Let us recall that we are always in God’s presence. Today I’d like to stretch out the ancestry theme with a quote from Brian Swimme. In The Universe is a Green Dragon, Brian states:
“Our ancestry stretches back through the life-forms and into the stars, back to the beginnings of the primeval fireball. This universe is a single, multiform, energetic unfolding of matter, mind, intelligence, and life. All of this is new [to us]…. We are the first generation to live with an empirical view of the origin of the universe. We are the first humans to look into the night sky and [comprehend] the birth of stars, the birth of galaxies, and the birth of the cosmos as a whole. Our future as a species will be forged within this new story of the world.”
And at the same time, the poet Rumi says that the whole universe is contained within a single human- YOU!
God of mystery and awe, given the magnificence of our being human, we are always saddened when humans don’t appreciate each other’s uniqueness, and when we fail to listen to each other’s perspectives. Today, we pray in a special way for the victims and families of the Paris massacre. Teach us to love and honor freedom of expression, and help us to act in ways that bring healing and wholeness for all Your people. We ask this in your Name. ─ AMEN