Liturgy of the Common Man ~ A New Layer of Reliance

Greetings Dear Reader,

During the sixties, there were those who called for Dr. King to renounce nonviolence and use his voice to incite riot and rebellion.  People were more concerned about getting the desired result rather than getting there through peace and faith.  As a boy, I saw all this unfolding on the news.  What I always saw when he would speak was his calm, his peace. 

My Grandfather would say to me, “This man is trying to do a very hard thing in a very hard way.  He cares about justice and right but refuses to leave behind love and peace to get his way.  He understands that Jesus wants him to be peaceful with all men.”  My Grandfather impressed on me how important it was that I see how, that even in the storm Dr. King endured he was a man of peace. 

This is part of what has my focus this year.  We are supposed to live at peace with everyone.  Even when others oppose us, we are supposed to love them, forgive them, and not strike out against them.  Our nature pushes us to be violent.  Anger and injustice fuse into rage that distracts us from the power of love and peace. 

We can see the wrong in things and not become offended at people.  The injustice in the world should trouble us and we should not be at peace with it ever.  What we must do is separate that from the people.  We have to see that all people, even the unjust need love and mercy.  We must peacefully stand against injustice, hatred, and violence. 

It is not enough to set aside a day to remember Dr. King and his work.  We must choose the level of resilience he chose and become unoffendable.  He did not respond to the vile epithets or rise to the bait of his detractors.  He refused to let his voice be used for violence and hate.  He demanded that our voice for justice be couched in love and peace.

We are not able to promote love whilst advocating hate, being offended, and accepting violence.  I must insist on justice and right in every situation.  I must do so without being offended.  I must love so deeply that I see past intended and unintended offenses to the needs of those who hate me.  I must see the need for love of those who are unjust.  My voice must always relate that love in peace.  It is our obligation to do this no matter how we feel Dear Reader.  If we want to honor Christ and Dr. King, we must add a layer of resilience to love that is unoffendable.  If we are going to work for peace we can do no less.

A Voice for Peace – Dan Fogelberg

You know that everybody has a voice
And how they use it is their own free choice
In your glory I will not rejoice
If you choose the ways of war
If you choose the ways of war

Ashes to ashes and dust to dust
My country 'tis of thee, in God we trust
But how much longer will He shelter us
While we choose the ways of war
While the winds of war rage on

Let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace
Oh let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace
Oh let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace
Let it start here with me, Oh let mine be a voice for peace

The good book tells us thou shalt not kill
The truth came shining and it's shining still
But how much blood upon this earth must spill
Before we lay our weapons down
Let us lay our weapons down

Let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace
Oh let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace
Oh let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace

Let it start here with me, Oh let mine be a voice for peace

And in the face of the beast, oh let mine be a voice
Until the breaths in me cease, oh let mine be a voice for peace

Let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace
Oh let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace
Oh let mine "oh let my small voice" be a voice for peace
Let it start here with me, Oh let mine be a voice for peace

Raise your voice up, raise your voice up
Raise your voice up and sing for the promise

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a homeowner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

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Second Thoughts ~ A Loss Extraordinary

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you, Dear Reader.

William Franklin Graham Jr. KBE (Knight Commander of the British Empire), known as Billy Graham, passed away today.  In my fifty plus years of knowing who Billy Graham is I have only heart two people say anything bad about this man.  Both of them had trouble with anyone who loves Jesus. 

I am impressed with his attitudes about civil rights.  In the fifties he was already forbidding segregation at his rallies, installing African American ministers as leaders on his council, and advising the SCLC.  He had a very close friendship with Dr. King and did much to speak against segregation in support of the Civil Rights Movement.  In the 1960’s he and Dr. King held many joint campaigns.

He advised presidents and in 1983 was awarded the American Medal of Freedom.  He even held many conversations with Queen Elizabeth II.  The later resulted in his knighthood in 2001 for his contributions to the world. 

The loss for me is this:  There are so very few men who have a high-profile ministry who do not succumb to power, greed, or their own desires.   Here, however, is a man who never met privately with any woman other than his spouse.  He did not dwell on money.  He did not seek power.  The loss is a voice of reasonable faith in the midst of a sea of controversy and excesses.

I cannot fill this gap.  I cannot compensate for this loss.  Someone can.  It will take what Billy Graham exemplified.  It will take humility and faith untouched by human weakness.  He would be the first to say that he is not better than any of us.  He would give all the credit to Jesus. 

I do my bit to try and represent Jesus through my life and my writing.  I do not have what it takes to command the world stage as Billy Graham did.  Someone does  Perhaps the best way to honor him would be to live our faith consistently in the corner of the world we do have.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Second Thoughts ~ Division in the Dream

Greetings Dear Reader,

Sometimes I will end the day with thoughts that are important to get out.  Usually I just write them and put them in my journal folder.  I have chosen that on occasion I will share them with you, Dear Reader.

As I consider Martin Luther King Day for 2017, I wonder what Dr. King would think of the state of his dream.  We talk about the fact that he gave his life for freedom.  My concern is that we have forgotten that he did not intend to die.  His intent was to establish love, respect, and the quality among all people in our nation. 

I would not dare to speak to nor could I begin to understand how it feels two be respected or mistreated simply because of the color of my skin.  What I do recognize is a lack of love, kindness, and justice when I see it.  We live a in world where we hang onto anger, disrespect each other, and put our issues ahead of love and peace.  There can be no peace when any class of people is treated unjustly.  There can be no harm any when we’re all shouting about our own agenda.  It seems that every side of every issue is bent on shouting down the other side without really listening.

I think that if we want to honor Dr. King’s dream, we must again by returning to the fundamental principles of love and respect for all human beings.  If we cannot do this we cannot build the content of character it teaches us to ignore the color of one’s skin.  

Jesus made it very clear that every human matters. We cannot get to the dream if we do not learn to truly love and respect each other.  We do not have to agree on everything but the fundamentals of love, kindness, and respect our vital to producing good society.  I think that Dr. King would be saddened by the division that haunts our whole country.  I think he would look at us with that strong soulful look require that we lay aside our differences and learn to live together in peace.

I am required to love my enemies, my neighbors, and anyone that disagrees with me.  I cannot profess to follow Christ if I do not love you no matter what you think of me.  I think we should spend more time listening to everything Dr. King had to say and less time thinking about his death.  

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn

Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure store.”

(͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)