Wednesday, October 7, 2020
Many of us here in the congested East do not have a sense of the vastness of our Nation and its wilderness of indescribable beauty. Many of us have never gone to a place that could truly be called a wilderness. The closest I have come is hiking a small–– and I mean small––portion of the Appalachian Trail.
The wilderness is our national treasure and is often under attack by business interests that can only see the dollar signs that come from logging or mining. Now the U.S. Forest Service has released a proposal to open the Tongass National Forest in Alaska to logging. At 17 million acres, it is the largest temperate rainforest on earth, home to native peoples and to varieties of salmon, birds, bears, wolves, and the bald eagle.
Why should we care about a 500 mile stretch of forest in a remote part of the Nation that most of us will never visit? The forest is not only a gift from the God who made us all but the God who entrusted it to our care. Add your voice to protect this irreplaceable treasure by contacting your member of Congress to stop clear-cutting trees that were here before native peoples crossed the Bering Straits to this continent.
Prayer for the Day
God of life, the early fall breezes hint of the changes to come,
For now, we hear the geese in the early morning sky.
As we smell the corn and tomatoes, feel the squash and the beans,
May we remember that you are the source of life.
Be present in our midst, O God, as we seek to be your servants
And help us to be faithful to you and to your creation.
As was the One who is our model of service,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen
Thoughts for the Day
What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a minor reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another.
Chris Maser, research scientist, environmentalist
The question is whether any civilization can wage relentless war on life without destroying itself, and without losing the right to be called civilized.
Rachel Carson, environmentalist (19071–1964)
By your strength you established the mountains;
you are girded with might.
you silence the roaring of the seas,
the roaring of the waves,
the tumult of peoples.
Those who live at earth’s farthest bounds
are awed by your signs;
You make the gateways of the morning
and the evening shout for joy.
Psalm 65:6–8