'Upstream'

3/31/2020

I Was Thinking…

“In the small fishing village, in the mid thirteenth century, by the Warlegan River, a woman was washing clothes when she saw a helpless calf floating downstream. She threw down her work and jumped in the water to save the animal. Happily, the calf was recovered.

The next day, two more calves were seen floating down the river. One was saved, the other lost. By the end of the week, several cows, many sheep, and a few horses had been rescued. Many more animals floated by, already dead. The townspeople were confused and scared. They set their watches day and night by the river’s edge to try and rescue the live animals. A few people had even claimed to see a dead child disappearing downstream, trapped underneath some burnt branches. Believing they were doing the best they could, the townspeople worked hard, kept watch, held vigils, lit candles, and prayed in a state of nervous apprehension, but dead livestock and freshly burnt wood kept floating down the Warlegan River.

It was at this point that Grandfather, Richard, myself, and few other knights of our order rode by and were told what was happening. Grandfather was the first person to ask the obvious question, “Has no one gone upstream?”

A knight sets out to illuminate the darkness in society, not from its leaves but from its roots. This is how justice will be realized. Find the source.” (Rules For A Knight, Ethan Hawke, Pp. 84-85)

Where are the injustices in our world? This week we lost a messenger for justice in Rev. Dr. Joseph Lowery. He was one who traveled upstream to illuminate the darkness in our society. Where are the injustices in our world? How will we care for those who are suffering the most in this time of ‘Sheltering in Place’ thus causing soaring rates of unemployment? Will some children eat and others not because they live in a more privileged part of our world? Where are the injustices in our world?

Jesus got nailed because he was willing travel upstream. He was willing to address injustice at it roots not in the comfort of the foliage. Are we willing to be nailed for traveling upstream and becoming an instrument of justice for all? I want to be willing, how about you?