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Sunday, February 9, 2003 |
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Sea Change This morning, I'm dealing with a little bit of existential discontent, so pardon me while I spill it out a bit here. I've just come home from Church at FCPC, where I'd been singing (we'll get to that in just a minute) and where the pastor, Dr. Tom Schmid, gave a very interesting sermon. I've never been to anything quite like it. Without saying which way he was swinging on the current thought of military action, he was definitely preparing us for the Long Run of war and uncertainty and danger, and fear and pain. He read to us from Isaiah, Chapter 40 which has overtones of war and suffering, as well as hope, if you believe in Christ as your savior. Trust in the Lord and you will be strong, despite the conditions around you. We live in an interesting world here in Washington, DC. Warplanes guard our skies in times of fear. Our monuments to the past have metal detectors and security gateways. Our museums are under the guard of police. We are watched by distant cameras when we walk the streets. Our comfort levels are measured in colors. Orange, Yellow, Blue. We plan for what would happen in time of catastrophe. We leave our cars full of gas. I've never felt this uneasy about time of war. The prospect of perhaps losing my brother, the prospect of being in an area where there's a large, red target for terrorism ringing my home, the prospect of crazed dictators (read Kim Jong Il) with nuclear weapons. All these make me nervous for what's about to happen. I am not convinced it's the just thing to do. But I am convinced it may be what is necessary. What I will be praying for in the coming days will be the safety of the civilian populace in Iraq, those Americans in uniform whose lives are on the line daily, those countries who seek to harm us, and those in this nation who might not understand what we are doing, or why we are doing it. I said I'd get back to the singing. Today, we sang Maurice Duruflé's Ubi Caritas after Tom's sermon. It's dissonance and assonance weaving together to make a complex prayer, much as complex as our own lives in the face of our current future. The latin below will be the thoughts in my head for the next few weeks. You may listen here (MP3) or here (Real Audio).
Ubi caritas et Amor Deus ibi est
Where there are Charity and Love, there is God
Peace be with you all this week. May you find peace and comfort in the midst of all of this strangeness. |
Last update: 6/28/03; 9:50:45 PM .
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