The Oasis - May 22, 2024

If you’re near the First Parish meetinghouse at certain times of the day, you might hear the carillon playing some well-known hymns. The system was given in memory of Ronald Allen Parsons who lost his life serving in the military in 1967. A small plaque indicating as much will soon be displayed in the narthex. I assume many of our church members weren’t aware of that bit of history. With Memorial Day weekend approaching, I thought this would be a good opportunity to share it.
                Memorial Day was first observed in 1866 in Waterloo, New York. It was a time for decorating graves, especially of those who died in war. Today, it is a national holiday with numerous opportunities and ways to remember those who have died in war. This year, my prayers will go out to Americans who have lost friends and loved ones in various conflicts, but I will also pray for peace.
                I leave you with these words of the prophet Isaiah describing what has become known as “The Peaceful Kingdom.”
“A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow[a] out of his roots.
 The spirit of the Lord shall rest on him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
 His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.
He shall not judge by what his eyes see
    or decide by what his ears hear,
 but with righteousness he shall judge for the poor
    and decide with equity for the oppressed of the earth;
he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
 Righteousness shall be the belt around his waist
    and faithfulness the belt around his loins.
 The wolf shall live with the lamb;
    the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
the calf and the lion will feed[b] together,
    and a little child shall lead them.
 The cow and the bear shall graze;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
 The nursing child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put its hand on the adder’s den.
 They will not hurt or destroy
    on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.”      Isaiah 11:1-9