While money clearly does not grow on trees, it sometimes strikes me as even more miraculous that food actually does. It’s probably my mostly suburban and urban life so far that makes this seem so remarkable. Still, it’s a wonder to drive around Ventura County and see oranges, lemons and limes actually hanging on branches, not just in pyramids at the grocery store.
Our November theme of Abundance is well suited to this time of year. In the Northern Hemisphere the harvest is pretty much over by now and many cultures have celebrations. The fall is a time to consider what we have and be grateful for the abundance in our lives.
Some hold the view that life is a zero-sum game. The more someone else has the less they have. They compete for more so that there is no chance they will ever go wanting. There are people and whole corporations in the world that deliberately seek to profit from our fear. That want to pit us against one another, that tell us to deny the humanity of others.
We live in a culture that often equates abundance with having massive quantities of everything. What if true abundance is just having enough?
Part of why we come to church is to live by a different set of values. Seeking enough, not everything. Satisfaction, not ecstasy. (A little ecstasy goes a long way, after all.) John Lennon asked us to “imagine all the people sharing all the world.” A pretty big dream, though that is the world we seek.
Our message must be that there is enough. We are enough. What if the deepest truth is that there really is enough? Enough love, enough truth, enough integrity, enough kindness, enough goodness in human hearts. So much enough-ness that we can actually share what we have. There is enough, though it is not equitably distributed.
To the extent that we are a people of abundance with enough – and often more than enough – for ourselves, we are called to reach out to others who clearly do not have close to what they need.
In this season of gratitude, may we all consider the abundance in our lives. Not simply of material things, but the abundance of love, friendship, kindness. The fullest bounty of our lives. My fond hope is that no one who is part of this community will feel a lack of the gifts of community.
Happy Thankgiving
Rev. Dana
805-644-3898
administrator@uuventura.org
