Rev. Bethany Russell-Lowe
The Jewish prophet Micah spoke out against dishonesty in the marketplace and corruption in the government in the 8th century BCE. The prophetic instruction in the midst of his own societal chaos rings in my ears today:
What does theLORDrequire of you but to do justice,
and to love kindness, and to walk humbly
with your God?
In a recent sermon I said, “This is not a call to the center, but to the heart of things. The center does not include those on the margins. The heart feeds the whole body.”
This is a tug I’ve been feeling the past few years, as our country has become more divided and it has become more difficult to imagine a 'whole' here. I am not feeling called to the center, but to the heart. To efforts which center lives over policies. People over profit.
At the heart of things I imagine us working to assure that all have access to food, water, shelter, and medical care. At the heart of things, basic necessities are not things to be negotiated. These are things people need in order to live. If we value human life this is the most necessary action, at the heart of things.
And once those basic needs are met the heart of things assures education is accessible to and equitable for all…it teaches us that refugees and immigrants are in need of love and care…it demands that we act seriously, quickly, and intentionally to address our climate crisis.
These are not centrist political issues. These are human issues.
Our faith calls us to love beyond belief. At the heart of things, instead of asking “What will you compromise?” we ask, “What do you need?”
Our faith asks us to honor one another across our differences. At the heart of things, instead of asking “Why are you so different?” we ask “What can I learn from you?”
What do you need? What can I learn from you?
In these coming days, as you go about your lives I hope you will focus on the heart of things. I hope you will feel tugged to the place where human life and connection is uplifted. To that place where we honor each other’s inherent worth and dignity with care, connection, and community. There is no more worthy task than this.
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Bring a Flower to Worship on March 8th
Bring a flower (or a few!) to worship on March 8th for an inter-generational flower communion ritual where we will honor all the volunteers it takes to make our congregation run. Pick a wildflower or buy some from the store! We look forward to seeing you there.
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