March Madness: Here in the United States, presently the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) women’s and men’s basketball championships are vying for our attention. March Madness refers to the excitement of the final few weeks of the college basketball tournaments in the United States that feature many major schools. It is called madness simply because there are so many games going on throughout the country, usually during the same time, in rapid succession during the month of March.
In addition to the term March Madness, various
rounds of the NCAA tournament also have distinctive names. The third round, in
which there are 16 teams left, is called the Sweet 16. The next round is
referred to as the Elite 8. Then, there is the Final 4. The Final 4 play two
games over three days to determine the national champion and close out March
Madness. Amen to all this madness! (I have to admit that I only know this from being informed and coached by my friends.)
However, I don’t believe I’m into sports that much, so I’m pretty pathetic
trying to make a metaphor about all of this madness. The madness that I know of
is that I’m really getting a little restless that
spring is having such a struggle to arrive. I have seen our snow finally melting,
and yet consistent warm breezes disappear overnight. Then with the early morning
dawn, two to three inches of new snow has visited once again. Is this not madness? Definitely not!! Yet, it is nothing compared to the unprovoked and senseless madness experienced
by our sisters and brothers in Ukraine!
March Sadness: Today, after watching a morning news show, I
collected “war rhetoric”as I pondered the tragedy of humanity in Ukraine and eastward
as disinformation is streamed into the lives of people causing fear, anxiety, untold trauma and death! Here are a few words and phrases I gathered within
10 minutes of listening: ground invasion, advances, missile strikes, targeting
of civilians, military support, front line, agreements, Summit, protect and
defend, no-fly zone, chemical weapons, alliance, International Law, combat
forces, transfer of weapons, defensive positions, World Order, nuclear power, sovereignty and freedom, drones, hypersonic missiles, security, peace
talks! Is this not madness and deep sadness
that we as a people who share this planet have to confront the temptations of
power, possessiveness, and prestige that Jesus confronted with the evil one
after his baptism?
March Gladness: Friday, March 25, is
the Feast of the Annunciation. It is the feast in which Christians
celebrate Mary's fiat—her willing acceptance of God's holy plan through the
visit of the angel Gabriel, during which he told her that she would be the
mother of Jesus, the Son of God. Let us petition our Lady of Kiev (Kyiv) to intercede
for us all so that the God of Hope, the God of Peace, the God of Love will move
hearts so as to bring an end to this world tragedy!
God of hope,
we pray to
you when hope is scarce
as our
world convulses with the horror of war.
You alone
know the extent of the crimes committed in Ukraine:
the people
murdered, the homes and infrastructure destroyed,
the way
violence comes as a calamity,
cutting a
swath through the world.
Why is
power concentrated in the hands of so few?
How can we
make this war stop?
You alone
know a way out of this quagmire of evil.
Help us
find it.
Awaken
those who dismiss this as someone else’s problem.
Give world
leaders wisdom as they impose sanctions,
looking
for diplomatic and economic ways to end this aggression.
Raise up
resistance to war in Russia itself.
Protect
the people of Ukraine,
who are
reeling from the trauma of invasion.
Open the
arms of neighbouring countries
to take in
refugees.
In times
like these,
fill us
with resolve rather than hatred.
Help us
believe that justice will prevail,
that
crimes will be prosecuted,
that peace
can be found
even in
the roar and rubble of war. Amen
“Copyright Carol
Penner www.leadinginworship.com.”
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