It seems that humans are wired to protect that which is fragile or hurt. People rush to help a dog or cat hit by a car. A bird falls from the nest and every effort is made to help it. When it comes to a small child or a vulnerable animal, we just seem to have a built in response to protect and to help. Well, most of us do.
That’s when it is one on one. When it comes to society protecting the vulnerable, it is much more of a mixed bag. Providing health care for all should be a no brainer yet we still have not resolved that. Doing all we can to help children thrive is also something that gets complicated. And so does uplifting the quality of life for our elders. The church hosts an adult daycare center and the funding was significantly cut in the last federal budget. This money helped seniors who sit alone at home all day to have a place to go to be with other people and to do things that were of interest and enriching. This has all kinds of positive health outcomes and is much less expensive than the Medicare funds needed for a health crisis. Yet we can’t get it done. So much for our inclination to help those who are vulnerable or injured.
The view from space offers yet another perspective on protection and taking care of what is vulnerable. In the novel Orbital, Samantha Harvey shares the feeling of the six astronauts in the spaceship orbiting Earth 16 times a day: “Before long, for all of them, a desire takes hold. It’s the desire – no, the need (fuelled by fervour) – to protect this huge yet tiny earth. This thing of such miraculous and bizarre loveliness. This thing that is, given the poor choice of alternatives, so unmistakably home. An unbounded place, a suspended jewel so shockingly bright. Can humans not find peace with one another? With the earth? It’s not a fond wish but a fretful demand. Can we not stop tyrannizing and destroying and ransacking and squandering this one thing on which our lives depend?” [p. 108]
There it is. The issue. Why are we so concerned about a hurt pet, but so oblivious to the sufferings of Earth?
Prayer: May we learn to cherish the planet that keeps us alive and brings us beauty and joy. Earth is protecting us in so many ways. Give us the need to protect the precious Earth. Amen.
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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 orbiting the Earth in a spaceship. 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 