i-Llan 5th October 2024 – a story about the moon prompts thoughts about reciprocity

A story about the moon prompts thoughts about how the universe is interconnected and humans are part of the natural world. 
In the season of harvest festivals, gratitude prompts the wish to reciprocate by 'paying forward' our blessings to others.

Bible verses referenced are:
Proverbs 6. 6 
Matthew 6. 25 - 34
Matthew 16. 2–3 
Matthew 12. 7

Also referenced is Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Potawatomi professor Robin Wall Kimmerer, about the role of Indigenous knowledge as an alternative or complementary approach to Western mainstream scientific methodologies.

The film, Pay it Forward, was released in 2001. Watch it with a box of tissues handy!

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Transcript

Welcome to i-Llan, a podcast connect faith, life and scripture. In this episode, a story about the moon prompts thoughts about reciprocity.

Did you see the story this week about the moon ‘catching cold’? Apparently, during the pandemic, the moon’s surface temperature dropped by several degrees. The scientist who looked at the data suggested that when the global lockdown resulted in a huge drop in air pollution, less of the sun’s heat was reflected back from earth’s atmosphere to the moon, causing its temperature to drop.

I knew the moon affects earth. I have watched the rise and fall of tides, and the changing light at night as the moon waxes and wanes. Lunar cycles have measured time and dates for millennia. But, it had never occurred to me that, other than the gravitational pull that keeps the moon in orbit around earth—and the footprints and debris left by astronauts—earth had any effect on the moon. It is another example of how the stuff of the universe is interconnected in ways we had not imagined. And that includes the stuff of which we are made!

Perhaps you think that fanciful, but I am convinced that we are healthier when we recognise ourselves as one with the natural world and tune in to the rhythms of days and seasons. Now the nights are drawing in, I know I need to get out in the daylight as much as possible to replenish my internal ‘solar batteries’.

The Bible encourages us to find wisdom in nature. The Book of Proverbs says in chapter 6 verse 6, ‘Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!’. And Jesus told his followers to consider how God cares for the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, and so to trust in God’s provision for themselves (Matthew 6. 25 - 34). He also warned them to be as ready to read the signs of the times as they were to read the signs that forecast weather (Matthew 16. 2-3). Perhaps that’s something to bear in mind when thinking about climate change.

With its origins in a largely agricultural society, the Bible knows about cycles of sowing and reaping, seedtime and harvest, dearth and plenty. It has rules about sharing resources, respecting the land, observing festivals. Today, the season of harvest festivals is an appropriate time to reflect on the interconnections between human beings and the rest of the natural world, and to express gratitude for the global systems which bring us food and other good things. We may pray for farmers, fisherfolk, and those who work in the food industry. We may give generous donations to food banks or other charities which work to feed the hungry.

But, more than that, it’s a time to ask, ‘How can I reciprocate? How can I live in a way that contributes to the well being of the earth?’ 

Like farmers saving some seed for next year's sowing, or digging in animal manure to enrich the soil, reciprocity works by 'paying it forward'. Rather than paying back to the original benefactor (which is usually impossible), we ‘pay it forward’ to someone—or something—else. We 'pay it forward' by treating others as we would like to be treated as Jesus taught us in Matthew 12 verse 7. We 'pay it forward' by doing a kindness to a stranger, by using our gifts well, by simply paying attention to the life around us. In her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer writes, ‘Paying attention is a form of reciprocity with the living world, receiving the gifts with open eyes and open heart’. I would say that paying attention is a form of prayer.

We have a choice. 

We can cling to the notion we are separate, autonomous individuals and the world revolves around we humans as the moon orbits the earth. 
 Or we can embrace our identity as creatures woven into the mysterious and wonderful web of life. 

We can live with a philosophy of ‘tit for tat’, getting even, the earth is ours to take from as we want. This hurting world has more than enough of that. 
 Or we can live with the generosity of spirit which expresses gratitude with reciprocity, forges healthy connection and heals broken ones.

As John Donne wrote in 1624, ‘No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less . . . Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.’

And so a prayer for harvest time:
Eternal God, you crown the year with your goodness 
and you give us the fruits of the earth in their season: 
grant that we may use them to your glory, 
for the relief of those in need, 
for the care of the earth,
and for our own well-being; 

May God the creator,
who clothes the flowers of the field and feeds the birds of the air,
bestow on you his care
and increase the harvest of your righteousness.
Amen.