Scripture: Psalm 8:3-8
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor. You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Thought for the Day: Last night, Cypress Creek Christian Church and Community Center hosted Dion Nissenbaum, a correspondent for the Wall Street Journal and the author the book, A Street Divided: Stories from Jerusalem’s Alley of God. It was fascinating, humorous, insightful and very enjoyable. I’m sure more intelligent people could offer a better synopsis, but I kept thinking to myself, “We are not very complicated creatures, yet we really make it complicated.” It doesn’t matter what your religious tradition is or your ethnicity or the side of the boarder on which you live, we all yearn for certain things. We all require certain things. We make it complicated when we believe that life requires that I or my religion or my idealogical group have complete control of specific lands or markers, which requires others to be removed or segregated to a lesser standing.
Years ago, I remember seeing a sign in Western Nebraska for a Historical Marker – part of the Mormon Trail. We ventured off the highway and onto a rural road. From there, we turned down a country road and then to a little lane that ended at a gate. On the gate was a sign that welcomed people on to the farmer’s land. It explained that the owner was not Mormon, but as long as people respected the land, this person welcomed anyone who would like to see this important spot. It sounded as if the place carried no religious value for the owner, but this individual appreciated its historic value and respected how it held religious significance for others. I don’t know if that entirely parallels some of the serious conflicts in our world, but I’ve got to think we can un-complicate things a bit if we appreciated and respected what others needed (yearned for). We don’t necessarily need to own the land as long as it is made available. At the end of the day, we may think we own it, but it ultimately belongs to God, and all the boundary lines we draw on a map are meaningless from the vantage point of heaven.
Prayer: You have created us, O Holy One of Life, and if we are going to live the life you want us to live we must do our best to make sure others are able to live the lives you desire for them to live…even if it requires me to share some land or food or water or shelter. Amen.
TUESDAY
Men’s Gathering at Cramer Retreat Center
Dinner at 6:30pm
Study at 7:00pm
WEDNESDAY
All Church Thanksgiving Dinner
6:00-7:00pm
Short Worship Service to follow
THRUSDAY
Interfaith Thanksgiving Service
7:00pm
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
1333 Spears Rd, Houston, TX
