Jackson Community Church

Summit, Spirit, Sky: connect to community and creation!

THIS WEEK: Tue, May 19 – Memorial Day Mon, May 25

With JCC and Around Town

ONGOING

  • JCC: PLANT DROP-OFF for Sat, May 30th PLANT SALE
    Leave plants at the Jackson Community Church (under the outside stairs). Or drop them off between 8-8:45am on the morning of the Sat, May 30th sale.  Please identify all plants dropped off. Popsicle sticks and some empty pots under outdoor stairs for your use.
  • JCC: RING the CHURCH BELL! If you want to be on the schedule to ring the church bell, please contact the church. We ring it at noon daily and 5pm a few times a week.
  • Community Event: HISTORICAL SOCIETY ART SALE
    Online:  https://www.jacksonhistory.org/artshow.html.
  • JCC: WALK a MILE
    JCC encourages everyone to move and connect with sunlight and creation. Rev Gail will post her walks on facebook. Share yours, too!

TUE, May 18

  • Community Event: STORYTIME with Miss Meredith
  • 9am • Jackson Library
  • Community Event: STORY by Believe in Books
    9:30am • Believe in Books Livestream
  • UCC Event: ANNUAL MEETING PLANNING SESSION (zoom)
    10am • Rev Gail attends
  • Closed Meeting: HOMELESS & HOUSING INSECURE SERVICE TEAM MTG 
    10am • Zoom
    Way Station leadership meets with other nonprofits, including Town of Conway and Tri County Cap reps to discuss guest needs.
  • Community Event: MT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY’S VIRTUAL CLASSROOM (Facebook Live)
    11:15am • Mon, Tue, Fri @ Facebook Live
    Connect live to the highest peak in the Northeastern US, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, as Weather Observers and Education Specialists at the non-profit Mount Washington Observatory present a Facebook Live program called “Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live.”
  • Closed Event: CLERGY LUNCH
    Noon • Zoom
    Local clergy convene for conversation to organize events & worship, coordinate spiritual support to community during pandemic (providing rotating voluntary chaplaincy services to hospital), and offer peer support. Rev Gail attends.
  • RING BELL
    Noon • Jackson Community Church
  • Community Event: LIBRARY PICKUP HOURS
    2-6pm • Jackson Public Library
    Order one workday in advance. Please email with the title, author, and what formats you will accept (eBook, downloadable audio, Kindle, paperback or hardcover, anything else). NEW: Do-It-Yourself Take-Home Craft kits: spring flowers or donated LEGO sets. Free during pickup hours. One kit/child. Contact: meredith@jacksonlibrary.org or staff@jacksonlibrary.org.
  • Community Event: VIRTUAL YOGA with ANJALI ROSE (Whitney Community Center Event)
    4:30pm • Zoom Series
    The Friends of the Whitney Center is pleased to be collaborating with local yoga instructor, Anjali Rose, RYT 200 RMT, to bring virtual yoga to the community.  This yoga class is FREE to Jackson community residents and is designed for all levels to participate.  Register by 2pm on Tuesday.  
    Register in advance for this meeting:
    https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYqdO-qrz8vG9xcuXbAe5nTVJhi0djzr4FR
    Sign in to Zoom by 4:15 to make sure we can navigate any technical issues. Please complete the health waiver and simply type in your name and date indicating you’re in agreement with the waiver.  Questions? Contact Anjali at anjalirose15@gmail.com.

