I’d like to carry on the concept of interdependence highlighted in the April 21st Sunday service. This planet is truly our home and like any home needs care and tending. Our place in the magnificent web of life is worthy of deep contemplation. As our 7th Principle states, we honor the interdependent web of all existence of which we are only a part.

Everything we interact with all day long, be it living or inanimate, came from the resources supplied by the very planet we inhabit. Everything we touch be it a tree, a flower petal, a piece of paper, a dinner plate, a smart phone, or a loved one’s face, they all came from the same 14-billion-year-old experiment that put our planet into orbit around our own star, the sun.

These things have all been assembled by either natural means or by the ingenuity of humanity. Some of these things, especially those coming about from natural means, show great respect to nature’s fundamental rule of sustainability. However, some of those things that have come about as a result of humanity have ignored nature’s fundamental law of sustainability and have brought about a worrisome imbalance in our planet’s ability to support and stabilize its global ecosystems.

It is truly a time for humanity to self-reflect on how we will move ahead as a species that has such power over its environment and make thoughtful and timely decisions to see that a life-affirming balance is restored and maintained into the future.

So, therefore after having just celebrated Earth Day, let’s pause to honor our planet, the cradle of life. Let’s pledge to cherish and protect its beauty, diversity, and precious resources for generations to come. Together, let’s work towards a sustainable future where harmony between humanity and nature thrives.