By Emily Lawrence
I don’t think I’m alone when I say that sometimes out of nowhere I am made wholly aware of the Earth’s moaning as she slowly becomes uninhabitable. Perhaps it’s when I realize how much I miss the flocks of birds. I do miss birds. Maybe it’s when there’s a horrendous fire that consumes beloved forests and innocent people, billowing suffocating smoke that burns my eyes and makes me cough more than usual. I sometimes wonder about the migration of people whose political and natural environment is failing, and how long before I, or my children or grandchildren, will be among them. And where will we go? The Creation is our home … and it is us simultaneously.
Everywhere we go, there we are; there it is, and there is no safe place. Everyday in the news I read about new dire warnings of environmental collapse, and then I come face-to-face with my denial. But often, it’s late at night when my day is done, and my world is quiet that I feel the anxiety paralyze my verbal mind and grip my throat with tears as my heart falls and falls; I am helpless and overwhelmed with this great grief.
I love and because I do, I grieve.
I would like to start a conversation in my church home about what others may be thinking and feeling as it pertains to The Great Loss. My hope is that through these conversations and prayer we will begin to lift our hearts in hope and action, rejecting isolation and silence, unifying and strengthening ourselves in Jesus. To this end, Pastor Raygan and I are convening a meeting to gather our energy, grief, and concern for Creation, and to explore how we might move this into action within and beyond our church. Anyone who has felt this grief, anxiety, or hopelessness is invited to join. “Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27
Please join us after church (11:30am) on March 17th in the Heritage Room.