The Power of One

If I were superstitious about pennies I would pay attention if they were heads or tails before I picked it up, but what I consider most important is that I pick up the penny. It has nothing to do with luck and has everything to do with being conscientious about the worth of that penny. I don't ever want to think that I'm so rich, so elite, or so lazy that I don't need to stoop down and pick up the coin. You never know when you're going to need that penny. #1 son found the value of a penny when his car payment was returned for using a .41 stamp. I stopped at the post office to buy some one cent stamps, but I was only one of five other people who had the same idea, and the machine was already totally sold out. The power of one penny holds back communication and commerce. Another example of the power of one is that a single, small magnet can defy the gravitation pull of the earth that keeps us so firmly grounded, and releases metal objects easily from its hold. From the TED conferences I heard the story of Larry Brilliant who was part of the UN project to eliminate small pox. By 1974 the disease was limited to a few countries, but India experienced a huge outbreak so a team 0f 150,000 workers was sent to India to go door-to-door, once a month for two years; one billion house calls. The results? After small pox killed 500 million people throughout history, in 1980 small pox was officially eradicated, one house at a time. The power of one.

My prayer for the congregation?

Dear God, We honestly ask what can one person do in the face of so many obstacles, trials, and injustices. We feel outnumbered, understaffed, overwhelmed and ill-prepared to act as solitary sentries against the weight of the world. O God, act as a magnet, releasing us from the strong pull of excuses and limited thinking and enable us to think beyond our own ideas of existing facts and solutions. Resurrection was not an option before Jesus and the disciples never made sense of the signs presented nor the words spoken in advance. Let us be aware of indicators of kingdom insights and signals of directional prodding. Help us to eradicate wars one nation at a time, and bring peace one family at a time. It may take repeated words of encouragement to finally allow them to hear they are a beloved child of God. You, O Lord, are the one, true God. Amen