Christmastide
December 30, 2019
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10
Now the word of the Lord came to me saying,
‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’
Then I said, ‘Ah, Lord God! Truly I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy.’ But the Lord said to me,
‘Do not say, “I am only a boy”;
for you shall go to all to whom I send you,
and you shall speak whatever I command you.
Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you,
says the Lord.’ –Jeremiah 1:4-8
I am classified as a senior citizen so I cannot say I am only a child. I still experience fear or at least hesitation at speaking or writing something that another my read far removed from what I meant. I am a strong believer that most people can find common ground to work toward positive outcomes regarding most issues. For example, I do not think capital punishment is ever necessary but I am in a clear minority so most of the justice work I can do related to the death penalty is working to assure that all people sentenced to die actually committed the crime. 156 individuals have been exonerated from death row–that is, found to be innocent and released – since 1973*. It is unknown how many innocent people were executed.
How do we get past our strong, often faith-based ideals to find common ground regarding our deeply held interpretation of what is of God and what is not to find justice for as many people as we possibly can caught in the web of the perceptions of all involved of what is right and what is wrong? I will continue to strongly believe that capital punishment is not right, but I also will invest energies in assuring that no innocent person is executed.
The USA government was founded on the premise that our elected representatives are to work together to find common ground in search of the common good. It is a place where the diverse population of the USA can come together and find that common ground.
Prayer: Lord, help us find ways to meet our civic responsibilities by finding common ground for the common good. Amen.
*http://www.ncadp.org/pages/innocence
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.