July 4th Reflection

I am deeply concerned about the leadership and governance of our world now, particularly in the United States. We seem to have lost sight of the need for sensitivity, compassion and care for the problems and struggles faced by common people these days. We are becoming a society in which those in power have lost touch with the goal of reaching for the common good of all. Instead, those in power are seeking for their own good with little concern for how their action or inaction affects the life of those who are feeling the pain of not having enough.

We do not live in a theocracy, but I am struck by Psalm 145 which praises God’s governance. The creation holds together because of God’s faithfulness, a characteristic in short supply in our world these days. I am listening to these words that praise God and are in such sharp contrast to the characteristics of the world’s governance in our time:

“The Lord is gracious and merciful,

slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.

The Lord is good to all,

and his compassion is over all that he has made . . .

The Lord is faithful in all his words,

and gracious in all his deeds.

The Lord upholds all who are falling,

and raises up all who are bowed down.”

These words may reflect the earliest assertions Israel made about God. Those Godly characteristics include: gracious, merciful, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, good, and compassionate. This marks the center of Israel’s faith and creed, and these words reflect the daily experiences of God’s governance in relation to the people of Israel. God has all the power necessary to create the world and human beings, and that power is directed to those who are weak and needing help and those who are without power in life.

We long for that kind of leadership in our world and in our country, a creative leadership that seeks for the well-being of all, and also strives to understand the plight of those who are suffering. While we celebrate our country’s freedoms, we also cannot ignore those who are still enslaved and bound, those who have lost hope that the future that can include them. We long for those who will listen and respond to the struggles of those who are “falling” and “bowed down”, for when this happens, all people are lifted up and are drawn together in a life-giving way.

O gracious and merciful Lord, in this fearful, confusing and often hopeless time, we look to you for a new spirit and a new way to live and love in this world. Lead us away from greed and anxiety based on selfishness, scarcity and fear, and move us toward generosity and compassion for all your people, based in your gift of Christ Jesus for all the world you love so deeply. We give you thanks and praise for your long-suffering faithfulness to us. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Amen.