“Hey Jude,” released in 1968, is a song of encouragement. It was written by Paul McCartney to cheer up John Lennon’s young son Julian after his parent’s separation. I chose this song because we can use some cheering up. At times, some of the things that we hear and see seem divorced from reason and reality. Our country needs a pep talk. We need to hear that it will be alright and that we have it within us to make things better. The lyrics that stand out for me are:
Oh-oh-oh, and anytime you feel the pain, He Jude refrain, don’t carry the world upon your shoulders. For well, you know that it’s a fool, who plays it cool, by making the world a little colder.
In my faith tradition, there is a passage that says that there is nothing new under the sun. There is another that says that there is a time for everything. We have survived wars, pandemics, political dishonesty, and economic situations before, we can do it again. And there is no better time to start than now. We must address the three pandemics of health, injustice, and economics. We must reform the laws to stop the overt acts of hate crimes and violence. We must educate people about their immature behavior over wearing a mask. We must obey stay home orders and social distancing so that our health can improve. I know there is more, but we cannot let the ill behavior of some ruin life for all. This is not the time to play it cool. What is happening to our nation is ruining our nation. I can imagine that things will get worse after the election if we are not proactive now. We must pray, plan, and perform. Pray that people will start thinking about equity. Plan to put civic-minded people in office. Perform acts of kindness to bring unity to our communities. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” At Emmanuel, we do not have the answers, but if you want to spend time with people who care, join us. We meet virtually for worship on Sunday mornings at 10 am, have Bible study on Wednesdays, and Check in to chat on Thursdays. The information can be found on our webpage www.eumcbeltsville.com or our Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/EUMCBeltsville/. Until next time:
Believe
Encourage
Trust
Think
Equitable
Reform