The Channing Connection:
Ministerial Musings - The Rev. Susan LaMar
February 2008
I
came across this little gem the other day:
Jean Vanier, who started the L’Arche communities for the disabled, tells a story about a young man running in the Special Olympics who had a chance to win a gold medal in the 100-meter race. Before he got to the finish line, he saw one of the other runners slip and fall. He turned around and helped up the runner who had fallen, and then they both ran to the finish line – sacrificing winning a gold medal for solidarity with another. (From the Paulist; quoted in Christian Century, 1/29/08)
That barely needs any comment, does it? The simplicity of an act of kindness . . . winning a gold-medal place in humanity. We forget that to compete means “to strive together” – not separately, but together. Would that we could all remember and practice that simple lesson, wrapping the entire world in gold.
Love, peace, and grace,
Susan
Note Rev. LaMar Absence
Feb. 14 to 24:
From
February 14th to February 24th, I will be joining a group
from the Ecumenical Institute of Theology in Baltimore on a trip
to visit the Cities of John and Paul in Turkey and Greece.
Thirty of us from many different religions will be
traveling together to learn more deeply about the early
Christian communities that were forming during the first
century. I am quite excited about this opportunity – it is a
part of the world I have never visited and will afford the
opportunity to combine a study of geography, history, and
theology for a deeper understanding. Can’t wait!