Today’s scripture: Matthew 5:14-16 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tommy Chittenden):
Changes are happening around our planet at speeds so fast it’s getting harder and harder to keep up.
As I read the stories and watch the videos over the past couple of years about our extended human family in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, and other countries, I can’t help but wonder, what is the spark that ignites mostly non-violent peoples’ movements toward making democratic change?
A strong case can certainly be made for technology. Do you remember the news stories years ago of the people who put satellite dishes on their rooftops and balconies to bypass state television in repressive countries? Access to stories from free people in free countries had to play a large part in igniting that desire to live free. The internet has made it possible for broad communication — one tweet with the right keyword can reach millions — and anyone can read thousands of news sources. The proliferation of smart phones gives millions a tool that seems to be much more powerful than mere words.
Remember, in the early years of the last decade, when we were introduced to “embedded journalism” as an intentional movement to get video cameras into war sites, giving the world front row access to military activity, as well as repression and human rights violations. Now you and I can watch live demonstrations and violent government repression and we see people holding up their phones, recording the tragedies.
Non-violent change is not really anything new. From Gandhi expelling the British without guns and bombs, to Nelson Mandela in South Africa, Corazon Aquino in the Philippines, Lech Walesa in Poland, and Martin Luther King in our own country, billions of people on earth have experienced real change with minimal violence, proving there are alternatives to armed conflict.
Martin Luther King said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Just as hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.” Love and Light, energy that cannot be denied or suppressed.
Even if technology had never expedited the changes and awareness that our planet is experiencing, by following the internal prompting of Spirit to “be love and light” we can and are sending the beautiful message of spiritual hope and freedom — a message that connects us one to another!
Thought for the day: Almighty God, open my eyes and ears, open my divine heart, to my extended family — next door, across the street, around my own country, and to every human being in any part of this world in which I live. When that happens, I will see and hear and feel my “extended self” — the way Jesus did.
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.