Dear Creatures - Human and Non-Human,

You are all invited to our fifty-day Every Day is Earth Day Interspecies Prayer Breakfast Party! Lent and the time of fasting is over. As a daily practice we will break the fast and invite all the creatures. Together we pray. "For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." Isaiah 55:12 "Wild animals and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Let us pray and praise the name of God...". Psalm 148:10-12 All of us join in praise and prayers because God has promised to love all of us even before we were born, all throughout our lives and after.

Of course, we will talk together. We will enjoy deep conversation about God, prayer, the cosmic communion of saints. We will contemplate the vision of going back into God's body when we pass from this life. The Good News of the Gospel, (and it is not just for humans but for all species) "God loves you and there is nothing you can do about it." Did you know that it is a biblical idea that God welcomes all creatures into his love when we pass? All creatures are welcomed home!

The Easter season began last Sunday, and we celebrated the intimate love and partnership of Jesus and Mary Magdalene while in the Resurrection Rose Garden. We will continue to worship there and what has also become our sacred Eco Burial Ground. We recently spread the ashes of Luke and Wali the goats and our Beloved dog Buddy. The Resurrection Rose Garden is a sacred place to celebrate the communion of saints of all creatures.

"COME HAVE BREAKFAST" Here at Church for Our Common Home, at the John Cobb Eco Farm and Mary Magdalene Retreat Center, we have three chickens, Aretha, Hagar and Earmuffs who gift us with eggs every day. Jesus, in his third resurrection appearance, makes breakfast. He cooks the fish the fishermen have just caught and he says, "Come have breakfast." (John 21:12) "When they landed, they saw that a charcoal fire had been prepared, with fish and some bread already being grilled. “Bring some of the fish you just caught,” Jesus told them. Simon Peter went aboard and hauled ashore the net, which was loaded with huge fish—one hundred fifty-three of them. In spite of the great number, the net was not torn. “Come have breakfast.” Jesus told them. None of the disciples dared to ask, “Who are you?”—they knew it was the savior. Jesus came over, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This marked the third time that Jesus had appeared to the disciples after being raised from the dead." (John 21: 9-14) This is not what they saw with their eyes, rather this is a faith seeing.

Like many people of faith we always pray before we eat together. We give thanks to God for creation and our part in it and for every breath we take. We give thanks for the countless blessings of our lives and the promise of God's love for all of us creatures.

Our Lenten journey with St. Teresa of Avila brought us to the center room of our souls in what she calls "the interior castle." She brought us to the bridal marriage chamber, or the intimate love of Jesus and Mary Magdalene that is the heart of the partnership model of Christianity. After the bride and groom, get married and celebrate, they make love in the bridal chamber. After sleep, dreams and visions of peace on earth, they awaken hungry. “Come have breakfast.” We are serving eggs, with prayer and conversation. It will be a big party for all the animals and plants are invited because this is an Interspecies Prayer Breakfast Party.

When I counsel couples before they are married, I ask them to share about their ideas and beliefs about life after death and inquire whether they have prepared a legal will of their wishes when they die. Preparing for death has everything to do with theology and your ideas and experiences of God called by many names. Whatever our religious ideas, we all know the existential truth that everything dies. However, nothings dies really, everything just changes form. You, me, all the animals, plants, even our 4.5-billion-year-old earth. But there is a cosmic story that transcends death. We are all a part of a story about God's love and care for all of creation.

This Spring and Earth Day season together we will, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel good new to all the creatures." Mark16:15 Together with the creatures we will celebrate, pray and enjoy breakfast. We need them to pray with us. "Talk to the animals they will teach you." (Job12:7)

Wow, I love our church. We are the one of the only churches I know of that worships, prays, talks, enjoys breakfast, cares and loves the animals and plants, eco-systems intentionally outside and in the paradise of the GARDEN.

P.S. How would you like your eggs? Scrambled, fried, poached, or soft boiled? Or we might make a quiche perhaps?

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