WED, May 20

  • SCHOOL SPIRIT WEDNESDAY – 
  • Rainbow Day with Jackson Grammar School
    All day: Wear your favorite ranbow gear!
  • BREAKFAST with REV GAIL (zoom)
    8am • Zoom link (contact church for info)
    Call to talk & gather.
  • Community Event: STORYTIME with Miss Meredith
    9am • Jackson Library Livestream
  • Community Event: STORY by Believe in Books
    9:30am • Believe in Books Livestream
  • Community Event: BUSINESS REOPENING ‘TRAIN the TRAINER’ TRAINING to follow STAY-at-HOME 2.0 GUIDELINES
    10am • GotoMeeting
    Memorial Hospital Education, Emergency Management and Infection Prevention staff have developed an educational tool kit for valley businesses. This session is a ‘train the trainer’ workshop to help businesses prepare to train their own staff using the educational kit. 150 people can be accommodated in each training session. If you wish to attend, sign up by contacting Becky Adams @ badams1@memorialhospitalnh.org. The training sessions are free to all Mount Washington Valley businesses.
  • Community Event: MT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY’S VIRTUAL CLASSROOM (Facebook Live)
    11:15am • Mon, Tue, Fri @ Facebook Live
    Connect live to the highest peak in the Northeastern US, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, as Weather Observers and Education Specialists at the non-profit Mount Washington Observatory present a Facebook Live program called “Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live.”
  • RING BELL
    Noon • Jackson Community Church
  • DEACONS MEETING (zoom)
    4pm • Zoom link (contact church for info)
    Community care review and worship planning.
  • COUNCIL MEETING (zoom)
    7pm • Zoom link (contact church for info)
    Church staff, officers and team leaders meet to make essential decisions affecting mission and operations of the church. Review of COVID-related policies included. Option to call in: 929.436.2866, Meeting ID: 968 5393 2521 (#)
  • Community Event: TIN MOUNTAIN ANNUAL MEETING (zoom)
    7pm • Zoom
    Business portion of Tin Mountain’s annual meeting. The meeting will require a password to attend. Contact info@tinmountain.org before 3pm to receive the password.

THURS, May 21

  • Closed Meeting: WAY STATION Board of Directors Meeting (zoom)
    8am • Zoom
  • Community Event: STORYTIME with Miss Meredith
    9am • Jackson Library
  • Community Event: YIN/RESTORATIVE YOGA with Anjali Rose
    9am • Zoom (Link provided once participants complete health waiver is sent to anjalirose15@gmail.com and registration/payment for class received.) See Anjali’s website for full list of classes offered and instructions to register. 
  • Community Event: STORY by Believe in Books
    9:30am • Believe in Books Livestream
  • Community Event: BUSINESS REOPENING ‘TRAIN the TRAINER’ TRAINING to follow STAY-at-HOME 2.0 GUIDELINES
    10am • GotoMeeting
    Memorial Hospital Education, Emergency Management and Infection Prevention staff have developed an educational tool kit for valley businesses. This session is a ‘train the trainer’ workshop to help businesses prepare to train their own staff using the educational kit. 150 people can be accommodated in each training session. If you wish to attend, sign up by contacting Becky Adams @ badams1@memorialhospitalnh.org. The training sessions are free to all Mount Washington Valley businesses. Rev Gail attends this session.
  • RING BELL
    Noon • Jackson Community Church
  • Community Service: WAY STATION SHIFT
    3pm • Curbside package preparation
    5pm • Shift at curbside with guests
  • Community Event: CRAFTUP (Jackson Library)
    4pm • Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/888091236 
    All crafts and all skill levels are welcome.
  • Community Event: FROGS of  NH (Tin Mountain event)
    7pm • Virtual (zoom link to be provided, see Tin Mountain website for more info)
    For you ‘Naturevores,’ FROGS have been in the ‘news’ lately, perhaps in your ‘Backyard Column!’ Their vociferous calls highlight the twilight hours, ranging from the prolific spring peeper to the rare, snoring Leopard Frog as we recently learned in the Trivia column. Join Master Naturalist and Tin Mountain’s Research Director Rick Van de Poll for an introduction to the frogs of New Hampshire. Zoom session on the Ranids of our region. Join us!
  • Community Event: WHITNEY CENTER COMMUNITY SING (zoom)
    7pm •  Zoom Link:      https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4415382536
    Whitney Center Community Sing starts Thurs, May 21, 7pm. Continues weekly. This series is hosted by Heather Pierson and Bernice Martin. All ages and abilities welcome to an enriching and fun-filled hour of exploring your voice, learning new songs, making new friends, and experiencing the joy of connection and community with others. No singing experience is necessary!  No performances. Free: sponsored by Friends of the Whitney Community Center. For more info/questions, contact Heather Pierson at  heather@heatherpierson.com.

