Inspired by lyrics to “Pay Attention” Joyce Johnson Rouse (Earth Mama), based on wisdom attributed to Chief Seattle): Pay attention to the trees, pay attention to the river.
Pay attention to the bees. Pay attention to the weather.
Pay attention to the waters, to the dreams, to the forests, to the streams.
Pay attention to the glaciers, to the breeze, to the frost line and the coastline and the coral beneath the seas.
Pay attention to the wisdom, to the brothers and sisters living close to the Earth.
We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We are just borrowing it from our children.
This we know: The Earth does not belong to us. We belong ….to the Earth.
Responsive Reading for April 21
“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth , . . . God called the dry land ‘the earth’ . . . . God saw how good it was” (Gen. 1:1-10).
Pay attention to the trees. Pay attention to the river.
Pay attention to the bees. Pay attention to the weather.
“God blessed [humankind], saying: ‘… Fill the earth …. Have dominion over … and all the living things that move on the earth …. I give you every seed-bearing plant all over the earth and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit on it to be your food, and to all the animals of the land, all the birds of the air, and all the living creatures that crawl on the ground, I give all the green plants for food.’… God looked at everything … and … found it very good” (Gen. 1:28-31).
Pay attention to the waters, to the dreams, to the forests, to the streams.
Pay attention to the glaciers, to the breeze, to the frost line and the coastline and the coral beneath the seas.
God said to Abraham, “All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you” (Gen. 12: 3); “I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth” (Gen 12:3:13:16). God said to Moses: “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground” (Ex. 3:5); “Keep, then, this custom of the unleavened bread… celebrate this day throughout your generations …” (Ex 12:17). After crossing the Red Sea, the people sang: “In your mercy, you led the people … your people, O LORD, passed over…. And you brought them in and planted them” (Gen 15:13:16-17).
Pay attention to the Wisdom, to the brothers and the sisters living close to the Earth.
We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors. We are just borrowing it from our children.
“The earth is the LORD’s and all it holds, the world and those who live there . . .” (Ps. 24:1).
This we know: The Earth does not belong to us. We belong to the Earth.