238. A Voice Crying In The Wilderness

Those of us whose political passion runs to the left of most of the rest of us might well have felt today's sermon was being addressed not to them but about them, given the political climate in Kentucky and the Republic for the past few years. Today's reading from Isaiah has the language of righteousness, of animals together in harmony, of some chaos coming out of the wilderness. One line specifically says "but with righteousness he shall judge the poor." Doesn't say which poor, whether poor in health, poor in wealth, or the poor in morality, only they shall be judged with righteousness. That reading is followed from lines in one of the Psalms, one of which reads "May he judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice" repeating the earlier thought from Isaiah. The second reading came from Romans. Among the ideas presented there is one which we still struggle with, one seeking "encouragement that we may live in harmony with one another." Finally, the gospel reading was from Matthew, containing the well known introduction to John the Baptist as "the voice of one crying out in the wilderness."

Kentucky has something of a trademark on that word wilderness, mostly because we were the first wilderness beyond the mountains explored by the new (white, european) settlers who first founded the Republic. Our very own Wilderness Road, a path followed by buffaloes [does that "e" need to be there? Where is Dan Quayle when you need him?] but made famous by Daniel Boone, enters the state in the southeast at the Cumberland Gap and follows generally north and northwest, with one of its branches coming into Jefferson County along what is now Preston Highway in Okolona and arriving at the Falls, right at Milepoint 606 along the Left Bank of the Ohio River.

On Tuesday, Kentucky emerges from its wandering in the wilderness for the last four years with the Inauguration of Steven L. Beshear as the Commonwealth's 58th Governor. Events are planned from tomorrow night, through Tuesday and into Tuesday evening. According to Mike Cooper, the Executive Director for the Inauguration, a number of people should have received their invitations in the mail as 30,000 were mailed out, at least one too many since I received two. Hoepfully, the weather will improve although the present forecast isn't offering much promise.

But, eventually sometime this week, the rains will leave, the fog will lift, and Kentucky will have a new governor, one who will lead rather than divide, and under whom Kentucky will hopefully prosper, rather than fall further behind. The voices of those Kentuckians who have been crying in the wilderness were heard by the voters.

Thanks Be To God.