“Weeping may linger for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.”
Psalm 30:5
“I Dream a World” by Langston Hughes
I dream a world where man
No other man will scorn,
Where love will bless the earth
And peace its paths adorn
I dream a world where all
Will know sweet freedom’s way,
Where greed no longer saps the soul
Nor avarice blights our day.
A world I dream where black or white,
Whatever race you be,
Will share the bounties of the earth
And every man is free,
Where wretchedness will hang its head
And joy, like a pearl,
Attends the needs of all mankind-
Of such I dream, my world!
Rather than bemoaning the state of the world, I choose to have hope and to lean into my beloved community, the collective of individuals I have gathered to me and who have gathered me in, who strive for a compassionate, just, and joy-filled world for all of God’s creation. I believe in the possibilty of a future where the world will be very different, a more perfect union, and I know it is the deep and wide community of which I am part that can and will catalyze this change with resolve, hope, hard work. May we continue together to forge this path to promised joy.
May we continue to forge this path to promise joy. Amen.
–Cheryl Elkins