September 13, 2020

Belief in God as an all-powerful being, external to humanity, separate from humanity, can be a form of self-righteousness.

“God is responsible for the Universe.  God is responsible for this planet, and for all that people – God’s creations – have ever done and ever will do.  What can I possibly do to make a difference?  I am not responsible for what others have done, do today, or do tomorrow, let alone for the collective effects of their actions such as global warming, racism, income inequality, and war.”

This perspective can become an excuse for thinking small; for seeing the world and our roles in it narrowly; for being content to survive; for doing less than we are able to do; for staying comfortable at the cost of growth and service.

Let us turn the metaphorical telescope around – it is that simple – and view ourselves more and more as including God, however named.  Let us view ourselves as servants by whom that Holy Spirit acts in this world and let us dare to do our best, humbly and with love, to live that way.

August 23, 2020

Upon what basis – in essence, not deeds – is any person unworthy of my love?

Do human beings all have the same Creator, however named, or do they not?

If I believe that God is omnipotent – indeed, that the Holy Spirit is in every person – how can I believe that some people are not God’s creations; God’s children?

If I believe that every human being is a child of God, how can I – how dare I – claim to love, and to try to serve, God and at the same time believe that some people, some of God’s children, are in their essence less worthy of love than others because of how God made them: because of their physical appearance; because of their experienced sex or gender; because of where they were born; because of the beliefs or customs with which they were raised; because of how some others of God’s children choose to treat them?

Every person is, in his or her essence, deserving of love.

August 16, 2020

Holy Spirit, we’re all trying to survive – spiritually, emotionally, functionally; to care for the gift of Life; to remember that our health as cells in the body of Life depends on the health of the entire body.

I have not figured out how not to be right – in my eyes and in Yours – about how I do that.

Thank you for this moment, this opportunity to reflect together on our relationships with You, with each other, and with our neighbors; supporting and learning from each other; learning to be less right and more loving; thinking about ways to grow, and show, love for humanity and for the natural world.