Ordinary Time

January 17, 2023

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 9:1-4
But there will be no gloom for those who were in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.
The people who walked in darkness
   have seen a great light;
those who lived in a land of deep darkness—
   on them light has shined.
You have multiplied the nation,
   you have increased its joy;
they rejoice before you
   as with joy at the harvest,
   as people exult when dividing plunder.
For the yoke of their burden,
   and the bar across their shoulders,
   the rod of their oppressor,
   you have broken as on the day of Midian.

I am reading the book Horse by Geraldine Brooks. It is very good, and I highly recommend it. It is the story of a champion horse and his trainer, a young slave in the pre-Civil War south, interspersed with the perspective of current-day scientists looking back on that time. The young slave was the son of a well-respected slave who was a valued horse trainer, eventually gaining his freedom. The son was groomed to follow his father’s career and learned well, but he was born into slavery and remained a slave as the story begins. He experienced the rod of the oppressor and learned well the behavior necessary to survive, but survival was not his goal; freedom was.

As I read the above scripture, this young man’s quest for freedom and wholeness sprung to mind. He found the light of God in many places. He learned to read from a preacher who taught him using the Bible as his textbook. Teaching a slave to read was against the law. He learned to look for the helpers as Mr. Rogers recommended and found them along the way. But most importantly, so far as I have read, he cared about others. His owner had a big bet against another man’s horse that was to conclude after two races. The young man’s horse won the first race leaving the older horse well behind. After the first race, the young man saw that the competitor’s horse could not make the second race and tried to warn against that horse running again. No one listened; the horse was forced to run again, was beaten again, and died in the night after the race.

One of the greatest challenges of forming the kingdom of God, the Beloved Community, is understanding that God’s love is not just for some but for all. When we experience that love, we must also share it without distinction.

Prayer: Lord, as you guide us from any oppression we may experience, enrich our lives to love without judgment. Amen.

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.