FRI, May 22

  • BREAKFAST with REV GAIL (zoom)
    8am • Zoom link (contact church for info)
    Call to talk & gather.
  • Community Event: STORYTIME with Miss Meredith
    9am • Jackson Library
  • Community Event: STORY by Believe in Books
    9:30am • Believe in Books Livestream
  • Community Event: BUSINESS REOPENING ‘TRAIN the TRAINER’ TRAINING to follow STAY-at-HOME 2.0 GUIDELINES
    10am • GotoMeeting
    Memorial Hospital Education, Emergency Management and Infection Prevention staff have developed an educational tool kit for valley businesses. This session is a ‘train the trainer’ workshop to help businesses prepare to train their own staff using the educational kit. 150 people can be accommodated in each training session. If you wish to attend, sign up by contacting Becky Adams @ badams1@memorialhospitalnh.org. The training sessions are free to all Mount Washington Valley businesses.
  • Community Event: MT WASHINGTON OBSERVATORY’S VIRTUAL CLASSROOM (Facebook Live)
    11:15am • Mon, Tue, Fri @ Facebook Live
    Connect live to the highest peak in the Northeastern US, Mount Washington, New Hampshire, as Weather Observers and Education Specialists at the non-profit Mount Washington Observatory present a Facebook Live program called “Home of the World’s Worst Weather Live.”
  • RING BELL
    Noon • Jackson Community Church
  • C3: COCKTAILS & CHRISTIAN CONVERSATIONS  (zoom)
    5pm • Zoom link (contact church for info)
    This week our hosts are Ginger & David Perkins. This week we discuss Jesus’ ascension as described in Acts 1: 6-11 . Option: Call in via touch-tone phone: 929.436.2866 Meeting ID: 83028442916 (#)

SAT, May 23

  • RING BELL
    Noon • Jackson Community Church
  • Community Event: LIBRARY PICKUP HOURS
    2-6pm • Jackson Public Library
    Order one workday in advance. Please email with the title, author, and what formats you will accept (eBook, downloadable audio, Kindle, paperback or hardcover, anything else). NEW: Do-It-Yourself Take-Home Craft kits: spring flowers or donated LEGO sets. Free during pickup hours. One kit/child. Contact: meredith@jacksonlibrary.org or staff@jacksonlibrary.org.

SUN, May 24

  • INTERFAITH GATHERING ( Zoom)
    8am •  Zoom link (contact church for info)
    Gather for poetry, conversation, readings & prayer. Bring your own caffeine. 🙂
  • CHOIR PRACTICE ( Zoom)
    9am • Zoom link (contact church for info)
    Choir practice with choir director Billy Carleton and music director Alan Labrie.
  • VIRTUAL WORSHIP & MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCE SERVICE ( Zoom)
    10:30am •  Zoom link (contact church for info)
    Join us for worship, special music, prayer, scripture, and reflection with Memorial Day observance included. Stay for virtual coffee hour. Service will also be live-streamed to website and Facebook (if technology supports this function on the day of event). Afterward, recordings of worship service will be posted to Facebook, Vimeo.com channel & Youtube.com channel.
  • VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUR
    Stay after worship and we will break into small groups for brief social opportunity. Same link as worship.
  • RING BELL
    Noon • Jackson Community Church

MON, May 25 – MEMORIAL DAY

  • MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCES
    We will offer updates about plans to mark this day as they are announced in the community. The church will share its own plans for observances after the deacons meet this week.
  • RING BELL
    Noon • Jackson Community Church
  • YOUNG PEOPLE’s CHOIR 
    4pm • Zoom (link will be provided to participants only)
    • Choir director & musician Billy Carleton will meet virtually with young people who want to participate in weekly music-making. The Zoom link will be circulated in a closed email group for participants and leaders only. 
    • Please RSVP if your family has under-18 members who want to join us, and you haven’t already received communication about this group.
    • At the first session, Billy will work with music-makers to decide on songs and ways to integrate some instruments as well.
    • Voices and instruments welcome.

Notes:

  • SUPPORT: Do you need support of any kind? We have volunteers ready to assist with errands and other projects (via library’s Jackson Bridge listserv), access to emergency supplies, and Rev Gail is available for emotional and spiritual companionship. Call Rev Gail directly at 978.273.0308 or email the church: jcchurch@jacksoncommunitychurch.org
  • Jackson Public Library’s Guide to Online Services (activities, events, reading and information materials, etc)
By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Calendar, HomeNo Comments on THIS WEEK: Tue, May 19 – Memorial Day Mon, May 25

Youth Programs: May & June

Family Church-at-home-together Continues! Here’s an update on current plans!

