“In a real sense all life is inter-related. All men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. I can never be what I ought to be until you are what you ought to be, and you can never be what you ought to be until I am what I ought to be. This is the inter-related structure of reality.”- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“A Litany of Restoration” by Marjorie Bowens-Wheatley
 

If, recognizing the interdependence of all life, we strive to build community,
the strength we gather will be our salvation.
If you are black and I am white,
It will not matter.
If you are female and I am male,
It will not matter.
If you are older and I am younger,
 It will not matter.
If you are progressive and I am conservative,
 It will not matter.
If you are straight and I am gay,
It will not matter
If you are Christian and I am Jewish,
It will not matter.
If we join spirits as brothers and sisters, the pain of our aloneness will be
lessened, and that does matter.
 In this spirit, we build community and move toward restoration. 

My hope is each of us will take a moment to pause and say a word of thanks for all the blessings we have in our lives as we sit down to our Thanksgiving meals. May we find a way to be thankful for the hidden privileges each of us carry. May we remember that until every person can be recognized as having worth and dignity, we will always be struggling to be whole and holy.

Take one more moment to pause before your first bite, send a prayer of love and peace to counteract all the fear, hatred, judgment, and violence in our world. As you enter into the conversations at the table, take the first step in making that prayer a reality by answering any fear, hatred, judgment, and violence with your own words of love and peace. 

Peace & Grace,
Rev. Laura

To subscribe to the weekly Minister’s Message, contact Rev. Laura.

For additional news items, click here.