How much time do you spend each day availing yourself of the news? It’s a tricky thing the news. Yes, we want to be informed. But the news is also forming us – our opinions, our perspectives, our impressions, our values. Yes, there are many news sources, but generally the news is telling us about what is going wrong, what bad thing has happened, and who has died. It’s kind of fear-inducing.
In the book Orbital, a novel about six astronauts orbiting Earth in a spaceship, author Samantha Harvey observes, “If you’re an astronaut you’d rather not ever be news.” (p. 14) Well, think of it. The astronauts that are most likely to make the news are the ones who are killed or die in some terrible way in the course of their space career.
In the book, the astronaut characters talk about the Challenger disaster. One astronaut confesses that she was 7 when it happened. And she learned all she could about the Challenger astronauts’ lives. She had pictures of the crew on the walls in her bedroom. She lit candles on their birthdays for several years. The Challenger team was there and gone in 70 seconds, on screen. The astronaut in the book confesses to crying a month later when the bodies were recovered from the wreckage at the bottom of the sea. The news can definitely have a strong effect on us.
But much more impactful than all the negative things we are told about are all the good things that are not touted in the news. Each and every day, people are doing amazing things that make life better for someone else. People are pursing scientific discoveries and innovations that will help others in some way. People are caring for the planet. People are making personal sacrifices for the common good. People are improving the lives of others. Each and every day. Looking for no personal fame or glory or recognition. Millions of people are doing this. The world over. We are among them. And we hear precious little about it. It’s ok not to be in the news.
Prayer: This Lenten season as we seek to re-turn our lives to God, may we be aware of all the good that is being done out of love day in and day out. May we look for God at work in our lives and in the world. Amen.
Devotion prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL
The devotions this Lenten season will be based on the novel Orbital by Samantha Harvey. Orbital won the Booker Prize in 2024. It is a beautifully written story about the experience of a group of people on the International Space Station. They see 16 sunrises and sunsets in a 24 hour period. The book is a reflection on the experience of living together and appreciating planet Earth in a new way.
Lakewood United Church of Christ 