29 August 2013 - Reflection


29 August 2013

"I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations"
(Isaiah 42:6b).

"You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1 Peter
2:9).

Wow! That feels like a lot of responsibility to place on our shoulders.
The Isaiah reading even goes on to list our activities, such as setting
and captives free and giving sight to the blind.  Really?!  Some days I
find it hard to get out of bed in the morning and here Isaiah and Peter
are claiming that God has chosen me to change the world?

Part of the problem is in forgetting that the 'you' in both quotes is
plural.  It refers to 'all you' who walk in the ways of the Lord.  I am
not alone in this; you are not alone in this; we are all in this
together.  The second part of the problem is on forgetting that change
only ever happens one person at a time, starting with ourselves,
radiating out into our families and then into the circles of people we
encounter each day.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
                                - Margaret Mead
                                Anthropologist

Eh...she might have something there.

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