"For where your treasure is..."

“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” ~Jesus from Matthew 6:21


I first saw the movie, Brother Sun, Sister Moon, in the early 70’s. The film depicts the life of Francis of Assisi, the patron of ecology and animals. In one scene, Francis and his rag-tag band of friars travel barefoot to meet with the Pope. Surrounded by the finery of the Pontiff and cardinals, Francis begins to recite from the Gospels, ending with the quote from Jesus—“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” During my youth, when I took something to heart, I often took things a little too literally. So when Francis says to his father who is consumed with material wealth—“do as I do, father, it’s all so simple. Give it all away”, I occasionally did just that. I gave it all away, even a thoughtful spiritual present my mother brought me from Mexico. It took me some time to reinterpret the meaning of this film and that passage from Matthew—“for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
I learned something about responsibility and stewardship as a student of yoga. Swami Satchidananda would encourage us to leave a place better than we found it, starting with the public rest rooms. I began to wipe out the sink and put paper towels dropped on the sink or floor in the waste can. I still do that today—just a little thing I can do to care for the environment and be mindful of those who come after me. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Today I awakened to a treasure I wasn’t expecting when I walked Lilly, our dog, and my eyes fixed on the bold yellow forsythia blossoms and the bright green grass, recently freed from the snow and ice built up these past two months. Do I recognize tangible and intangible treasures in my life? Am I sufficiently grateful for the gifts that come to me—mostly small things like a smile, a hug, or green grass in the middle of February? “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Am I aware the treasure that I have in a spiritual community that calls me to be the best person I can be and that supports me in my life journey? What can I do to be more aware and proactive in my care for this treasured church home? What about countless small spontaneous caring acts I can do—wash a dish left in the sink or food left in the vestry, without being asked, put away the tables and chairs after coffee hour, weed a small corner of the church yard in the spring, rake leaves or take a turn providing child care though I have no children of that age.
This next month, each of us will have a chance to consider that saying from Jesus—“for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” as the Unitarian Church of Staten Island begins its annual spring canvass and stewardship drive. What does this church mean to you? How can you give back to this community without “giving it all away”? How can you show where your treasure is even when our lives are encumbered by the chaos of the economy? It’s all a matter of commitment and love—“For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Truth and Reconciliation in Mississippi

After coming to Mississippi each month since October, I decided to visit some of the sites
on the African American and Native American travel itineraries. I traveled to Natchez and Vicksburg and took these photos. I'll include my sermon by the same title shortly.


Emerald Mound, ancient Natchez Indian site
Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi









Downtown Natchez Historic Home
"Beyond the Gate", my title









Historic Mural,
Vicksburg, Mississippi








Fork of the Roads, Natchez, Mississippi
site of the 2nd largest
auction block in the United
States

Life From Both Sides Now--Attack of the Nesting Terns

© Rev. Susan Karlson
I wrote about the attack of the nesting terns in my July minister's column for the Gulf Coast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in coast Mississippi. I was walking along the beach in Gulfport, feeling the cool summer breeze on my skin when I noticed a sign with instructions to stay off the beach because terns were nesting there. I walked on the sidewalk, but suddenly noticed hundreds of terns circling above me, dive bombing me as I walked. I looked to see if I missed nests on the sidewalk or if there was another sign. No, no nests, no more signs. The tactics of the terns worked somewhat--they got my attention. I would have walked away completely but I was afraid I'd really step on a nest if I skirted the sidewalk and what righteous bird would nest on hot pavement anyway? Some birds strategically aimed their droppings just to make sure I got the point--"You are not welcome here. Get out!"

I kept checking the cement. I did see one flailing featherless chick-- with wings spread out twice the size of its scrawny little body. All my motherly instincts were to cradle the young one in my arms and protect it from the June heat and the scorching pavement. Ah, but I remembered the birds and their droppings and decided against it. It was their job to safeguard their brood and they seemed to figure I was some kind of large bird of prey.

I thought about the letter of the law which I obeyed. I was not stepping on the beach; I was not in official nesting tern territory. I was doing the right thing and yet...

How like a human to consider how this experience relates to human beings! I was right--the bird nests weren't there on the sidewalk. No danger for them from me really. But they were right too--and after all, they weren't adept at reading signs. There was one little chick there, all alone, crying out in need and they were doing their best to cradle that chick in the way they could--dive bombing the intruder.

We humans tend to neglect looking at the other point of view. We know we're right but from the other side of the earth/sky continuum, they are right too. They have roles to play and every instinct in them is finely tuned to carry out their responsibilities until that baby bird grows up and leaves the nest to carry on the tradition.

Liberal religions like Unitarian Universalism honor the traditions of other religions and diverse cultures. Each person has the right and the responsibility to make their own way down the road of life and we encourage others in their spiritual search. But we are all human and we too get stuck in legalistic thinking. We get entrenched in doing things like we've always done them.

Maybe it's enough that we notice this time that there are two sides with valid perspectives and we take the time to reflect on these matters. Maybe next time we'll consider a different route that doesn't turn flocks of birds into defenders of their region. Maybe, just maybe, this little incident has something to teach us about how we approach one another in our families and our communities. And probably it is equally apt in this political climate in this country and in our relationships with people from other countries. It matters where we walk and how we choose to meet those on the journey--whether two-leggeds, four-leggeds, slithering or swimming creatures or the winged migrants that share this path with us. A little more tolerance and forethought, and a bit less arrogance may change the dynamics enough to make the planet more sustainable and help us consider the impact of our actions and our presence in the web of life. That is my perspective looking at "life from both sides now". I hope it flies!