Interdependence Day

Artist: Vincent Van Gogh

Image from Wikimedia Commons

Today is Pentecost 6 but it is also the Fourth of July -- Independence Day in the United States. It occurs to me that something from this morning's epistle reading (from Galations 6) is especially appropriate for observing both:

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

An article on the Sojouners website suggests we think in terms of interdependence today and steers us toward a blog post that goes into some depth about this.

We are all utterly interdependent beings from birth to death. We could not survive without microbes that help build our soil and the plants and trees that create oxygen and offer us food; we would never become mature adults without teachers and mentors; our cities would be full of disease if we didn’t have people who collect our garbage. More than Independence Day we need an Interdependence Day to celebrate our dependence upon one another and the earth, and our ultimate dependence upon God. We invite you to participate in a counter holiday on July 4th, a day on which we are declaring our interdependence.

The post then lists forty ways in which we can observe and celebrate this profound connectedness. Here are several that particularly caught my attention:

* Climb a tree and sit there for a long period of time, observing and documenting – in photographs, drawings, paintings, writings, etc. – the forms of life that you see from that vantage point.

* Look for everything you have two of and give one away.

* Attempt to repair something broken. Appreciate the people who repair things for you one a regular basis.

* Look through your clothes. Learn about one of the countries where they were manufactured and commit to doing one thing to improve the lives of the people who live and work there.

* Dig up a bucket of soil from your garden or yard, examine it, noticing all of the elements of organic matter, sand, clay, and the organisms that make your daily meals a possibility.

* Pray the Lord’s Prayer and commit to one concrete action to live out each part.

There are more, of course, and I urge you to click through and take a look at them all.

A blessed holiday to everyone.
~~~