Online Devotional – Lakewood United Church of Christ

Devotion Thirty-Seven, “Stories”

In the Christian tradition, this is the week for stories. We revisit the stories around Palm Sunday, the last supper, the trial and betrayal and desertion of Jesus, and finally the crucifixion. Each year there is a re-telling of these stories. They shape our understanding of the Christian faith and the ministry of Jesus. He will always put the well-being of others before his own well-being. To show us how beloved we are. And finally with the stories of Easter and the resurrection, we are shown that love is stronger than death. So we need never be afraid. Of anything. Including death and whatever comes after.

We don’t all get to see these events directly; live it ourselves. But we have the stories of those close to Jesus about what happened. And those stories have power.

We are people who are shaped by stories. The stories we hear about our faith tradition. The stories we hear about our country and our people. The stories we are told about ourselves. “You’re poor and you’re not smart so you’ll never amount to much.” “No one wants to hire someone as fat as you are.” “You can be anything you want to be.” “You’re a young black man. We know where you’ll end up.” These stories shape who we are and how we live and the nature of our reality.

In Orbital, the novel by Samantha Harvey, one of the Russian cosmonauts was raised being told stories about how the Russians landed on the moon. This inspired him to want to go to the moon. He gives his life to this dream despite learning that no Russian has ever set foot on the moon. Nor has he. [pp. 64-65]

We can be deceived and betrayed by stories. Manipulated and controlled. We can be shaped and formed by stories. They are very powerful.

Prayer: May the stories of this Holy Week have an impact on us. May they convince us that the power of love is invincible and that we are each and every one of us dearly beloved. May our stories help us to bear witness to that love in our lives. 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.

Devotion Thirty-Six, “Space”

Forever, humans have been captivated by space, by what is beyond the Earth. Ancient civilizations were watching the stars and the planets and the sun. Observing. Noticing. paying attention. Trying to make sense of it all.

There are ancient structures, buildings, pyramids, even the serpent mounds of Ohio, that are oriented so that the sun hits in a certain way at a certain time of year. This activity of the sun had been observed and the construction capitalized on that. It is so amazing how humanity is captivated by the sun and the skies.

Now we have telescopes launched into space sending pictures and images back to Earth which enchant and astound us. There is SO much going on out there! And so much of it is beautiful!

Where does space fit into our world view? And where do we fit into space? The US now has a Space Force, the sixth branch of the military established in 2019. What is the mission of that branch of government?

“The U.S. Space Force protects our country and the freedom to operate in space, keeping it secure, stable and accessible for military space power and new waves of innovation.. . Space now defines our daily lives and the modern way of war.” [https://www.spaceforce.com/about]

Once space was about understanding time and the passing of the year and sacred devotion to the gods/God. It was the subject of curiosity and scientific exploration. Now, it is a venue for war and for the extension of capitalism. Apparently there are plans to put company logos in space so that they shine to earth.

One of the astronauts in Samantha Harvey’s novel Orbital reflects: “When he thinks of the six of them here, or the astronauts now going to the moon, he hears that haunting call – that’s what we’re doing when we come into space, asserting our species by extending its territory. Space is the one remaining wilderness we have. The solar system into which we venture is just the new frontier now our earthly frontiers have been discovered and plundered.” [p. 162]

Sadly space has become a vista for colonization, for ownership and claim to access, power, and resources. And of course, this all makes someone, someones, very rich!

Prayer: This Lenten season, may we see the folly of our ways. May we reclaim our need for the transcendent, for the Beyond, for something greater than we are. So that we may glory in the gift of this precious life on Earth. Amen.

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Devotion prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

Devotion Thirty-Five, “Mother”

Those in the mental health profession say that the most important person in our lives is our mother. Whatever our mother was like, even if we never knew her, our mother is the most important person in our lives. Even by being absent, she has an influence upon us. And a mother that is present and loving and nurturing can make all the difference especially when there are other forces at work around us demeaning us or degrading us. The influence of a mother is extremely significant. Even if we hated our mother. She is still an influence on us. We have to decide whether it will be for good or ill.

I know that my mother did not grow up with many opportunities. She told us that she was determined that my brother and I would have all the things she never had – like outings to museums, attending concerts, taking music lessons, going on vacation, etc. And we did!

In the novel, Orbital, by Samantha Harvey, the biological mother of one of the astronauts, Chie from Japan, dies while they are on their space mission. It is very difficult for her. Now she has no mother on Earth to go back to. But this reinforces the realization that the Earth is our mother. Harvey tells us: “They look down and they understand why it’s called Mother Earth. They all feel it from time to time. They all make an association between the earth and a mother. . .

“But now, more so. Since Chie came to the galley on Friday evening where they were making dinner, her face colourless with shock, and said, My mother has died. . . .