  • Young People’s Choir & Band begins Mondays, May 24, 4pm via Zoom.
    • Choir director & musician Billy Carleton will meet virtually with young people who want to participate in weekly music-making.
    • The goal will be to record songs every 4-6 weeks to share during worship.
    • Voices and instruments welcome.
    • At the first session, Billy will work with music-makers to decide on songs and ways to integrate some instruments as well.
    • Note: Young people’s Zoom sessions are only open to young people and their family/guardians (if their adults wish to attend), but is closed to other community members for the safety of the young participants, except by invitation of the choir director or music team. The Zoom link will be circulated in a closed email group for participants and leaders only. Please RSVP if your family has under-18 members who want to join us, and you haven’t already received communication about this group.
    • Note that Billy Carleton teaches for SAU9, so he is familiar with teaching and working with younger singers as well as adults.
  • Leaders-in-Training (L-I-T) Program Starts in June
    • Engaging older youth to continue last summer’s L-I-T experience.
    • Should be 7th grade and older
    • You will help create educational and entertaining challenges that invite younger participants outside in safe and creative ways (with their adult family/guardian members participation)
    • Together we’ll create some physical/virtual challenges such as letterbox kits on-site around Jackson/Bartlett, design scavenger hunts for summer recrreation and other ways to have physical engagement outside, with prompts designed and facilitated by our Leaders-in-Training
    • RSVP if you want to be part of the Leader=in-Training initiative (7th grade and older)
    • Letter-boxing/geo-caching challenge designs
    • Scavenger hunt design
    • Extended game design
    • Mystery game / live puzzle design
  • Puppets and Story-telling:
    • Expect a delivery of make-your-own puppet kits to families and “church at home” kits.
    • We’ll create live-action puppet skits of sacred stories, filmed via Zoom or other ways, to share with the church once-a-month during worship!
    • Young people who want to participate may pick characters for their puppets and tell the story in your own words, your own way! With your own puppet, that you make!
    • You will choose the stories we tell also.
    • Unless your family doesn’t want such a kit, we’ll plan to deliver one to all of our families as soon as the materials arrive (we hope to have them this week).
    • We’ll schedule Zoom times to explore stories and work out skits, unless we can gather safely outside in small groups, with appropriate social distance precautions (to be determined as circumstances unfold)
  • Church-at-home kits:
    • We’ll deliver church-at-home kits with devotionals and art pages to your families for some quiet, contemplative activity options
  • Prayer flags:
    • We’d love to fly your flags!
    • We’ll provide prayer flag materials, and we invite you to make ones to use at home
    • We also want to share one of your prayer flags in a display outside the church.
  • Prayer Fence:
    • The chalkboard fence will be re-painted white and ready for public use by the end of May.
    • Painting the fence has been adopted as a service project by one of our families.
  • Community Care cards:
    • We would love to include handmade cards or artwork from our young people in care packages that we’re continuing to distribute in the community.
    • If you make cards, we’ll provide a safe place at church for you to return them, for redistribution to members, friends and neighbors who need your cheer & care
    • Messaging is your choice, but we suggest cheerful, inspirational and optimistic messages with universal themes (these won’t be addressed to specific individuals or specific issues) like “thinking of you”, “have a nice day”, “smile”, “friendship”,”peace”, “hope”, “love” and/or “sending you prayers and good thoughts”
  • Adopt-a-friend:
    • As an extension of the Community Care card initiative, we have a small list of vulnerable community members who are lonely or isolated for different reasons. If we have an expression of interest among our younger families, we’d like to match families with some of these neighbors to create some inter-generational communication and relationship-building
    • You can explore how to activate this connection might work.
      • Occasional phone or zoom calls might work with some people, although hearing loss and technology challenges can make this a case-by-case option.
      • Cards and mail are excellent ways to connect.
      • Care package drop-offs are also excellent ways to connect(with social distance precautions)
      • Social-distance visits to wave and chat are possible in some instances, if health isn’t an issue, but we should discuss case-by-case
  • Youth Day(s) in Worship
    • We’ll aim for youth-led worship at least every quarter, every 9-12 weeks with youth-led reflections, readings and music
    • The first such worship session will take place toward the end of June – after graduation activities have concluded (more info to come) – integrating whatever contributions we can provide by that time
  • Scripture readers: 
  • Graduate Recognition:
    • Please RSVP if you have a pending graduate!
    • Please share bios/photos of your graduates, whether they’re finishing high school, college (any level), professional certification programs/training or other educational milestones that we may not have named here
    • In June, we’ll celebrate these young people in the church newsletter and other communication platforms (though not to social media unless we have permission to do so)
    • We want to include all Jackson-based youth plus any local youth (Bartlett, Conway, etc) connected as friends or members of our faith community
    • We welcome updates on other young people connected to our friends and members as extended family such as grandchildren (even if they live in other locations)
  • Music & Art contributions: 
    • If you are a musician or singer or artist, we continue to want to share your special music!
    • The contributions of several families have already made worship and other gatherings a richer, deeper experience, and more such offerings are welcome if and when you’re able to share them
    • Sacred and/or secular music selections are both welcome
    • Pre-recorded audio-only or video performances are best for now
  • Open-ended Outdoor Summer Challenges
    • With the help of Leaders-in-Training, we’ll offer a variety of active outdoor engagements that are educational and entertaining, and can be completed on the family’s schedule, such as scavenger hunts, letterboxing exploration, and more
By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Calendar, Home, YouthTagged , , , , , , , , , No Comments on Youth Programs: May & June

