Table Talk Newsletter

Pastor’s Letter

For Your Exploration

Blessings to you this Season of Lent.

Questions, questions, questions. As you know, I often use the Socratic method for conversation, dialogue and to stimulate critical thinking and illuminate ideas. For this month, please look at the image below, study it. Notice the hands. Whose hands, are they? Notice the position of the hands and what the hands are holding. It looks as though the hands are holding the earth, but an earth divided by political boundaries, human constructed lines of demarcation, us-and-them. Are the hands giving or receiving the object, embracing or protecting the object? Now, consider the questions which follow.

Are these:
God’s hands giving the earth to you and me . . . giving it to humans unconditionally?
God’s hands giving the earth to you and me . . . giving it to humans to love and care for?
God’s hands taking it back from humans because we messed things up?
God’s hands . . . image declares we are in the hands of God, though we stray from the path, we are not alone, God is with us?

Or, are these:
Human hands receiving the earth as a gift from God?
Human hands receiving the whole of creation (which we are a part) as a gift from God?
Human hands symbolizing humans’ responsibility and culpability for the earth’s well-being, i.e., for being good stewards\managers of creation?
Human hands in partnership with God caring for the earth?

I could go on and on about the artist’s potential intended message, but what do you think? What do you see in the image? Is the object as important as the hands? Does it matter whose hands they are? Maybe the more important question is the, “so what?” question. Based on your reflections does it make any difference to you? For example, if you see this as God gifting us with, and us being a part of, creation, does it inspire you to behave differently, i.e., to treat the earth with all its plants and animals differently? Or, for example, if you see this image symbolizing creator God giving us life, literally and figuratively, does that influence your thinking, behavior and action in the world?

During Lent, in addition to your Lenten practice(s), I encourage you to be in conversation with others and discuss this Table Talk article. Share your ideas, and reflections. I tend to think that there is a wide variety of interpretations of the image.

Salam, Shalom, Peace,

Pastor Raymond