| March 10, 2015 |
Wake Me Up |
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The Justice Department's scathing report on the police and municipal authorities in Ferguson Missouri last week came at the same time as we celebrated the bravery and courage; and the successes, that came from the famous Selma marches. The TV coverage of those events woke up the country. I hope this report does the same.
I thought of the pop song of the last couple years "Wake Me Up When It's All Over.....When I am wiser and I'm older"...and it goes on....."They say that I am too young to understand. They say I am caught up in a dream. Well life will pass me by if I do not open my eyes..." . It reminded me of the young Samuel in the bible when he was serving the priest Eli and Eli's family was not ruling with a lot of justice and fairness in ancient Israel; God kept nudging Samuel to speak the truth and eventually even old Eli knew who was behind this urgent prodding for justice and compassion.
We all get complacent in life. Situations seem like they are too much for us or they will never improve and we sarcastically joke: "wake me up when its all over". We can sometimes feel defeated, or exhausted, distracted or overwhelmed with complexity of problems or issues in life; nationally, at church, even personally. I think this is natural. Jesus took time off. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and showed great concern about his future; said "blessed are the poor in spirit".
Jesus' answer to these feelings was not so much to "suck it up" and "get on with life" as it was to love. I guess that was his answer to much of life. To realize how important you are to God - how much God loves you - and how important you are to the world - how much your love and concern matter. Our young lyricist concludes the song..."Life's a game made for everyone. And love is the prize".
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