“It’s been a long time coming, but I know change gonna come.“  This old Sam Cooke tune popped up on my playlist this morning.  It was a standard of the 1960’s civil rights movement and is one of those songs of protest whose words never cease to ring true.

It made me think (and I feel like I have had a lot on my mind these days). The unfolding of events this year have continuously been reminding me of the positive change that is needed in our world; in social justice, in racial equality, and for the environment. Maybe I’m getting old, but I can still remember the March on Washington and the first Earth day.  …“It’s been a long time coming….”

There is a harmony, a coherence of sorts in these movements. The search for greater equity in society, the pursuit of racial understanding, and the journey toward environmental sustainability all require a spirit of generosity, thinking beyond oneself, caring for the common good. I must stand up for justice when it is clear that not everyone is able to enjoy its benefits. I must walk in another’s shoes not because it makes my journey easier but to understand and support the journey of another. I must continue to plant trees knowing that only someone else’s children will someday sit in their shade. These are the kinds of things that people of faith can relate to and must move forward.

So then a friend of mine sent me a photo he took of the NEOWISE comet (with the ISS streaking across the sky) in the sky of a dramatic landscape in eastern Washington and I was instantly reminded of both our smallness and our connection to a vast and wonderful universe. The earth does not need us to save it! The earth can heal and repair itself if we all went away tomorrow.    We are healing this world, FOR US. We need the earth, not the other way around. We need to take care of each other and heal our home so we can survive and flourish.

We have work to do to realize the goals of all these struggles for equity, justice, inclusion and a healthy environment. The struggle never really ends but there is such power and harmony when we all join in it. 

Never give up…..

“It’s been a long time coming, but I know change gonna come.” 

Albert Todd, Chair
Interfaith Partners for the Chesapeake