INTERCONNECTED
[The title of my thoughts for this morning is, “Interconnected”. It will simply be some poetic
mumblings coming off a comment Jesus
made in today’s gospel. Here’s the gospel
again. It’s short. “The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but
were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, ‘Your mother and
your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.’ He said to them
in reply, ‘My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act
on it’”.]
Interconnected. We’re interconnected - yes we are - whether
we know it or not - whether we like it or not - whether we choose it or not.
We’re interconnected. Yes we are.
Nobody is to be seen as an outsider - once we get inside what
Jesus is about. Nobody is unable to be joined because of the crowd. Jesus came
for communion - connections - intercommunion. Jesus - the Word from God - came
to create a new language - new understandings - new meanings of old words: brother, sister, mother, father. We’re all in this together. We’re
interconnected. Yes we are.
Your car breaks down on Route 97. One result: I’m late in
picking up the kids. That gets them nervous - because they are wondering where
I am. That gets those minding our kids nervous - and we’ll be catching that antsy
energy in the car when we’re all together heading home in the same direction.
We’re interconnected. Yes we are.
Our fingerprints intermingle on the two dozen or so doors
and doorknobs we’ll open and close today Our morning coffee is from Brazil or Columbia -
processed in Seattle - and served us in Annapolis - and sometimes someone else
picks up our left on a ledge empty coffee cup and tosses it into a garbage bag
made as a petroleum product from Venezuela or Oklahoma or now North Dakota or
Nigeria. We’re interconnected.
Our DNA goes way back, way, way, way back. How far
back?, I don’t know how this stuff
works, but they tell me our DNA can tell us how close we are and far apart we
are - and it’s not based on color of skin or accent or language - but on cells
and twists and turns of our genetic coding - in the mix called me - in the mix called
“we” - us. Yet the bottom line still is: we’re interconnected. Yes we are.
The songs we play come down from sounds and melodies from thousands of different songs - that would be
very, very difficult to unravel - but at a wedding - that little kid 2 foot
tall in tuxedo - dancing to the music with his grandmother - next to the bride
and groom - along with aunts and uncles - and best friends from way back - from
all over the place - they are all interconnected - on the dance floor called
earth. Yes we are.
So as e.e. cummings put it, “be of a love a little more
careful than anything.” We can say the same of everyone and everything - be of
love a little more careful of words and water, air and earth - and all the billions
of us in this plane or train. Hey sometimes life feels like a crowded subway
car in the rush hour and sometimes it’s a sweet scene of seeing rolling hills
from a big train car window. Sometimes
it all depends on how we see it. Everything on the planet has come down to us
as gift - but sometimes we don’t accept all as gift and we toss and mess up our
space - our place - our planet - because
of sin or self or inconsideration - not thinking of the next guy or gal or
generation - so be of stuff, and people and words and thoughts and interactions
- a little more careful than anything. Hey! Our dust - our clay - our earth -
called our body - is surrounded by
present and past dust of the dust of folks from thousands of years ago - and the air we’re breathing was once in the lungs
of Mussolini or Cleopatra or who knows
whom from a long time ago - maybe even
Jesus. Who knows? Stuff - air, water,
earth, veggies - all have a long
recycling life. We’re interconnected. Yes we are.
So we are our brother and our sister’s keeper and we are my brother
and mother and father and sister to each other - so why in the world don’t
people realize we’re all together on this big long communion line - sharing not
just bread and wine - but when sacrificing and serving - becoming Jesus - along with all else that is
good - words and song and music and water and air and earth in so many forms - in
so many ways and waves - and this makes us brother and sister and mother and
father and one with each other - so why can’t we hear these words of Jesus we
heard today and act on them? Amen.