmist means with these verses, however the last two speak to me of being in a minority on an important topic. For the psalmist, it is being for peace in a time of war. Once talk of war begins the voice of peace is a very unpopular one; even if it is the more sensible course it is drowned out by the sabre rattling of those who want war. War and peace is one of several topics in which it is difficult to be in the minority, especially when it feels as if it is a minority of one.
In some cases the lone voice need only speak out to discover that there are others who agree and kept silent out of fear. Those others were so sure that they were alone it was easier to go along than to speak out. Two or three may still be a minority, however a dissenting group of two or three is stronger than a solo voice and stronger still than one suffering in silence.
The voice of God rarely booms with the authority of the majority. The way of God is rarely the easy way.
October 5, 2015
LCM
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