There is so much negative news!

Dear Congregation,

“The world is too much with us; late and soon…”are the opening words from the poem by William Wordsworth. Although the major theme of his poem is humanity’s disconnect from the natural world because of materialism and the industrial society, the term “world” in scripture often means that which is in opposition to the things of the spirit. In that sense, the lines of the poem came to my mind when thinking of what to write to you today.

There is so much negative news of the “world” that we are bombarded with every day. (The word ‘bombarded’ is my deliberate choice!) We grieve at the death and destruction that has already happened from this new war on Iran began by our country with Israel as our partner. Who can look at pictures of the bodies of little Iranian girls lined up for burial after their school was bombed and not be heartbroken?

We continue to be appalled by the treatment of immigrants in our country detained in facilities in which their human and legal rights are violated. We can hardly believe that environmental protections have been overturned. We see legislative attacks on American’s freedoms in bill after bill after bill that comes up to be voted on in state and national legislative sessions, and often passes. I could go on!

In this soul-sucking time, I think that Wordsworth was right and that nature has much to offer us in the way of centering us in the peace and beauty of God’s creation. Nature feeds our soul and in it we can find the strength to stand against the temptation to opt out of doing what we can to oppose that which is contrary to God’s love.

And so, I hope you’ll give yourself the gift of being present this Sunday when we’ll worship in the Garden Chapel, immersing ourselves in the peace of that place. “The world is too much with us; late and soon…” but so is God!

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Candy