From the Minister, Thu Mar 1

"The scarcity assumption." I think we all make this assumption. I do. Maybe I fall a little less often and less far into this assumption than I used to, but, yeah, I catch myself acting like things are in short supply when they aren't. Acting like there's scarcity can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Help me to live from the truth of abundance rather than the fear of scarcity!

For such help, Parker Palmer is reliable. He explains:

"Nature normally takes us through a reliable cycle of scarcity and abundance in which times of deprivation foreshadow an eventual return to the bountiful fields. This fact of nature is in sharp contrast to human nature, which seems to regard perpetual scarcity as the law of life.

"Daily I am astonished at how readily I believe that something I need is in short supply. If I hoard possessions, it is because I believe that there are not enough to go around. If I struggle with others over power, it is because I believe that power is limited. If I become jealous in relationships, it is because I believe that when you get too much love, I will be short-changed.

"The irony, often tragic, is that by embracing the scarcity assumption, we create the very scarcities we fear. If I hoard material goods, others will have too little and I will never have enough. If I fight my way up the ladder of power, others will be defeated, and I will never feel secure. If I get jealous of someone I love, I am likely to drive that person away. We create scarcity by fearfully accepting it as law and by competing with others for resources as if we were stranded in the Sahara at the last oasis.

"In the human world, abundance does not happen automatically. It is created when we have the sense to choose community, to come together to celebrate and share our common store. Whether the scarce resource is money or love or power or words, the true law of life is that we generate more of whatever seems scarce by trusting its supply and passing it around.

"Authentic abundance does not lie in secured stockpiles of food or cash or influence or affection but in belonging to a community where we can give those goods to others who need them -- and receive them from others when we are in need. Here is a summertime truth: abundance is a communal act, the joint creation of an incredibly complex ecology in which each part functions on behalf of the whole, and in return, is sustained by the whole.

"Community doesn’t just create abundance -- community is abundance. If we could learn that equation from the world of nature, the human world might be transformed."

Thank you, Parker.

In love,
Meredith

The two Common Reads for 2017-18: HERE
The Statement of Conscience, "Escalating Economic Inequity": HERE. Post comment to suggest further amendment to Statement: HERE.
On the Journey, March: Wandering. HERE.

Minister's Tuesday Coffee Chat

I'm at a coffee shop (almost) every Tuesday from 3-5pm. I invite you to drop by and chat.
Mar: Starbucks, 51 Purchase St. Rye
Apr: Barnes and Noble Cafe, Vernon Hills Shopping Center, Eastchester

New on The Liberal Pulpit

The Liberal Pulpit is a YouTube Channel HERE!
This week's posts offer the first two parts of the Feb 18 sermon, "The Spiritual Bypass." Part 1: We're Here to Help Each Other Get Unstuck. Part 2: True Spirituality and Bypassing Spirituality.
Index of past sermons: HERE. Index of other reflections: HERE.

Practice of the Week

Be Generous (Slogans to Live By). When you express your giving nature, it feels good for you, benefits others, prompts them to be good to you in turn, and adds one more lovely thread to the great tapestry of human generosity.

Your Moment of Zen (Raven Tale: #44)

Zen Practice at CUUC: Sat Mar 3

R.E. News

Music News