The Rally
There is nothing like a good rally. Now a KKK rally
might be a different story. A Pride Parade could be called a rally. So could a
riot in Baltimore. One definition of an illegal rally is three or more people.
I guess a ménage à trois (French for three) is considered a riot. Yes it could
be, but then a kindergarten bottle drive might be illegal too. There is
something scary and fun when a group gets together.
After the Boston Marathon bombings the city became “Boston
Strong.” When the Calgary Flames are in the playoffs we have what is called the
“C” of Red on 17th ave. They call that the Red Mile. Mecca is a
rallying point for Muslims. Ground Zero is a place of rally for New York and
9/11. We all have places of rally to gather in joy and sadness, but we gather
in strength.
We all can have memories of where we were when
something happened. In most cases we gather to talk about it. Sometimes it
becomes a rally and other times a memory. I remember where I was when Elvis
died but I didn’t rally but many did. I remember a bar in the center of town
became a strip club and we gathered in a rally against it. It’s gone now and
torn down. Riots in the L.A. County of Watts did little to change the area.
Baltimore has rallied against the Police but has much changed the reasons why?
What does God have to say about the Rally? In Matthew
18:20 it says “When two or more Gather in my (Gods) name.” God always felt that
there was strength in numbers. Two people believing the same thing is much
better than one. The thing about Christianity is the gathering. When strangers
call themselves brothers and sisters it is a very good thing. Hebrews 12 begins
with a call to run together the race of life. God encourages us to do life
together.
There is a point that we need to move on. People in
Texas used to say “Remember the Alamo.” That call to remember comes from an
1836 battle. Should we still have the call to gather? We remember points in
time when things affected us personally. Winning a Super bowl or Stanley Cup
can be remembered. The Toronto Maple Leafs of Hockey last won in 1967, should
they hold a rally to remember? There is a reason we never forget, but equally a
reason to move on.
Women don’t rally for freedom like they did years
ago. A Pride parade has its point but when does it become different than it was
intended. Today we rally for breast Cancer for women rather than the freedom to
vote. African American slavery could be a rally to gather but do we have
slavery today? However, racism still exists and it comes in the rallying form
of riots rather than peace walks. A rally should never be a riot. A riot means
the passion has boiled over. The original passion is gone and replaced with
emotion and points of contention. A ménage à trois is fine until one of them
changes the rules. Then three is not company anymore.
It is good to have rallies. People gather together
arm in arm to speak out for a cause. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech “I have a
dream” is one of those moments frozen in time. Boston Strong will be a rallying
point for that city. That term has little meaning on the Red Mile in Calgary. Ours
is “never quit.” Boston is about freedom and Calgary is about hockey. Why does
your community rally? Do you rally in joy or anger? Has the issue become
something it was never intended to be?
I love to gather to see the Queen of England drive
by in Canada. I love gathering at church to sing songs and hear about God. In a
postal strike I always have the best time. I hate some people’s work ethic, but
during a strike were all best buddies. Rallying for issues like cancer,
freedom, and exercise is a good thing. We are stronger together, that’s why
armies win over one guy with a pea shooter. Rallying for the Nazi or the KKK
can seem good at the time but we all know that gathering against someone can
turn ugly like a genocide war or riot. Rwanda 1984 was a community of two
tribes. They worked and played together but down deep they hated each other. Millions
of people died in a rally of hatred rather than a rally of peace. With your
cause what is the cause to gather?
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