Balance

This Sunday, please welcome the Rev. Dr. Arnold Isidore Thomas back to Good Shepherd’s pulpit! I’m delighted that my predecessor can fill in for us while I’m on vacation at Lake George with my family. I know you all will enjoy seeing him very much and vice versa.

As I write this, it is the Autumn Equinox, a very special and beautiful time of year, especially in Vermont where we have the four seasons. The meaning of the equinox holds great resonance for the festival of creation we are planning to observe during worship on October 4th, St. Francis of Assisi Day (and the 800th anniversary of his entrance into Life).

The date for the beginning of the liturgical year in Eastern Christianity was originally the September equinox. It was moved sometime in the fifth century to synchronize with the imperial taxation calendar that began the first day of September. Given that the equinoxes, in March and September, are the only times the day is essentially equal in the northern and southern hemispheres, the fall equinox is a sign of the global equity we seek through our environmental justice efforts.

May the nations find balance, as luminaries like St. Francis and urgencies like climate chance guide us back toward ecological balance.

with love, Pastor Chelsea