They serve one another

Today, Pope Leo XIV used his first Easter address to deliver a resounding call for peace in times of renewed war, declaring, “Let those who have weapons lay them down.”
“Let those who have the power to unleash wars, choose peace.”
And in a sermon for the Easter vigil on Saturday night, Pope Leo urged people not to feel numbed by the scope of the conflicts raging across the world, but to work for peace.
And I say, “Amen. And sign me up.”

And yet, it has been another week where the news makes us wonder if there are any answers or remedies… all of it accompanied by feeling powerless—deeply emotional, horrified by photos, angry, and scared.
I can hear Bob Dylan’s voice, “Lay down your weary tune, lay down.”
I am grateful for your emails. One asked, “You talk about spiritual hydration. But how can we give time to personal and community renewal, in a world that feels on fire with hate and pain?”
My answer. We can’t afford not to.
And another, “I’m just one person. What difference can I make?”
Okay. Let me tell you a story.
One day a very wealthy man took his son on a world-hopping trip visiting “underprivileged” countries, with the firm purpose of showing his son how “poor people” live. On their return from the trip, the father asked, “How was the trip?”
“It was great, Dad.”
“Did you see how poor people live?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“So, tell me, what do you learn?”
The son answered, “I saw that we have one dog, and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden, and they have a river with no end in sight. We have imported lanterns in our garden, and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard, and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on, and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve one another. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”
The boy’s father stood speechless, listening to his son.
“Thank you, Dad, for showing me how poor we really are,” the boy said.
I love this story.
And I love the boy’s recognition and appreciation about real wealth, “They serve one another. They have friends to protect them.”
I need to sit with these words.
“They serve one another.”

My friends, we do live in a world where it can be easy to be befuddled. Or is it duped? After all, we live in a world with inverted price tags. And because of that, we give way to identities that diminish us—blocking empathy, humility, glad heartedness, contentment and yes, connection.
This story is a life-giving reset button.
So. Here’s our paradigm shift: Rich is not about what we possess. Or own. In our culture, we’ve turned wealth into a way to objectify stuff and relationships, predicated on having, possessing and preening.
Let us embrace this: Rich is about the connections—with one another—that honor dignity, and promote the value of love, empathy, inclusion, and compassion. Connections that encourage us to struggle against what is artificial, mechanical and cold.
Rich is about the real connections that expand our life, and give us value.
And, rich is about personal renewal, nurturing a curriculum of a truly spiritual life; grounded in love, mercy, tenderness, compassion, forgiveness, hope, trust, simplicity, silence, peace, and joy; slowly transfiguring us. (Thank you Richard Rohr.)
“They serve one another.”

To be poor, on the other hand, is to live constricted.
Literally impoverished by an absence of freedom—when we too easily give way to a craving to be right, fueled by fear and self-righteousness.
To be poor, we are wired with a craving to project an image that says, “invincible or invulnerable”.
To be poor, we resort to an impulse to hurt or to wound. Because of the woundedness at our core. And we hurt even those close to us.
This happens when we live as if connection doesn’t matter.
“They serve one another,” and “Let those who have weapons lay them down.”

I do know this: We live in a world where, more than ever, it is easy to feel derailed, disenfranchised, exasperated. Yes, to lose our way. Or, just plain lost.
Bottom line, we are not “at home”. And on those days, I wish I was made of stronger stuff. I don’t want to admit it, as it feels like a defect to be concealed.
Okay, I’ll personalize this; when I let the cacophony or noise win, I am not at home.
When either fear, or shame, win, I am not at home.
“They serve one another.”
And yes, there we are empowered with the power to care and to give and to heal. (And with irony, the power of service, is the opposite of domination.)
My friends: Let us welcome what the young boy recognized—that serving and protecting came natural to the people. In other words, it spilled from what had been (and was being) cultivated inside. Yes. Meaning, that when I care and give and serve from my heart, I am deeply and gratefully at home.
“They serve one another.”
This week, I carry with me these words from Maria Shriver, “At its heart, Easter is a story of renewal. A reminder that even after darkness, doubt, and suffering, something new can emerge. I love that.
I want to rise in my work to make it matter and count. And I want to rise for my country. I want to stay present and vocal when I see things I cannot accept in silence. I want to rise in opposition to injustice, both in this country and in this world. I want to rise in love, in compassion, and in understanding. Like so many of you, I want to be a light in the darkness.
In that sense, life itself is a constant invitation. A constant beckoning. A quiet call to rise.
Easter reminds us that rising is not just something that happened once long ago. It is something we are called to do again and again in our own lives.”

Here in the PNW, we have bright sunny skies, and “open all the doors in the house” weather. And yes, it feels good.
And outside on the pond, Irv and Dottie (our favorite geese friends) are in the countdown for nesting season.
And yes, I’ve been following college basketball. And yes, I am a Michigan boy.

Quote for our week… “On this day of celebration, let us abandon every desire for conflict, domination, and power, and implore the Lord to grant his peace to a world ravaged by wars… Not a peace imposed by force, but through dialogue! Not with the desire to dominate others, but to encounter them. We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people.” Pope Leo XIV

BULLETIN BOARD

Today’s Photo Credit: On my walk earlier this week, the cherry tree filled with blossoms waiting to open, still coated with the morning rain… And thank you to all, I love your photos… please, keep sending them… send to tdh@terryhershey.com 

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Help make Sabbath Moment possible. I write SM because I want to live with a soft heart; to create a place for sanctuary, empathy, inclusion, compassion and kindness… a space where we are refueled to make a difference. SM remains free.
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POEMS AND PRAYERS

Christ is risen
Christ is risen!
          This makes no sense. Only joy.
Christ is risen!
         There is no explanation. Only wonder.
Christ is risen!
         Don’t try to understand.
         Only be grateful.
Christ is risen!
         Some say it’s just a story.
         Let it be your story.
Steve Garnaas-Holmes

Happy Easter.
Christ is risen.
And that changes everything.
Let the empty tomb reorient your life.
Let us laugh at fear.
Let us defy death.
Let us live as Easter people.
Let us stand on the side of life… not death.
Let us love people back to life.
Let us make ugly things beautiful.
Let us beat weapons into garden tools.
Let us practice resurrection…
every single day.
Death does not get the final word.
Love does.
Shane Claiborne​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Music for the Soul…
New–
Imagine — UNICEF: World Version

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