Sharing and Joy go together I think. There is the joy of the wedding celebration, as we saw in the sermon this morning. But there is also the quiet joy of rest, which we may or may not share with others. Afternoons like this I am content to rest here at home in the woods, which is quiet and peaceful if a little cold today. And I'm sharing it by the fireplace with a sleeping dog. I have things to do and deadlines to meet but I am content to recharge my batteries by sitting quietly, though I must admit I did log on to my computer, see Ellen's message, and decide to respond. But I didn't have to do that. I wanted to.

thanks

I wish I could say something relevant to the devotions this week but I'm having a hard time focusing. My spirit is struggling now with the terminal illness of my good friend - Moonlight my dog. She's been my partner here in Gretna since I moved here in 2011, and I'm having a hard time in this good-bye period. Having been in this position before with other animals, and I must say with my mother too, when I am acutely aware of the life force in front of me and know that the light will go out sometime soon. That moment is always a window into another existence and I'm glad I'm there but it is very painful.

WIth another perspective - We need to be careful in our choice of words and context. That's especially important in reaching out to others we don't know well.

The line that catches my attention is "intentionality about entering the season of Lent." I confess to not being moved by the negative and rituals for forgiveness. I am more inclined to think of Lent as the opportunity presented in v. 10: "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." That is a powerful positive way to look at lent,

It strikes me that Covid has had a powerful impact on "touch." For a long period of time we were not to touch things or people for fear of catching covid. That has had a lingering effect, I think, and will be even with us subconsciously for a long time. We'll have to have faith that it is okay to touch and to hug. We have to trust that we are safe. What that does is draw our attention to our hands. Maybe that will make holding someone's hand ever more meaningful. It says more than ever.

Much of what we associate with joy and gladness is associated with light. We talk about times of darkness, dark deeds, etc. Any attempt to dispel the dark is a sign of hope.

These days we are scattered across the country- not near enough for a hug. but just a phone call away. NOT a txt or email but a real call to show you care.

Maybe, but not everyone plays the same role, And, there are many ways to speak - to one person at a time or to many, in public or in private, in speech or in writing, or in just supporting those who are on the front lines.

This topic leads me to action rather than contemplation. As such it validates for me the path I have taken to be outspoken about injustice and inequality but it tells me I need to do more. I have sometimes wondered why churches are not more vocal in the world beyond the sanctuary. This ties in with Ellen's words yesterday about being the hands of God rather than waiting for God to do something. I believe we need to speak up on behalf of those who are suffering especially when we can't actually DO something to alleviate hunger or danger. Yesterday's devotion and today's imply that we should take action. What does it mean to dismantle stumbling blocks or that there is a time to kill and a time to heal, a time for war and a time for peace? How far do we go to protect others? How far does the shepherd go to protect the sheep?

50 years ago when I read the Course in Miracles and the Objectivist newsletter, it was in concert with Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged. I liked the heroine. When it led to a glorification of individualism over the common good I drifted away and never when back. It seems to me there is always the chance for a leader (whether a people or a person) to lose focus and get fixated on oneself rather than on those one purports to lead.

Fear is not always frightening. At least not when it inspires courage.

Do we not therefore as co-creators have the obligation to fight evil when we see it in the world? But then, if God does not stop evil from happening, why should we?

We seem to talking to each other. How can we get more people to participate?

This day's devotion reminds me I am blessed with so many comforts. It's even comforting to list them all: my relationship with our church and its people, friends, music, my sweet dog, the trees which surround me here in Gretna, and little things like putting puzzles together, reading, a cup of coffee while sitting by the fire, driving through farmland in Lancaster County. Most are quiet comforts, I notice. No matter how busy I am, I need quiet time to recharge and renew. The natural world and its creatures are especially comforting to me. My horses were special to me when I lived on the farm. When I list all these I am thoughtful of the Ukrainians who now have none of those comforts except that they do seem to have each other and a faith that they will survive.

@Ellen Flury Your use of the bullying parallel is valuable.

Today I can't help wondering where God is as I see the images on tv of the people of Ukraine, suffering devastation and death. I think God would be with anyone trying to save those people. But who will do that and how will they do it? How many more lives will be lost before someone intervenes? Yes, I know there are potential consequences, even the possibility of WW III, with a threat of nuclear attack. We can parse the consequences forever. But faced with one person trying to kill another, is it not our responsibility to try to stop the attack? How much more is our obligation when a whole population is under attack? Are there limits to our obligation? We ask not only where is God but also what should we do?

Olivia, you have really facilitated this discussion by opening up about your own concerns. No need for "formal" training! You have LIFE training and have a way of bringing others into the discussion. I venture a guess that all of us have had down times during the pandemic. At first I was depressed because I could no long control things or be an organizer or leader of anything; everything seemed to stop. Then I learned to actually like free time to read and think and get rid of stuff. That lasted well over a year. At the end of 2021 I began to feel like I wanted to reenter the world, but slowly and carefully because I was still so scared of getting sick. I still haven't attended church in person except for the time we had a council meeting. I'm up to being with small groups, so there's progress. We need light in our life and in the world, and so much of that light comes when we gather together.

I wonder whether our national decision not to defend Ukraine with all our power, i.e. militarily is a choice that is not worth it. It's an "easy answer" to say we can't because that would cause a world war. Well, how much are the lives of the people there worth? Is it not our calling to help our neighbors? I don't want war anymore than anyone does but aren't we already in it? Millions of people are under duress and a madman is out of control. What is our real responsibility here?

"What more could I have done?" gets to "What could I have done differently?" for me. Life is a series of complicated decision trees, not just in our interaction with other people but also in terms of our choices. There are many interpersonal situations in which I wish I had done or said something differently. Those may have been hurtful or less caring than they should've been. But there are other choices I made that affected the path of my life. While I feel now that I made the wrong choice, I cannot regret the decision because it ultimately led me to where I am. I feel I did the best I could at the time, so I forgive myself.