Beloved Child of the Earth

While serving communion at the Garden Church we address each other as "Beloved Child of God." And as we wrap up Earth Month, I am mindful that we are also beloved children of the Earth.

As Rev. Amanda reminded us last week, we are Earthlings. God formed us out of the Earth and breathed the breath (spirit) of life into us. We are at once spiritual beings and earthly ones.

And while we are of equal worth before God, the earthly inequities among us are painfully obvious: inequities of wealth, power, enfranchisement, and access to resources.

Some of us have been reading "Take this Bread" by Sara Miles. In it we are reminded of the foodie culture that has blossomed in so many of our major cities, with specialty ingredients flown in from around the world to supply gourmet restaurants, and yet, in those some cities there are food deserts in which the impoverished subsist on soda and junk food. Just one for-instance.

I was relieved this week that Derek Chauvin was convicted of the murder of George Floyd. It is good to see law enforcement held accountable. Yet the struggle for equally dignified treatment by those in authority, equal access to resources, and equal access to the polls continues.

Our Earth Month is capped off the Sunday with a message from Elizabeth Sala. Chair of the Garden Church Board, Elizabeth is a master gardener with a passion for eco-

justice and sustainability.

The arc of the Christian scriptures leads from the Garden of Eden to a Garden City, the New Jerusalem. May we learn to sustainably cultivate the Earth for the joy and sustenance of all our fellow Earthlings.

Peace and blessings,

Rev. Jonathan