The Present Crisis

 

Once to ev’ry man and nation, comes the moment to decide…

Dear Friends

First, we must continue to pray for our country---for the safety of all our elected officials, and for those trying to protect them and our government buildings in DC and across the country. We must also keep praying for all those working on every front line during this pandemic, which continues to spread around the world. Lord have mercy upon us!

Next, I wish I could send this poem to the Vice President and every representative in both houses of Congress and that they would pause and seriously consider its message. It is three verses of a longer poem by James Russell Lowell. It was written in 1845 from a greater work of poetry entitled “The Present Crisis”: (Be sure and read the story behind this poem which I have shared at the end of this blog)

Once to ev'ry man and nation

 

Comes the moment to decide,

 

In the strife of truth and falsehood,

 

For the good or evil side;

 

Some great cause, some great decision,

 

Off'ring each the bloom or blight,

 

And the choice goes by forever

 

'Twixt that darkness and that light.

 

 

 

Then to side with truth is noble,

 

When we share her wretched crust,

 

Ere her cause bring fame and profit,

 

And 'tis prosperous to be just;

 

Then it is the brave man chooses

 

While the coward stands aside,

 

Till the multitude make virtue

 

Of the faith they had denied.

 

 

 

Tho' the cause of evil prosper,

 

Yet the truth alone is strong;

 

Tho' her portion be the scaffold,

 

And upon the throne be wrong:

 

Yet that scaffold sways the future,

 

And, behind the dim unknown,

 

Standeth God within the shadow,

 

Keeping watch above His own.

 

In searching for the story behind this hymn (which was in our 1940 hymnal) I found this from a sermon preached at the Washington National Cathedral in 2003:

"This poem was penned as a protest against the war with Mexico that Lowell deplored as pre-emptive and unjust aggression. Many American’s opposed the action calling it sinful and accused then President Polk of deception and aggression. But one young congressman in particular stood up publicly and said “Allow the President to invade a neighboring country whenever he shall deem it necessary . . . and you allow him to make war at pleasure . . .” That young, anti-war congressman was named Abraham Lincoln."

Who will stand up and speak out in this moment, during this present crisis and act accordingly? In this case, if we want healing, we must first have accountability. And then we must just ignore him.

John