Today’s scripture: Isaiah 37:1-13 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (David Zier):
After this past week, with the news and sadness and despair coming out of Orlando, I read this scripture for today. I stopped after verses 2 and 3. Verse 2 and 3 paraphrased; wearing mourning clothes and calling for the day of one of distress and sadness. I could not get past these words. I got stuck. It was one of those God moments. I just sat there in sadness. In Old Testament Days there was no media or internet to know what is going on in another place in a moments notice. Today, we wear the mourning clothes and feel the sadness every where all over the world.
One of the reasons I got stuck on these verses because not everyone saw this as a day of mourning and sadness. Why is that? What is ironic here is that the message of hate preached by many churches and religions today, not only fuels some of the responses of ignorance, but it also fueled the perpetrator himself. If he was conflicted due to his own sexuality because of the message of despair and hate he heard over and over again, and he was taught to hate himself, he also learned to hate everyone who was at the Pulse. I wish we could turn back the clock and shut the doors of the Pulse in Orlando, Florida for the night at 1:59 am, Sunday June 12, 2016. Then they all might live. But we can’t.
I believe in a God where love wins. It is a different world than when I came out in 1980. Progress has been made in how many see others in the world; others created by the same God. But, there is still more change that needs to happen. People lose their way, or are lost, and can find it, or can regain it again. I can’t speak for the change that we all need to go through, because we all need to be moving along on our spiritual journeys and change in unique ways for each of us. But I do pray for a day where we can live in the kind of peace that Jesus taught us; the kind of peace that is transforming for all people no matter what.
Thought for the day: How is love winning in my heart, my actions, and my words?
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the suggestions on the How to Pray page.