Today's daily lesson comes from Psalm 133:
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!1
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down on the collar of his robes!
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
life forevermore.
As we toward the Independence Day weekend my thoughts today are on our nation and its meaning.
Unlike most nations, we are a country made up of differences in race, religion, custom, and geography. Our differences almost destroyed us once, yet for nearly two and a half centuries, in the end we've largely made it work. This is a part of the beauty and genius of what is America.
As Psalm 133 is today's morning psalm, I read the first line which speaks of how good and pleasing it is for brothers to dwell together in unity. This makes me think of those old and sacred words now so familiar and resonant with the soul of our country, "E Pluribus Unum" -- out of many one. The psalm then goes on to speak of the great mountains and landscape of Israel as metaphor for its people, and my mind thinks of the lyrics to "America the Beautiful" which do the same.
The last year has been a tense time in our nation's history, but we are still dwelling in unity. From purple mountain majesties and over the fruited plain, all beneath the spacious skies have had God's grace shed upon us, so may we on this 4th of July crown our good with brotherhood and remember the most important thing: that we all belong here and that we all belong to on another.
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