DearFriends,
When my children were toddlers I divorced their father. Our first Christmas Eve without him, he served me with legal papers suing me for full custody of our children. I had divorced him because of his abuse of me and the children. I credit his expensive lawyer with the powerfully creative and cruel idea of serving me legal papers on Christmas Eve - a holy day that celebrates the miracle of babies and the loving bond between families - mothers, fathers, and all creation. We all need to be shocked into the real dangers or "served papers" this Easter and Earth Day to WAKE UP TO THE LIFE THREATENING GLOBAL EMERGENCY in order to begin the needed spiritual conversion we need to make as a human species. Church for Our Common Homeworks for an Ecologic Civilization with our 12 step program. The first step is to "Share the truth that the 6th extinction of life on Earth is an invitation for transformation as a human species."
Our children and grandchildren are depending on us.
This aforementioned personal crisis for me filled me with terror that I would lose my children. This experience of terror brought me to God and a conversion experience, or what Jeremy Lent calls a "U Turn" experience that changed my life. One day, I remember as vividly as anything that I have ever experienced, I had a thought that came from something outside myself or from my higher self, use whatever words you like, but now I would call it a God voice that gave me clear instructions. The voice said, "Go to seminary. It would be better for your children than going to penitentiary." This was an odd message for I had not grown up in the church and was happy working as a drama teacher and theater director. The voice knew that I secretly wanted to kill my ex husband. This murderous rage was an overwhelming problem for me, having never been violent or even had a fantasy of physically hurting anyone. I was a well socialized, well behaved young woman - your average fearful coward. As an old grand mother now, I recognize my rage as an instinctual response that normal humans and animal mothers have when their young are threatened. I am passionate about God now and know that it was through the grace of God that I not only did not kill my ex husband but grew to forgive him, God rest his soul, and became a Christian minister. The U Turn this crisis drove me to in my life, gives me hope for our global crisis.
My personal conversion experience is what I believe we need collectively as a human family. We need the courage to do what I did bravely as a single mother, first, name the problem, second, devote our lives to getting out of a dangerous situation and third ask God for help and devote our lives to God. Gradually, I gave up my world view that included accepting capitalism, patriarchy, and all power over relationships as normal. We need to give up our worldview that a growth economy, consumerism and capitalism are OK. They are not OK and we have to get rid of them. We only have 12 years left according to scientists who recently reported to the United Nations!
I am clear that the rest of my life is devoted to standing in solidarity with all the animal and plant species that are becoming extinct, as well as millions of human refugees, all those who are poor and suffering because of our global catastrophe. Jesus rode into Jerusalem standing up to the Roman Empire and its values of dominate power over imperialism, 2,000 years ago on Palm Sunday. There are countless movements in history we can look to besides Jesus for inspiration. Against all the odds, the civil rights movement, the women's movement, Gandhi's non-violent revolution in India that overthrew the British Empire in India all show us the way, when there is no way! I am hopeful and know it is time for moral imagination and intense commune with God and all that is holy. Angels are guiding us at this time. Call upon the "unemployed angels" as Lorna Byrne suggests.
We are in the 6th mass extinction of life on earth, the only one created by us humans and telling the truth our growth economy also called "corporatism", as the root problem is essential. Capitalism is our economic and political system that gives control to business and private owners for profit. Climate change is not the problem - it is one of the symptoms! Jeremy Lents writes in his article, 'What will You Say to Your Grandchildren?' "The primary reason for this headlong fling toward disaster is that our economic system is based on perpetual growth— the by-product of which is the need to consume the earth at an ever-increasing rate. Our world is dominated by transnational corporations, which now account for sixty-nine of the world’s largest one hundred economies. The value of these corporations is based on investors’ expectations for profits and continued growth, which they are driven to achieve at any cost, including the future welfare of humanity and the living earth. It’s a gigantic Ponzi scheme that barely gets a mention because the corporations also own the mainstream media, along with most governments. The real discussions we need about humanity’s future don’t make it to the table. Even a policy goal as ambitious as the Green New Deal—rejected by most mainstream pundits as utterly unrealistic—would still be insufficient to turn things around, because it doesn’t acknowledge the need to transition our economy away from reliance on endless growth."
We don't care whether you are Buddhist, Atheist, Jewish, Moslem, Pagan or Christian, Church for Our Common Home invites you to come give thanks for the miracle of spring and all that is holy and alive the next three Sundays, Palm Sunday, Easter and Earth Day to ask for help and give thanks. God is calling us to have a conversion experience and name the real abuse and torture of feeling creatures and devote our lives to the spiritual growth that is the invitation of every crisis.
Jeremy Lent writes, "Studies have shown that, once 3.5% of a population becomes sustainably committed to nonviolent mass movements for political change, they are invariably successful. That would translate into 11.5 million Americans on the street, or 26 million Europeans. We’re a long way from that, but is it really impossible? I’m not ready, yet, to bet against humanity’s ability to transform itself or nature’s powers of regeneration. XR is planning a global week of direct action beginning on Monday, April 15, as a first step toward a coordinated worldwide grassroots rebellion against the system that’s destroying hope of future flourishing. It might just be the beginning of another of history’s U-turns. Do you want to look your grandchildren in the eyes? Yes, me too. I’ll see you there."
Thanks Jeremy for your message of hope as a grandfather. Yes I want to look at Laina and Jacob and my third grandbaby soon to be born and say to them, "I did everything I could to make a safe world for you. Thanks be to God!"
Please, we need you to join us at Church for Our Common Home, for we have never needed one another like we do now. Grandparents come and bring your grandchildren for the world needs our passionate love for our grandchildren in order to survive as a human species.
In love and gratitude,
Bonnie
Please read all of Jeremy Lent's excellent and hopeful article here.
https://patternsofmeaning.com/2019/04/04/what-will-you-say-to-your-grandchildren/
Palm Sunday 5 pm Torrey Pines State Park Beach by the main entrance on the coast highway. Call if you want to carpool. (858) 248-5123.
Easter Sunrise Worship 6:30 am Torrey Pines State Park Beach
We will serve hot coffee and tea, hot cross buns and hard boiled Easter eggs!
Workshop Making Soap from Compost on Monday April 22, 7 pm Earth Day
Earth Day Worship, Dance, Celebration Sunday April 28th 5 pm,Pot luck immediately following at the Mary Magdalene Cafe