May 17th Worship Elements

  • Reflection on Commissioning (theme of Matthew 28: 16-20)
    Includes conversation with Derek and Cassandra Noel, commissioned US army officers.
  • Special music: SPIN (audio-only) or SPIN (video with lyrics) performed by Sarah Doktor and lyrics by Gail Pomeroy Doktor.

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Lent & Easter, WorshipTagged , , , , , , , No Comments on May 17th Worship Elements

ANNUAL PLANT SALE SAT, MAY 30th • 9am-12pm

Corrected date (due to cold spring weather): ANNUAL PLANT SALE
Time: SAT, MAY 30th • 9am-12pm / Plant drop-offs 8-9 am
Location: Jackson Community Church parking lot
Raindate: Sun, May 31 • 1-4pm / Plant drop-off 12-1pm

  • Questions? Email Gloria: jcchurch@jacksoncommunitychurch.org
  • Donate plants: if you are fortunate enough to have an abundance of plants; perennials that need dividing,  extra seedlings, or a healthy houseplant looking for a new home…please consider donating to our sale! If you need pots, please help yourself to the ones under the outside stair at the church.
  • Drop off plants: Leave them at the Jackson Community Church (under the outside stairs) anytime starting Monday, May 18. If you wish to drop them off the morning of the sale, we will have a driv-thru area where we help you unload from 8 – 8:45am on Sat, May 30.  Please identify all plants dropped off.
  • Buy plants: Come the day of the sale to choose from a large selection of locally grown perennials, annuals, seedlings, and houseplants to enhance your home and gardens!
  • Proceeds support food-insecurity programs: The fundraising from this plant sale will help those suffering from food insecurity, both locally and internationally. 
  • Social distancing guidelines will be in place. 
    • No change will be given; so bring cash or checks, round up as needed, and drop your contribution in the container. Plants will be separated onto tables divided by priced.
    • Remember your face mask & gloves!
  • Also accepting shelf-stable food donations to go directly to serve locals with food insecurities. A basket will be placed on-site to collect items such as peanut butter, canned meals: canned soups & chilis, canned pastas, canned chicken or tuna, energy bars/granola bars, hiking snacks (individually packed), peanutbutter or cheese crackers.
  • Note: This fundraising event has been reviewed and approved by the town’s selectpersons and its emergency-response team and may operate with appropriate safety guidelines. It is considered an ‘essential service’ under agricultural functions.
By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Adult, Calendar, Home, OutreachNo Comments on ANNUAL PLANT SALE SAT, MAY 30th • 9am-12pm

Love goes walking in the world plus healing heaven & earth: themes from Matthew 28.

Keep walking, though there’s no place to get to.
Don’t try to see through the distances.
That’s not for human beings.
Move within, but don’t move the way fear makes you move.
Today, like every other day, we wake up empty and frightened.
Don’t open the door to the study and begin reading.
Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.
— Rumi

Take my hand. We will walk. We will only walk.
We will enjoy our walk without thinking of arriving anywhere.
Walk peacefully. Walk happily.
Our walk is a peace walk. Our walk is a happiness walk.
Then we learn that there is no peace walk; that peace is the walk;
that there is no happiness walk; that happiness is the walk.
We walk for ourselves.
We walk for everyone always hand in hand.
Walk and touch peace every moment.
Walk and touch happiness every moment.
Each step brings a fresh breeze.
Each step makes a flower bloom under our feet.
Kiss the Earth with your feet.
Print on Earth your love and happiness.
Earth will be safe when we feel in us enough safety.
— Thich Nhat Hanh

Christ has no body now but yours.
No hands, no feet on earth but yours.
Yours are the eyes
through which he looks compassion on this world.
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good.
Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours.
― Teresa of Avila

Questions to consider:

  • How do you understand the connection between heaven and earth? What do you believe about heaven?
  • In what ways do you offer a healing presence in the world?
  • In what ways does the world heal you?

