Mardi Tindal
Moderator Mardi Tindal's blog:Listening to the earth in new ways
Posted on: 10/08/2009 09:24
Welcome to my blog — a place to reflect with me on God's healing of soul, community, and creation. I hope you will visit often and be part of this sacred conversation.
My first official stop as Moderator was on the beach at Naramata Centre on Wednesday, August 19. Within a cathedral of light reflected by earth, lake, and sky, the community gathered for worship. Lake Okanagan was at my back as I donned the moderatorial stole for the first time since the installation service. As I draped it over my shoulders, the fringe of the stole touched the sand at my feet. My immediate reaction was to gasp and blurt out to the crowd “Oops—don’t tell anyone it touched the ground!”
What was that about?! General Council had just heard me speak about God’s call to listen deeply to soul, one another, and creation. And yet dualistic, either-or thinking about that which is sacred and that which isn’t still resides deeply within me.
A few days later, I told David Wilson of The Observer that I’m inviting the church into covenantal conversations through which we can enter more deeply into our relationship—weaving with soul, community, and creation. As I pay attention to my own relationship with the earth, I hear the psalmist’s declaration (Psalm 24:1) that the earth and all of its fullness belongs to God. I hear in this a call to accept my own sacredness within the earth’s sacredness. With words attributed to Chief Seattle, the earth does not belong to us; we belong to the earth.
And we—and the earth—belong to God. We are like family with inseparable bonds. A friend recently told me that he finds the language of kinship more helpful than the language of stewardship for describing our ideal relationship with creation. I like it. Kin offer us life lessons. I’m now more inclined, for instance, to notice the life lessons of plants. For one thing, winter dormancy periods allow for the root growth necessary for more visible growth in the seasons of spring and summer. We could benefit from a better understanding of the necessity of periodic dormancy for our growth as human beings. This could be a good way to respond to the psalmist’s words and to know that we are sacred, as is the earth.
I am speaking of the earth more as kin these days—and I’m listening to the earth in new ways too. The new liturgical Season of Creation, culminating in Thanksgiving Sunday, will become more familiar to us and will help us delve further into this theme spiritually, thanks to the action of the 40th General Council.
The earth has already had a voice in my decision-making about travel on behalf of the church, for instance. I’ll tell you more about the implications of that in future posts.
In the meantime, may Thanksgiving be a sacred time for you and your community in the abundant life of Christ. And it would be a great blessing to me to hear about your thoughts on questions such as these:
How would you describe your relationship with creation?
What is helping you to feel more like kin?
What is separating you from a sense of kinship with creation?
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Comments
seeler
Posted on: 10/09/2009 10:11
I think I feel the most sense of kinship with the earth when I am in a vegetable garden or on a small farm. When I pull a carrot for my grandson it reminds me and teaches him that we are dependent on the gifts of the soil for our nourishment. Without the soil, air, water, sunshine plants could not grow. Without plants to feed birds and animals and us we could not live. The earth is our home. But it is our life as well.
cjms
Posted on: 10/09/2009 11:29
How would you describe your relationship with creation?
I wouldn't use the word creation but in reflecting upon my relationship within the universe, I am a part of all that is; made of the same materials. I strive to be one with all and respect the whole.
When we destroy our universe through selfish actions, I am separate. When I act out of anything that is not love, I am separating myself from the whole and am fragmented...cms
RevLGKing
Posted on: 10/12/2009 20:40
THE NEW ASTRONOMY--talk about awesome!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Swimme
http://www.brianswimme.org/
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/090504-mm-supernova.html
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Could it be that E= MC2 + A ?
Where:
E symbolizes the Everything--all the energy (knowledge, wisdom and power)--that is, all the Good, Orderly and Desirable design, or GOD--imaginable in and through all that IS.
A, symbolizes agape/love--that is, humble, intelligent and imaginative good will in action--all the power we need.
BTW, it is said that what we call agape/love is ordinary respect in fancy clothes. Romantic, or the Hollywood kind of love (lust) is something quite different.
revjohn
Posted on: 10/11/2009 17:20
Hello Mardi and welcome to the WonderCafe,
My immediate reaction was to gasp and blurt out to the crowd “Oops—don’t tell anyone it touched the ground!”
If anything it is probably the moments when the rest of creation is alien. When the dog's predator instincts kick in in the garden and they are primal and not altogether responsive. When they capture another part of creation and do what comes natural to them.
I understand, intellectually, what is going on. That they are simply being what they are. Seeing them be what they are at the expense of something else that is being what it is.
Moments like that illustrate the divide between the stewards and what is to be stewarded.
Grace and peace to you.
John
abpenny
Posted on: 10/14/2009 20:36
Hi Mardi...welcome as the new moderator, I hope you'll enjoy and twirl in your role.
I'm a farmgirl that loves to walk early in the morning with my dog, so my realtionship with creation is quiet and peaceful. I feel kinship with the geese that gather and the coyotes that howl. I don't plan to...but it is what I've grown up with, so it is always present when I'm outside.
