Today’s authors are Prince of Peace members, Jim & Caryn Josephson.
Genesis 1:9-13, 20-25
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind, with which the waters swarm and every winged bird of every kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind and the cattle of every kind and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good.
As you read this, our group of travelers is experiencing a countryside that is both similar to and very different from Minnesota. We are traveling by train and by car to reach our home base of Iringa, Tanzania, where we will eventually meet up with our brothers and sisters in Bomalang’ombe and Vikongwa parishes. We will pass by Baobab and Acacia trees, mountains and desert, and instead of deer along the side of the road, we may see monkeys and perhaps even a giraffe, impala or elephant! The gift of travel invites us to experience the full range of God’s creation. We will see and hear about our relationship to God’s creation and the fragility of the ecosystem. We will spend a few days in one of Tanzania’s National Parks where we will see birds and animals of many varieties. And, in Iringa, Bomalang’ombe and Vikongwa we will renew and create relationships with God’s human creation!
The invitation into relationship with our brothers and sisters in Tanzania comes through the St Paul Area synod and the Iringa Diocese. Congregations throughout the synod and diocese have made many visits back and forth. One of the travel groups shared the following poem:
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE FAR TO TRAVEL An Epiphany Blessing
If you could see
the journey whole
you might never
undertake it;
might never dare
the first step
that propels you
from the place
you have known
toward the place
you know not.
Call it
one of the mercies
of the road:
that we see it
only by stages
as it opens
before us,
as it comes into
our keeping
step by
single step.
There is nothing
for it
but to go
and by our going
take the vows
the pilgrim takes:
to be faithful to
the next step;
to rely on more
than the map;
to heed the signposts
of intuition and dream;
to follow the star
that only you
will recognize;
to keep an open eye
for the wonders that
attend the path;
to press on
beyond distractions
beyond fatigue
beyond what would
tempt you
from the way.
There are vows
that only you
will know:
the secret promises
for your particular path
and the new ones
you will need to make
when the road
is revealed
by tums
you could not
have foreseen.
Keep them, break them,
make them again:
each promise becomes
part of the path;
each choice creates
the road
that will take you
to the place
where at last
you will kneel
to offer the gift
most needed—
the gift that only you
can give—
before turning to go
home by
another way.
-Jan Richardson from Circle of Grace: A Book of Blessings for the Seasons