Eco-Justice Notes - 2/4/05 - Going Postal

another good edition of Eco-Justice Notes from Peter Sawtell, titled "Going Postal."

an excerpt:

I wonder -- how many others around us carry hurt, grief, anger, alienation, helplessness -- all triggered by their experiences of the destruction of God's creation? There are so many places where that painful reality can come upon us. A stark new subdivision replaces an open field that used to grace your day with spacious views and glimpses of wildlife. Or you are ambushed with a disturbing news report about expanding deforestation in the Amazon, or an oil spill that fouls the ocean. It can come from the sudden hurt when chainsaws level a grove of trees, or it can be found in the constant ache that that is carried by those with an awareness of accelerating global warming.

In our churches, do we let it be known that we understand and that we care about those sorts of hurts? Do we provide a setting where the often-hidden grief and anger can be shared? Do we offer a place of healing for those hurting people, and do we offer a place where shared hurts can energize people to work for the healing of the planet?

Sawtell includes a really great story of an interaction he had with a postal worker. Sometimes it is these small interactions, these seemingly random conversations, that bring reminders of meaning and purpose to what we seek to do in God's name.