Spacestation
April 17, 2020
I read this week about the three astronauts who have been working in orbit for the last 200+ days at the International Space Station. Usually people who spend 100 or more days living within the cramped confines of an orbiting space capsule are more than eager to return home. After all, the accommodations boast a fantastic view, but few amenities and limited opportunities to move around. In this case however, the astronauts were apprehensive about coming back down to the earth. The world has changed while they have been soaring above it all and now they return to the concerns and anxieties that the rest of us have.
One thing pandemics do is remind us of the profound truth that we are all in this together. Times of unease and challenge historically have revealed this verity and certainly that’s the case today. We are all living, and fretting, on this same ball of rock, dirt, water and air that is whirling around the same 2nd generation star. Buckminster Fuller (a Unitarian himself) coined the phrase “Spaceship Earth” to describe both our predicament and opportunity. Certainly one of the realizations we are waking up to here in the 21st century is the urgent need for all of us to live more lightly on an increasingly interconnected and small planet. This is not a political statement but rather a moral and even existential one in my view.
This coming Sunday we will celebrate the common boat or ship in which we find ourselves with a service inspired by Earth Day, which is next Wednesday, April 22. After the service, there will be a virtual fellowship hour for 20-25 minutes starting at 11:30, followed by a congregational forum at 12 noon, hosted by the Standing Committee. Your board has been busy behind the scenes working to improve our abilities to support our local community and be more sustainable. See below for details. I hope you can join us for some or all of what we have planned.
See you at church,
Jeff