Songs:

Love Goes Out Walking In the World

Not all of us can do great things.  But we can do small things with great love. — St Mother Teresa of Calcutta

When you walk, arrive with every step. ― Thích Nhất Hạnh The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems. — Mahatma Gandhi

So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute. Love the Lord. Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor. Love someone who does not deserve it. — Wendell Berry
Remember, a small light will do a great deal when it is in a very dark place. — D.L. Moody

God is a fountain of sending love. This is the deepest source of mission. It is impossible to penetrate deeper still; there is mission because God loves people. — David Bosch

Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world. ― Mary Oliver

Right where I don’t want to go, Jesus already is there. … Jesus is with us always, first and most profoundly because His Spirit has taken us up into His life  … — Gerrit Scott Dawson

Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt, work out Thy whole will in my life at any cost, now and forever. — Betty Scott Stam

‘Go ye’ is as much a part of Christ’s Gospel as ‘Come unto Me.’ – J. Stuart Holden

Christ wants not nibblers of the possible, but grabbers of the impossible. – C.T. Studd

Let my heart be broken with the things that break God’s heart. – Bod Pierce

World Healing Songs, Gathas & Psalms

I often think of the heavens
your hands have made,
and of the moon and stars
you put in place.
— Psalm 8

Earth brings us into life
and nourishes us.
Earth takes us back again.
We are born and
we die with every breath.
— Thich Nhat Hanh, Earth Gatha

Earth, in which lie the sea, the river and other waters,
In which food and cornfields have come to be,
In which lives all that breathes and that moves,
May she confer on us the finest of her yield Earth,
In which the waters, common to all,
Moving on all sides, flow unfailingly, day and night,
May she pour on us milk in many streams,
And endow us with lustre
May those born of thee, O Earth be for our welfare,
Free from sickness and waste.
Wakeful through a long life
We shall become bearers of tribute to thee.
Earth, my mother, set me securely
With bliss in full accord with heaven,
O wise one, uphold me in grace and splendour.
— Atharva Veda, Hindu song

“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you heavens; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, all you waters above the heavens; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, all you powers of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, sun and moon; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, stars of heaven; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
“Bless the Lord, all rain and dew;sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, all you winds; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, fire and heat; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, dews and falling snow; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, ice and cold; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, frosts and snows;sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, nights and days;sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, light and darkness;sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, lightnings and clouds; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
“Let the earth bless the Lord; let it sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, all that grows in the ground; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you springs; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, seas and rivers; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you whales and all that swim in the waters; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, all birds of the air;sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, all wild animals and cattle; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
“Bless the Lord, all people on earth;sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, O Israel; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you priests of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you servants of the Lord; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the righteous; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
Bless the Lord, you who are holy and humble in heart; sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
— Daniel 3, New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition

Healing Earth & Heaven

The temple bell stops.
But the sound keeps coming – out of the flowers.
— Basho

Supreme Lord, let there be peace in the sky and in the atmosphere. Let there be peace in the plant world and in the forests. Let the cosmic powers be peaceful. Let the Brahman, the true essence and source of life, be peaceful. Let there be undiluted and fulfilling peace everywhere. – Atharva Veda

The earth is but one country, and mankind its citizens. — Baha’u’llah, Bahai 

Interdependence is and ought to be as much the ideal of man as self-sufficiency. Man is a social being. — Mahatma Gandhi.

When our hearts are good, the sky will be good to us — Maha Ghosananda, Cambodia
 
First, a person should put his house together, then his town, then the world. — Rabbi Israel Salanter

The world grows smaller and smaller, more and more interdependent…today more than ever before life must be characterised by a sense of Universal Responsibility, not only nation to nation and human to human, but also human to other forms of life. —XIV Dalai Lama

… to return the thing given to the human as a gift of nature to its original place. — Shinto

It is not difficult to forgive destruction in the past which resulted from ignorance. Today however we have access to more information, and it is essential that we re-examine ethically what we have inherited, what we are responsible for, and what we will pass on to coming generations. — Dalai Lama

