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| Northern Finland. Image by Janne |
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A GREETING
O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, until the destroying storms pass by.
(Psalm 57:1)
A READING
When a spirit from on high is poured out on us, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest, then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust for ever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places.
(Isaiah 32:14b-18)
MUSIC
The Finnish and Irish lyrics in this song are in today's write-up.
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in God my heart trusts; so I am helped.
(Psalm 28:7)
TWO POEMS
Love is rest.
Actually, the only rest humans have.
And nothing is as exhausting.
And it is freedom.
And yet, nothing binds us as securely.
Therein lies love's paradox.
Without love, it is as if one carried a burden
All the time and was prisoner to his loneliness,
No matter how free he is in his aloneness.
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We should say to one another,
Not, sorry, I bumped into you,
But, thank you, for touching me.
- "Love is a Rest," and "We Should Say to One Another,"
by Eeva Kilpi
VERSE OF THE DAY
The children of your servants shall live secure
their offspring shall be established in your presence.
(Psalm 102:28)
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| Image by Janne |
Isaiah’s dream of having a righteous and just world comes in the image of a fruitful field or wilderness, where people “abide in a peaceful habitation." The wildernesses of Finland are essential to its survival. The rain-fed and groundwater spring fed lakes, rivers and streams of Finland (more than a thousand of them) finally end in the Baltic Sea via the Gulf of Finland. At the other end, the Barents Sea stretches across the top of Norway. Like Sweden, Finland’s land mass does not have a coastal boundary in the seas of the Arctic, but it is within the Arctic region. Instead, Finland shares a border of more than 1300 km with Russia.
After the recent invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland joined NATO in April of 2023, fearing for its own security. Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty provides for the support of a nation by the other participants in the treaty in the event of a hostile attack from a non-member. In addition, nature has provided a natural defense: the border with Russia is filled with dense Taiga forests and bogs, impassable for a tank and other military arsenal.
In today’s music, “Maalaulu” (which means “Earth Song”), we hear three different singers and groups performing in three places: Finland, Ireland and the USA. The lyrics describe how “hidden beauty” is all around us; the voices pass a message of hope from one country to another in a song style that reflects their own context. “Feel the warmth of the sun and drink the clear water,” the lyrics say. “Let your heart fill with love and sweet memory. Touch the dew on your skin, and lift up your voices. With one song, together with one voice, one world.”
Those lyrics might be particularly welcomed right now amid political tensions in North America. The dream of “one song, together with one voice, one world,” may feel distant to us in these days. But we are all called into Isaiah's dream, which can only be fulfilled if we believe in it. That dream can live in all of us, no matter where we live, if we nurture it with faith together.
What can we do to build up God's kindom so that all people may "abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting-places?" What are the ways that we resist empires and offer hope to others through our confidence in God's presence among us?
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AN IMAGE OF HOPE AND RESISTANCE
Finnish painter Hugo Simberg painted "The Wounded Angel" in 1903 and immediately caused a sensation. It has had many interpretations over the years which the artist did not affirm or deny, believing that the only real interpretation is in the eye of the viewer. One possibility is that at the time of the painting, Simberg was suffering from menningitis. Another interpretation comes from observing that the setting of the scene is recognizably a Helsinki park, near to a school for the blind. Finally, the painting was made near the end of the first of two periods of unwanted "Russification" of Finland (1899-1904 and 1908-1917) before the declaration of Finland's independence from Russia in 1917. A wounded female figure is carried by two boys, one of whom looks at us as if we are complicit in what has happened. The angel is holding snowdrop flowers, which are symbolic of healing and hope. Perhaps the painting represents an injured nation, hopeful as it is carried away to recover. How can this image speak to us in our own times?
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| "The Wounded Angel" (1903) by Hugo Simberg. |
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Resources in today's devotion:
Scripture passages are taken from The New Revised Standard Version.
Finnish lyrics in today's music are captured in the write-up. The song was composed by Michael McGlynn for three principal participants: Marjukka Tepponen (soprano - Finland); ANÚNA featuring Aisling McGlynn (soprano - Ireland) and the vocal ensemble Ordained, directed by Isaac S.Cates Eeva Kilpi is a Finnish poet and novelist from the Karelia region near the Russian border.
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LC† Streams of Living Justice is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!