As this is the week we remember the life of the follower of Jesus who is known to
us as Martin Luther King, Jr., I have been thinking about God as justice rolling.
We are all created by this All Powerful God. It is in that image - an image of power
that we come into being. The power is the power of being. It is the power to be
me and for you to be you. It is the worth that helps us stand up each day and thrive.
Too often, power is seen as power over others. That is one way to look at power.
The power offered to us by the God of creation who is all powerful is the power
to have a place in life and the power to give a place to others. It is the power
I like to describe as the power to 'bow and bend' as is described in the Shaker
song 'Simple Gifts.' It is the power that does not damage the weak or frail. It
is the power that listens and learns and then - for the well being of the other
- will shelter and preserve the worth of the other. Some may call that action simple
servanthood. I call that power in the image of God. Such power is the beginning
of the march for justice. For within that power we each become aware of the needs
and condition of the other. That other may be our friend and that other may be our
enemy. We become aware of their needs and condition and we become a part of the
power that will seek the welfare of all. Power will be exercised as power on behalf
of the other - power to stand with - power to speak up for the other - power to
step in and take on a life that will not allow for the wounding of the other. That
- is power I can only imagine. That - is power I long to share with others. I think
that is the power of what King would call the Beloved Community and we have come
to call the Reign of God - alive.
O God of love and new life, let your love inform our living and let your power teach
us the way to heal and bring all people together as one. Amen.
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