No creature is there crawling on the earth, no bird flying with its wings, but they are nations like unto yourselves. We have neglected nothing in the Book; then to their Lord they shall be mustered. — Qur’an 6:38

The world is sweet and verdant green, and Allah appoints you to be His regents in it, and will see how you acquit yourselves. — Islam and the Environment, Harfiyah Abdel Haleem

God is in the water of the lake; he is also in the cracked bed of the lake, when the lake has dried up. God is in the abundant harvest; he is also in the famine that occurs when the harvest fails. God is in the lightning; he is also in the darkness, when the lightning has faded… Brothers and sisters, you pile up stones to make shrines, imagining that God will make himself present there. Then you are surprised when these shrines do not ease your cares and worries. — 366 Readings From Islam

If the foundations of living are strengthened and are economically used, then Nature cannot bring impoverishment. But if the foundations of living are neglected and used extravagantly, then Nature cannot make the country rich. — Xunzi, Master Zi, Confucianism

Humanity follows the Earth, the Earth follows Heaven, Heaven follows the Dao, and the Dao follows what is natural. — Dao De Jing

In the Vedas, saints and holy people are compared to trees, which give charity to everyone. Trees never complain, but freely give fruit, shade from the sun, shelter from the storm and even their own bodies for fuel. — Rasamandala Das 

The central concept of Islam is Tawhid – the Unity of Allah. Allah is Unity and His Unity is also reflected in the unity of mankind, and the unity of man and nature. His trustees are responsible for maintaining the unity of His creation, the integrity of the Earth, its flora and fauna, its wildlife and natural environment. Unity cannot be had by discord, by setting one need against another; it is maintained by balance and harmony. Therefore, Muslims say that Islam is the middle path and we will be answerable for how we have walked this path and how we have maintained balance and harmony in the whole of creation around us. … it is these values which led Muhammad, (peace be upon him), the Prophet of Islam, to say: ‘Whosoever plants a tree and diligently looks after it until it matures and bears fruit is rewarded’, and ‘If a Muslim plants a tree or sows a field and men and beats and birds eat from it, all of it is a charity on his part’, and again, ‘The world is green and beautiful, and Allah has appointed you as His stewards over it.’ — Dr. Abdullah Omar Naseef, Muslim World League

I am a sacrifice to Your almighty creative power which is pervading everywhere … Air is the Guru, Water is the Father, and Earth is the Great Mother of all. — Guru Angad Dev, Sikhism 

At the time of the Second Master, Guru Angad Dev, a man called Bhal Jeeva used to cook khichrri porridge to bring to the langar every day. One morning, however, the wind was so high that he could not get the wood of his cooking fire to light, though he tried over and over again. Eventually he decided to pray that the wind would stop so that he could cook the meal for the Guru and the other Sikhs. His prayer was answered, the wind stopped and he was able to finish cooking the food and took it to the langar as usual.  But, to Bhal Jeeva’s surprise, on this day the Guru refused to accept the offering and spoke to him thus: “By stopping the wind you gained the capacity to feed just a few people in the sangat but the Almighty has to feed all flora and fauna alike. On the land, in the water and in the skies there are many beings and He has his ways to provide food for them. A strong wind is useful to carry pollen, grains, leaves and clouds to far off places and bring the fruit down from the trees. With this simple act of God He serves the ants and many other creatures, and though you have the right to pray you must bow to His divine will. Understand – everything that happens in his will has a very deep sense of caring for all creation. — Guru Angad Dev

You are that which you intend to hit, injure, insult, torment, persecute, torture, enslave or kill. — Mahavira

The goodness of God fills all the gaps of the universe, without discrimination or preference. God is the gratuity of absolutely everything. The space in between everything is not space at all but Spirit. God is the “goodness glue” that holds the dark and light of things together, the free energy that carries all death across the Great Divide and transmutes it into Life. When we say that Christ “paid the debt once and for all,” it simply means that God’s job is to make up for all deficiencies in the universe. What else would God do? Basically, grace is God’s first name, and probably last too. Grace is what God does to keep all things he has made in love and alive—forever. Grace is God’s official job description. Grace is not something God gives; grace is who God is. If we are to believe the primary witnesses, an unexplainable goodness is at work in the universe. ― Richard Rohr

By jacksonnhccPosted on Posted in Home, Weekly MeditationsTagged , , No Comments on Love goes walking in the world plus healing heaven & earth: themes from Matthew 28.
Scroll to top