“Tonight why not go outside and gaze up in wonder...?”
It was wonderful to have a full sanctuary and a full Choir this past Sunday as we reflected on connecting gratitude and reciprocity, or gratitude and generosity. If you missed it, I spoke about the profound clash between indigenous lifeways and colonial Euro-Christian ways: egalitarianism versus domination, “limitarianism” versus personal accumulation, keeping communal/cosmic balance versus personal salvation. Since some people see our Meeting House as a lasting symbol of that colonial project and theology, it is good to be clear on where we stand philosophically, theologically, and ethically today.
As I wrote last week, I encourage you to talk not just about what you’re grateful for at the Thanksgiving table but about practicing generosity. What story might you tell your grandkids about a time in your life when someone’s generosity enabled you to survive or thrive? What stories might your teenager share at the Thanksgiving table about how they’ve helped the People’s Food Pantry or Neighbors in Need over the past month? What conversations might you have about the ethical causes or organizations you’ve been supporting or would like to support? Unless we talk about such things, practices of generosity and reciprocity are not handed down, renewed, or visible to those around us. (If you find it
awkward to bring the subject up, you can blame it on me!)
Given how many of us there are who are part of North Parish (our Enews goes out to 687), I know that we will be having many kinds of “Thanksgivings” this week. Some will have tables overflowing with food and people, some (like me) will have a quieter Thanksgiving this year, some may be working on Thanksgiving Day, some may be running the Feaster Five or watching Netflix or dining alone.
Whatever is true for you, I hope you experience something at some point this week that invites you to take a deep breath, look around, and marvel at what you see. If you are at loose ends about what to do with yourself, check out the Red Bow Fair webpage because if you have time to volunteer, there’s a spot for you! I also recommend doing anything that connects you to the earth- feeding birds, baking bread, making soup with root vegetables, supporting sustainable farmers, taking a mindful walk, hugging another human being for at least 20 seconds.
No matter what, we live in an awesome world. Here is larger excerpt from the poem by Cathy Ross quoted above:
If the moon came out only once a month
people would appreciate it more. They’d mark it
in their datebooks, take a walk by moonlight…
And if the moon rose but once a century,
ascending luminous and lush on a long-awaited night,
all humans on the planet would gather
in huddled, whispering groups…
Tonight
why not go outside and gaze up in wonder,
as if you’d never seen it before,
as if it were a miracle,
as if you had been waiting
all your life.
Gratefully, for the moon and all of you,
Rev. Lee