This week's sermon

 

        I want to talk about Independence Day—the birth date of our nation.

        In the Declaration  of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote: “All men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

        That would have been true had he said “all WHITE men.”

        Slavery continued in the newly formed nation for almost 90 years before the Civil War.

        And women had to wait for decades after that to achieve ‘equality’ that still isn’t ‘equal’ to this day in things like equal pay, equal treatment and equally sharing the burden of raising children.

        And that’s not even considering native Americans who are still not fully equal.

        So don’t get all teary eyed with pride on July 4^th—there are many things left to rectify.

        The over-ruling of Roe vs. Wade, the economic diversity, the hatred of people of color and GLBT folks and Jews is rampant—all these things and more make our nation as divided as it has ever been.

        It’s as if our body politic, like Naaman, has leprosy.

        The story of Naaman is fascinating. He is the leader of the army who has leprosy. A servant girl, stolen from her county, tells him to go to the land of Israel and be healed by the prophet.

        He goes to the King of Israel, bearing much gold and silver and asked to be healed. The King can’t heal him and rends his clothing.

        But the prophet Elisha tells the king to send Naaman to him. He goes and the prophet sends out a message to him to go and bathe seven times in the River Jordan and wash seven times.

        Naaman, a bit of a hot head, is insulted that Elisha didn’t come to him personally and criticizes Elisha’s instructions. But Naaman’s servants ask him, “if he had told you to do something difficult you would have done it—but all he asks is that you bathe in the Jordan.”

        So, Naaman does what he was told and is cured.

        We Americans are not asked to do anything difficult either, just to listen to those we disagree with and seek to find common ground.

        In that way we will be cured of our afflictions.

        In the Epistle, Paul tells the church, “my friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in A SPIRIT OF GENTLENESS.”

        Gentleness is what is needed in dealing with people we disagree with, not strong words or conflict.

        Finally, in Luke, Jesus tells the 70 to always say, “peace to this house’. And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace shall rest on that person.”

        As we come to July 4^th we need to listen, to find common ground, to be gentle and share the Peace of God.

        That’s what our country needs more than anything.

 

 

Irony can be good

At the Wednesday study group at Trinity, Milton today, we were discussing having a Sunday Service in September to honor a long-time Trinity member who moved to Wilmington, NC and died in May.

Just then a Fed-Ex truck pulled into the parking lot and delivered an overnight envelope.

Trinity has a post office box in Litchfield and doesn't get mail at the church. And, if it had come any other day, no one would have been there.

It was from the man's widow, a lovely letter and a check for $5000 that he left to Trinity in his will.

His two favorite things about Trinity, his widow said was the music and Bible Study!

Talk about irony!

Then, as we were wrapping up the day, a wonderful state policeman came. Trinity had been defaced in Spray paint on Saturday--a Nazi symbol and the word VAR.

The policeman let us know there had been a similar defacing of a bridge in Litchfield, so the defacer is probably local.

Good to know the state police are on it.

Quite an eventful study day!

 

weight loss

I'm not sure how much, but I've lost 30 some pounds.

Friends ask me what was my secret.

I have no secret, I guess when under stress from the pandemic, I eat leas while most people eat more.

I've had to replace most of my pants and some of my shirts, that used to fit, look like I'm wearing drapes. I went from 40 inch waist size to 36 and a belt Bern bought me for Christmas wouldn't fit then, but now I'm on the third hole!

I feel better, I know that.

Except for having to buy new clothes!

 

Coming back--I hope

I'm really glad I didn't stop writing Under the Castor Oil Tree, as I thought I might last month.

I've had 1700+ views this month so far.

A long way from the 5500 I had in March, but over 800 more than in April and May combined.

Maybe you're coming back.

I hope so.

I really do.

I enjoy writing these things so much that I want to keep doing it for as long as I can.

Thanks so much for logging in to read.

You give me joy by reading UtCOT.

I'll try to write everyday until we go on vacation the last week of August and first week of September.

So, keep reading....

 

His Shadow Falls

 The former President (whose name will not be printed here) is out of office. But his shadow fell over the Supreme Courts over turning of Roe v. Wade.

It was primarily the justices he appointed that voted to overturn in the 6-3 decision.

I'll let others, more savvy than I, do the details for you.

If you turn on the news you'll hear them all.

I'll just say that the audacity of over turning what has been the law of the land for 50 years has plunged our country back into the 1950's==bad times for women.

I've said before but will say again, just to be clear--I do not like abortion.

However, what I truly 'hate' is any branch of government telling us what we can and cannot do with our bodies.

My body is mine and yours is yours.

The right to 'choose' is a sacred right.

And the court has ripped that right away from women today.

The motto of Planned Parenthood is "We Won't Go Back!"

That should be our motto to as we work to reclaim reproductive rights for women.

Refuse to 'Go Back'!

Refuse and stand up for women's rights!

birds

Scientists tell me that birds are the last of the dinosaurs.

If so, I like dinosaurs.

Not ones that could destroy my house or eat me.

Glad they're gone.

But birds.

I love birds.

This spring and early summer we have so many birds in our back yard, I can't count them.

Flying marvels!

All colors and shapes.

Amazing!

Send in the birds and give me joy.

 

How butterflies fly

 I've heard that butterflies and moths fly in such uneven patterns is because of natural selection.

Those who fly straight are easy prey for birds.

The ones with defective flight get away.

So, over time, only butterflies that flew in an erratic ways were producing young--who inherited their flight pattern (or non-pattern, as it is).

Humans could take a lesson from that.

Don't be so predictable your next action can be taken for granted. Then people will have you 'figured out' and you never surprise them.

Flit this way and that way from time to time.

Keep others guessing and not sure how to take you.

Works for me.