I retreat, occassionally, from noisy people-stuff that feels irritating to me, and that is likely my biggest separation from kinship with creation.
fairway
Posted on: 10/24/2009 14:05
Rev LG King quoted Dr Kahn " ....as listening to the music of the spheres"
This immediately brought to my mind our hymn "This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears, All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres." found #589 in the old Hymnary and #82 in the red The Hymn Book. BUT it is not in Voices United. It is a hymn we learned in Sunday School, sang as youths and kept it in our hearts. It defined us. It's no wonder then that Mardi feels the need to return to closer kinship with our nature, earth and universe. For those who are not familiar with the hymn the first two verses are in the old black Hymnary, pre-1971.
v1. This is my Father's world, and to my listening ears all nature sings, and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my Father's world; I rest me in the thought - of rocks and trees, of skies and seas, his hand the wonders wrought.
v2. This is my Father's world; the birds their carols raise; the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise. This is my Father's world; he shines in all that's fair; in the rustling grss I hear him pass, he speaks to me everywhere.
v3. add in the red Hymn Book This is my Father's world, O let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems ofr so stong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father's world; the battle is not done; Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied, and earth and heaven be one.
Maltbie Davenport Babcock 1858 - 1901
RevLGKing
Posted on: 10/27/2009 23:53
Fairway, I hope you do not mind: To your post I have added a few notes, a fourth verse, and I have adjusted the wording so that it is more inclusive and less anthropomorphic.
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You say: "Rev LG King quoted Dr. Kaku" ... as listening to the music of the spheres"
This immediately brought to my mind the hymn:
THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD
========================
"This is my the world God gave,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres."
====================
"It is not in the present hymn book, Voices United."
========================
[I (LGK) suspect that this hymn was dropped because of the wording. It was not inclusive enough; and it was too anthropomorphic--that is, the wording depicts god as a male and human-like being.
In my humble opinion, they could have changed the wording to read: This is the world God gave... ]
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You say, "It is a hymn we learned in Sunday School,
sang as youths and kept it in our hearts.
It defined us."
[What a great thought. My guess that it is the tune we miss most of all.]
====================================
You say, "It's no wonder then that Mardi feels the need to return to a closer kinship with our nature, earth and universe.
For those who are not familiar with the hymn the first two verses are in the old black Hymnary, pre-1971. The number is 589.
========================
THIS IS MY FATHER'S WORLD
========================
1. This is the world God gave,
And to my listening ears,
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is the world God gave;
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas
And all the wonders wrought.
2. This the world God gave;
the birds their carols raise;
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their Maker's praise.
This is our world God gave;
And shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear God pass,
And speak to me everywhere.
[Add in the verse in the red Hymn Book]:
=================================
3. This is the world God gave,
O let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems e'r so stong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is the world God gave;
The battle is not done;
Jesus, who died, shall be satisfied,
And earth and heaven be one.
[This is such a good tune I could not resist adding a fourth verse]:
4. This is the world God gave;
This home called mother earth,
The source of many wonders true;
of every human birth.
This is the world God gave;
That we may learn to be,
And sing with joy the song of peace
In perfect harmony.
======00000======
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The hymn was written by:
Maltbie Davenport Babcock 1858 - 1901
seeler
Posted on: 10/28/2009 07:46
Voices United: 296
This is God's wondrous world
and to my listening ears
all naure sings and round me rings
the music of the spheres
This is God's wondrous world
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skys and seas
God's hand the wonders wrought.
This is God's wondrous world
the birds their carols raise
the morning light, the lily white
declare their Maker's praise.
This is God's wondrous world
God shines in all that's fair
in the rustling grass or mountain pass
God's voice speaks everywhere
This is God's wondrous world
O let me ne'er forger
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the ruler yet.
This is God's wondrous world
why should my heart be sad?
Let voices sing, let the heavens ring
God reigns, let earth be glad.
spirit wind 7
Posted on: 10/28/2009 17:04
The Source of life itself, however you name that One Being, sees no colour, size, no gender, sexuality, no reason not to give and give and give the love we were created by and for.
,
The many names that describe the One whom we cannot even understand fully, and defies description of every kind....I still come to the word Love. Unconditionally complete, present, alive and active in the world, in us and every other being. Not the world's notion of love.
Being created by the same Source and Lover of all, I can be no other than a living being, with creation in me and I in it...one. I am already loved before I got here and after I leave, and that makes me whole within its vast energy. Always and ...forever... that is yet a learning ahead.
Yes, I am one and the same, for its energy lives within me, as I live within it. Do I know more, no! Do I need to know more, no! That is enough, that I rest within that energy that created me, for here and now, to add whatever I can, while I can, for its wholeness.
All, I and we, do within that love will never leave, but add more of it. The negative things will pass away, when we get it that love is a verb in this creation. So waking up the Verb in us and cleaning up.... ourselves; relationships; waste..don't make it; chemicals nix them; plant trees; give, give, share, receive, and learn to love ourselves, so we CAN love our neighbours.
I am in Creation and Creation is both our Neighbour... and Neighbourhood...Golly! That means I will be good to me, and you, so the Neighourhood will be loved whole!
My thoughts go to Mr. Roger's after this writ....and I think I hear him chuckling somewhere in this vast universe. You see he's been and left, but the love given has not. We all affect each other as a drop lands, it sends ripples long after we can see where they go and who will be affected and the results will be another's task to clean up and heal, or hopefully, it can be added right away to the bringing of wholeness.