Living in the Spirit

October 11, 2023

Scripture Reading:

Isaiah 25:1-9

O Lord, you are my God;
   I will exalt you, I will praise your name;
for you have done wonderful things,
   plans formed of old, faithful and sure.
For you have made the city a heap,
   the fortified city a ruin;
the palace of aliens is a city no more,
   it will never be rebuilt.
Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
   cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
For you have been a refuge to the poor,
   a refuge to the needy in their distress,
   a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.
When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
   the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,
you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
   the song of the ruthless was stilled. –Isaiah 25:1-5

I just heard the famous quote attributed to Winston Churchill: History is written by the victors to describe the complexities of the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Churchill’s quote cries out for looking at history from all sides if we are to end the strife in our world and fully engage the Beloved Community.

There are indeed ancient records to support that reality on both sides of this issue. There is some pretty strong evidence that parental trauma, like extreme stress, alters how genes are passed down*.  The Seventh Generation Principle is based on an ancient Haudenosaunee (Iroquois)** philosophy that our decisions today should result in a sustainable world seven generations into the future. While our ancient ancestors may not have envisioned DNA, they understood its power. There is truth in the need to learn from history. That truth requires us to seek to understand all the complexities of history from all sides and to learn from it. Our purpose should not be to learn enough to be the winner in the next battles we fight but to end the need for battles at all.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for our foolish ways of seeking self-worth through self-righteousness and guide us to find righteousness and justice through living your love in all that we do. Amen.

*Karina Margit Erdelyi Medical Reviewer Juli Fraga, PsyD

**https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/seventh-generation-principle#:~:text=The%20Seventh%20Generation%20Principle%20is,seven%20generations%20into%20the%20future.

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.