Green Warriors
Good morning my dear sisters and brothers;
The five marks of mission of the Anglican church are as follows.
1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom.
2. To teach, baptize, and nurture new believers.
3. To respond to human need by loving service.
4. To seek to transform unjust structures of society , to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation.
5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew ther life of the earth.
These five marks of mission afford us the opportunity to boldly go and do the work that God has called us to do. Within this amazing and far-reaching missional statement is something for everyone of us in our little reflection group. And rest assured, sisters and brothers, there is work to be done. Discipleship is about action. Discipleship is about having the courage to walk away from our comfort zones with purpose and on purpose.
On the weekend I went on an 18 km run as part of my training routine leading up to a half marathon in the fall. It was wonderfully exhausting. As I was running, I thought about the five marks of mission. As disciples of Christ are we simply meandering in our faith journeys or are we consciously and intentionally undergirding our steps with the five marks in mind? This is important because we live in a fractured and broken world that really needs us to do something. The five marks are a call to action. Are you ready?
My 18 km run ended smack in the middle of our wild meadow. It was an overcast day, but beams of sunshine occasionally broke through the mottled cloud cover. The birds were everywhere , darting in and out, alighting on branches momentarily before continuing on their way. I saw toads and frogs on the footpath, as well as a large snake who slithered away before I could get a better look. And the pollinators were out in full force, doing what they have been doing since the dawn of time. And it was delightful to see large iridescent dragonflies magically hovering in mid-air. One hovered within inches of my head, examining me with its large segmented eyes, and I wondered what I must look like to it. And drawing in a deep breath, I smelled the perfume of all the wild flowers that are scattered throughout the wild meadow.
The wild meadow is where I find peace and a sense of purpose. It is like a Garden of Eden where the presence of God is electric. We have made sure to plant as many native trees as possible, and we will continue to do so as long as there is breath in our lungs. We are returning the wild meadow to its original state..a Carolinian forest. Our north pasture, which is approximately ten acres, is a work in progress, but it is getting there, slowly but surely.
As I stood in our wild meadow , I thought about our fifth mark of mission."To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth." My sisters and brothers, in the context of the global climate change crisis and humanity's disregard for our mother earth, there is an urgency to the fifth mark. Changing all the lightbulbs in the house to LED is commendable, but it is no longer enough. We need a paradigm shift in which becoming responsible stewards of God's beautiful creation is imperative. We live on planet A. There is no planet B. Please join me and become green warriors. I would suggest that our little reflection group get together and purchase many native trees, and on an insect haunted evening where the fireflies are floating in the breeze like magical fairies, we can get together in the wild meadow to meditate, pray, plant and to commune with the divine.
Please write back to me indicating if you would like to become a green warrior.
Now, it is important to incorporate the other four marks of mission in our faith journeys. There is so much to do, sisters and brothers. It is a wonderful opportunity to do good in our world. May the Holy Spirit fill you with joy and energy and show you the way.
Let us pray
" Mother Earth, hear your child. Be a bond
between the Worlds of Earth and Spirit.
Let the Winds echo the Knowledge of
the Grandfathers. Who await ,unseen,
yet visible if only I turn my eyes to their
World. Let me hear their Voices, in the
Winds that Blow to the East."
Native prayer for Mother Earth
Diosito me los colme de bendiciones y alegria
Paz
I love you
John
Hmm, looks like I've written another reflection. Oh well.