“Soon earth will cover us all. Then in time earth, too,
will change; later, what issues from this change will itself in turn
incessantly change, and so again will all that then takes its place, even unto
the world's end. to let the mind dwell on these swiftly rolling billows of
change and transformation is to know a contempt for all things mortal.”
Marcus
Aurelius, Meditations
___________________________
Like an intrusive guest
It has made itself at home
Taking up space in head and heart
It is like a needy child
Pestering me for attention
Relentless and intrusive
The fear that we have made a mistake.
And have chosen values and priorities
And thus leadership
That will take us to dark places
I keep thinking of Herod
The great builder
The guy who melted down his treasury to feed the people
The guy who killed children
Poor fear-determined Herod
King Herod, until Jesus comes along
The moment the prophecy is read
“From you, Bethlehem shall come….”
King Herod becomes
Just
Herod
If Jesus were king, the Herod could not be
And Herod loses it!
And that becomes the story of his life.
Then there was Herod Herod’s son.
The Herod of Jesus’ death
Who mocked his kingship
Who (along with Pilate) had the power of life and death
Over this One from Nazareth
If Herod were king, then Jesus could not be
The son accomplished what the father did not
It matters who leads us.
Who we have put in power
There can only be one
One
No one can serve two masters
The choice of one master excludes the other
We cannot serve God and money
Possessions, fame,
Status, power
Retribution
And God
We either choose the way of the world
Or we choose the way of God
We choose Herod or Jesus
So, have we chosen poorly?
Perhaps the true question is this.
If we give power to a person
Whose values, attitudes, and behaviors are antithetical
to Jesus,
If we place them in the seat of power,
Have we deposed Jesus?
And what is the consequence of doing this?
Herod killed children
His son killed John the Baptist, and later
He was an accomplice in the death of Jesus.
What happens when we give power to one
who is not merely “other” than Jesus
but seems to be, profoundly,
the opposite of Jesus?
What happens?
Can God use that person?
Maybe?
Will the price of eggs drop?
Will we be safer?
Will the economy soar?
But what happens to our souls,
And ultimately
To our world?
To us?
But more importantly, what happens to
The poor, the vulnerable?
The ill and the elderly?
The children?
Those blessed and prized by God?
I do not know the future.
I cannot say with certainty what will happen.
And maybe I have it all wrong.
But on this day I am anxious
I know change happens
I know rulers come and go
I hear the words attributed to Gandhi
When I despair, I remember that all through history,
the ways of truth and love have always won.
There have been tyrants and murderers,
and for a time they can seem invincible, but in the end,
they always fall.
Think of it — always.".
I think of it
And I believe in Love (and that love wins)
And yet I know the pain and destruction
Which pave the path to new beginnings
So “Lord, I believe;
help my unbelief!"
this day
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