Piloting Faith: America the Possible...
A Word for the Day...
I'm reading a book called “America the Possible: Manifesto for a New Economy” by James Gustave Speth. Highly recommend!
My favorite quote so far:
“Many have concluded that addressing our many challenges will require the rise of the new consciousness, with different values dominant in American culture. For some, it is a spiritual awakening– a transformation of the human heart. For others it is a more intellectual process of coming to see the world anew and deeply embracing the emerging ethic of the environment and the old ethic of what it means to love my neighbor as thyself. But for all, the possibility of a sustainable and a just future will require major cultural change and a real orientation of what society values and prizes most highly.”
We are asking the same question that people asked of Jesus so many years ago. Who holds our loyalty: Caesar or God? In the gospel story, Jesus has them pull out the coins from their pockets, coins with Ceasar’s face on them, and says “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s; Give to God what is God’s.” We forget that they are not one and the same.
We are at a crossroads as humanity where we are living lives of over-consumption that are killing everything that we hold most dear. Our planet, our health, our families, our communities, our businesses, our food sources, our sanity are being pushed to unsustainable extremes to accommodate an insatiable appetite for everything that “belongs to Caesar” at the expenses of everything that belongs to God.
Speth goes on to suggest that, “Sustainability is the imperative that pushes a new agenda. Desire for a rich quality of life, strong human ties and a resonant connection to nature is the lure that pulls us toward the future.” Maybe life isn’t about power, money and consumption after all.
In what ways does your life feel out of control or out of alignment with who you feel called to be? What feels unsustainable about how you are living and working? What does it look like to live a rich quality of life by giving to God what is God’s?
I hope this day you awake to the possibility of your own amazing life and live abundantly.
- Rev. Cameron Trimble, author of Piloting Church: Helping Your Congregation Take Flight
Prayer for the Week
May God bless you with discomfort
At easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships
So that you may live deep within your heart.
May God bless you with anger
At injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people,
So that you may work for justice, freedom and peace.
May God bless you with tears
To shed for those who suffer pain, rejection, hunger and war,
So that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and
To turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless you with enough foolishness
To believe that you can make a difference in the world,
So that you can do what others claim cannot be done
To bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
- A Franciscan Benediction