Life's Luminous Web

 Mornings like this, when I wake up less than enthusiastically on a "bleak mid-winter " Monday, I focus first on my breath and how it connects me to all of life.  I give thanks for this gift and for all my senses: my sight, that allows me to drink in the colors of the sunrise; my ability to smell peppermint and spruce essential oils; my ears that hear the first morning sounds of children walking to the bus stop and dogs barking in the distance; my sense of  taste, as I sip freshly brewed coffee. 

When you stop to really think about it, all of life is miraculous, starting with our own bodies. There's been a lot of talk about our immune systems during these pandemic years and if you study what the human body can do to protect itself from viruses and bacteria, it is truly amazing.  Every system in our bodies is a mind-boggling miracle.

As a matter of fact, every creature on this planet is way more complex than we often realize until we study them up close.  From butterflies to bees, flowers to trees, everything is amazing. And we are part of it all; intricately connected, made of the same basic elements as the earth and the cosmos.

Every few years, I re-read a wonderful book called The Luminous Web, by Barbara Brown Taylor.  She is an Episcopal priest who also delights in science and particularly quantum physics. One of my favorite quotes from this book is: "Whatever language you prefer, the apparent truth is that we belong to a vast web of creation in which nothing, absolutely nothing is inconsequential. The hairs on your head, a baby's sneeze, the gravitational pull of an electron at the far edge of the Milky Way-none of these things is negligible.  Not one of them can be subtracted  from creation, or even rounded off, without changing the whole gorgeous geometry of the universe...every one of us will change the world, whether we mean to or not.  In other words, our lives matter, every second, every thought, every action, is consequential because it is a part of everything else.

So on this very ordinary winter morning, I pray that each one of us will give thanks to our Creator, for forming us as an integral part of the web of life.  I pray that we will stand in awe, honoring this sacred connection in everything we say and do.

I'll end with a quote from Albert Einstein: "The most beautiful emotion we can experience is the mystical.  It is the source of all true art and science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead".

 

The Redemptive Power of Love

 On this very snowy, wintry morning, recently home from a trip to the Southwest desert, I am very thankful to be here, safe and warm, on a day that invites some quiet meditation and reflection.

 It is Martin Luther King Day, a time to ponder all that this great man did to change our world for the better, and to recall the many inspirational messages that he left behind. He focused quite a bit on the power of love and peaceful protest to overcome hatred and injustice. One beautiful quote that I am drawn to this morning speaks on this topic:

“Now there is a final reason I think that Jesus says, "Love your enemies." It is this: that love has within it a redemptive power. And there is a power there that eventually transforms individuals. Just keep being friendly to that person. Just keep loving them, and they can’t stand it too long. Oh, they react in many ways in the beginning. They react with guilt feelings, and sometimes they’ll hate you a little more at that transition period, but just keep loving them. And by the power of your love, they will break down under the load. That’s love, you see. It is redemptive, and this is why Jesus says love. There’s something about love that builds up and is creative. There is something about hate that tears down and is destructive. So, love your enemies. (from "Loving Your Enemies")”
― Martin Luther King Jr., A Knock at Midnight: Inspiration from the Great Sermons of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today, as we reflect on Dr. King's contributions, may we look for ways to show love to all those in our sphere of influence and to be forces of good and light in an oftentimes dark world.  

When Chaos Reigns

 Natural disasters are always difficult to understand. Insurance companies refer to them as "acts of God", but can we really blame a loving God for the terrible things that happen, seemingly at random?

The LA forest fires have been particularly disturbing for me. The daughter and son-n law of close friends of ours, recently married with a new baby, tragically lost their beautiful home in the fires. As I looked at the photo of what remains (a stone chimney), my heart broke for them. How does one make sense of such horror? People have lost homes, entire communities and everything that is familiar. They can be thankful to be alive, yes, but how do they answer the question, "why me God?" How do they rebuild and recover from such loss?

I took my well-worn copy of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Harold Kushner, off of my bookshelf and re-read most of it yesterday to try to understand. 

Rabbi Kushner points out that, while many people believe in a God who rewards the good and punishes the evil, this is really not how the world works. This kind of thinking has led many to hate God and abandon religion. The truth is, devastating hurricanes, wildfires or earthquakes are natural disasters that occur for a number of explainable reasons.  They occur more frequently now because humans have disrupted the laws of nature and caused climate change to escalate. 

He goes on to state: "Laws of nature do not make exceptions for nice people...No matter what stories we were taught about Daniel or Jonah in Sunday School, God does not reach down to interrupt the workings of laws of nature to protect the righteous from harm. And really, how could we live in this world if he did?" Random, bad things happen all the time, whether due to natural causes or the free will of human beings. A drunk driver kills a loving, faith-filled family; a lone gunman opens fire and shoots into a crowd, indiscriminately murdering people with no regard for who is "good" or "bad"; young; innocent children are diagnosed with terrible diseases. If we truly believe in a God who loves us all, how could we justify him saving some, but not others?

While we cannot understand the chaos of the world and, no matter how fervently we pray. we cannot escape misfortune in our lives, we can be assured that God works through those who help us in times of need. When we are weak, we can pray for help and be blessed with angels of mercy, who do God's work in the world. Through prayer, we are given the strength to go on and we are filled with the peace that passes understanding. Miraculous healing does happen, because he has given us the power to be His hands in the world.

We may be facing difficult times, with climate change accelerating and the world as we know it changing so quickly. This is not the time to judge others or blame God. It is a time to reach out to others with compassion and to pray for strength and peace. He/She will be with us in the midst of it, lifting us up.