“Since that news, they find themselves looking down at earth as they circle their way round it . . and there’s that word: mother mother mother mother. Chie’s only mother now is that rolling, glowing ball that throws itself involuntarily around the sun once a year. Chie has been made an orphan, her father dead a decade. That ball is the only thing she can point to now that has given her life. There’s no life without it. Without that planet there’s no life. Obvious.” [pp. 11-12]

I am wondering what our lives would be like, and what Earth would be like, if we took seriously the idea that Earth is our mother. What if our relationship with Earth were the most important relationship in our lives? Somehow, I have the feeling that this would bring us closer to the God/Divine Love/ Creator, and to each other.

Prayer: May we learn to revere the Earth for all the ways it sustains our lives providing us with food, shelter, companionship, and beauty. A gift beyond compare without which we are nothing. May we be grateful for all the mothering love that sustains our lives. Amen.

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Devotion prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL.

Lent Devotion 34 “Nurture”

I like to go to the performances of the Florida Orchestra. I also like to go to the opera. I love the art museum. What motivates people to invest their lives in such creativity and performance?

We are very fortunate in our community to have hundreds and hundreds of devoted doctors. People who have invested in extensive schooling and training so that they can help to heal others. It’s amazing!

There are teachers in our schools who spend night and day thinking of new ways to engage students and make learning interesting, valued. Each and every day they show up at school and help young people to understand the world around them. It’s beautiful!
And as a pastor, I think of the thousands of clergy who each and every week preach to their congregations and offer spiritual care and incite people to want to follow Jesus devoting themselves to the have nots and to creating a just society where everyone has access to what is needed to thrive and live in peace.

But space? Being an astronaut? I’m not so sure why anyone would want to do that, though it certainly is incredible!

In Samantha Harvey’s novel, Orbital, the crew on the international space ship includes one person from Italy. One from Japan. One from Great Britain. Two from Russia. And one from the US. The ship has been orbiting for years with the crew changing on a regular basis, coming from different nations, and the mission continuing. But the spaceship is getting old and new initiatives are afoot, so this orbiting of international travelers is coming to an end. One of the Russian cosmonauts, Roman, reflects on the this culmination: “He seems to know that something is ending, that all good things must go this way, towards fracture and fallout. So many astronauts and cosmonauts have passed through here, this orbiting laboratory, this science experiment in the carefully controlled nurturing of peace. It’s going to end. And it will end through the restless spirit of endeavour that made it possible in the first place. Striking out further and deeper. The moon, the moon. Mars, the moon. Further yet. A human being was not made to stand still.” [p. 202]

I am very interested in this concept of a “science experiment in the carefully controlled nurturing of peace.” It seems we could use many more experiments of this nature. In space. And certainly on Earth. Experiments seeking to nurture peace. Some of us will go to the No Kings demonstration today. Maybe that is what we are really doing. Being part of an experiment in the nurturing of peace. I hope so!

Prayer: There are so many ways for us to engage with life and with society. We are beings infused with creativity and dreams. In who we are and what we do, may we be part of nurturing peace for ourselves, for our neighbors, for our enemies, for the world, and for the cosmos. 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 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.

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Lent Devotion Nineteen — Blown Away

Each day every one of our lives is filled with happenings and activities and news and drama. We are curious people. We are engaged and active. We make things. Invent things. Do things. We create roads and cities in the wilderness. We make beautiful art and music. We send vehicles into space. We have incredible capabilities. We are just a little less than gods, the Bible tells us.

Ah, but sometimes our ideas and plans get away from us. This is why we have global warming. And war. The possibilities, the greed. But no worries. We’ll figure a way out of it, so some think. We have amazing capabilities.

Maybe there is something to be said for accepting our humble place in the scheme of things on Earth. Taking pleasure in the world around us, the wonders of nature, our mortality, the cycle of life. Instead of trying to remake the Earth to our desires, we could learn to accept the Earth and all that it is giving us. All that we are receiving.

in Samantha Harvey’s novel Orbital, we are reminded: “We think we’re the wind, but we’re just the leaf.” [p. 161] Now a leaf does not have much initiative or agency. It is limited by its function and identity. But a leaf provides oxygen for us to breathe so that we can stay alive. It keeps the tree alive to provide not only oxygen but food for people and animals. A leaf is part of creating a habitat for animal dwellings. A leaf creates beauty when it changes color. A leaf provides shade. A leaf falls to the ground and decomposes making soil for other plants to grow.

“We think we’re the wind, but we’re just the leaf.” A leaf is useful providing sustenance and comfort and safety as well as beauty. Can we be content with being a leaf? Realizing our limits. Restraining our hubris. Extending ourselves for the benefit of others. Accepting what we are called to do and be?

Prayer: May we be content to be who we were created to be in a much larger scheme that extends beyond our planet to the cosmos. May we be grateful for our brief span on this Earth and relish our place in the circle of life. Amen.

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Devotion prepared by Rev. Kim P. Wells, pastor of Lakewood United Church of Christ in St. Petersburg, FL