In his “Theologians Tales,” Henry W. Longfellow used darkness as a metaphor to highlight the difficulty we have connecting with each other and to emphasize the personal isolation prevalent in this vastly populated world:
“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing,
Only a signal shown and a distant voice in the darkness;
So on the ocean of life we pass and speak one another,
Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.
Although we live in families, neighborhoods, and communities and associate with one another in schools, workplaces, organizations, synagogues, and churches and are connected as citizens of this world to the larger community of nations, our relationships are predominately casual. And we are lonely! We have become Longfellow’s “Ships that pass in the night.”
There is a strange incongruity in being innately relational beings who long for connection but fear deep intimacy. We possess the ability to love deeply and sacrificially, to be understanding and compassionate and generous, to support and help each other, to know right and wrong, to expect justice but also practice forgiveness, to show mercy and grace, but we fall short! We try, but we fail. The reasons are multifactorial.
The realities of time and space bring fleeting relationships and incidental encounters. Social status, ethnicity, race, individuality, quirky personalities, lifestyles, opinions, values, politics and religions create distance. Dual incomes, busy lives, attention demanding iPhones, and social media complicate and distract from relationships. Experiences drive us to build protective emotional and physical boundaries. Distrust, “fear of man”, and insecurities keep us awkward and guarded. However, there is a deeper underlying challenge. Centuries ago, God revealed an undeniable truth about a real and basic problem. “Every intention of the thoughts of (man’s) heart is only evil continually” and “The intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 6:5;8:21).
We have a heart issue. We are incapable of perfection and achieving self redemption and are separated by our brokenness. Our spirits are willful and disordered, our minds filled with impure attitudes and motives. Self centeredness and lack of grace and humility bring disorder and darkness to our world. Unfortunately, performing rituals, attending church or synagogue, praying, being generous, helping our neighbors, and giving to the poor, or even taking religious practices to the point of radical actions do not cleanse our deceitful hearts or inspire a favorable standing in God’s sight. We may be unlike in many ways, but we all share the humbling need for redemption. Our souls need the touch of divine love.
Scripture’s great message is that the Creator loves His fallen creation, has done all that is necessary to redeem it through Christ, and at some point will restore it to its original glory. We cannot make God love us more than He already does! Salvation is not earned but is a divine provision. “It is not by works that we have done but by his mercy he saves us” (Titus 3:5). Christ’s redemptive work on our behalf proved the amazing perfection of God’s unimaginable love. The cross is where mercy and justice meet to provide salvation for all who seek him.
New England poet and Quaker, John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892), wrote a poem from which some of the verses became the hymn “Dear Lord and Father of mankind.” The song addresses our common need for repentance, trusting belief in, submission to, and quiet waiting on the Lord, and the first verse speaks to those needs.
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
forgive our foolish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
in purer lives Thy service find,
in deeper rev’rence, praise.
We share life together. Understanding and trusting what Christ has done should give new meaning, purpose, grace, and spirit to relationships. Hostilities, barriers, and divisions have been abolished by divine grace, mercy, and love. If Whittier’s prayerful song becomes ours and we walk as Jesus did, there will be fewer of Longfellow’s ships passing in the night.
Sweet Words from Maine 