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This morning in Meeting, a bunch of daffodils opened in the light. Each petal glowed, and it seemed to me that this is what we all long for: the birthright of being and belonging. The grace of having a safe space in which to be vulnerable and find unity feels increasingly precious.
Animals play important roles in our lives, from working- and assistance-dogs to therapy horses – not forgetting, of course, our unconditionally-loved and loving companion pets. Indeed, we can sometimes feel more sentimentally generous towards the dog than to its homeless owner sitting on the pavement. Quarantine means our pets can freely travel the globe, while refugees cannot.
These last few weeks, I’ve been meditating on the word ‘new’. I’ve been guided by the Bible passage that will be used in the upcoming Friends World Committee for Consultation (FWCC) Section of the Americas gathering: ‘Look, I am doing something new’ (Isaiah 43:19). It’s been on my mind because the epistle from the 2024 Quaker World Plenary Meeting used the words ‘new’ or ‘renew’ ten times, citing 2 Corinthians 5:17 (‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!’).
Last summer, five Just Stop Oil (JSO)protesters were imprisoned for climbing gantries on the M25, attempting to cause gridlock across southern England in protest against the government’s support for fossil fuels. I admired the bravery of the forty-five JSO protesters who climbed gantries on the motorway, who included at least two Quakers. Yet, their action, which was supported by other Friends, made me uncomfortable. I questioned whether ‘peaceful’ was a legitimate description. While they weren’t violent, their actions did cause personal harm. The disruptions led to a man missing his father’s funeral, and several others missing important hospital appointments. Can such actions truly be categorised as ‘peaceful’ like marches or rallies in Trafalgar Square? The term ‘highly disruptive’ would be more accurate.
Good morning prisoners, our friend darkness
is here once more, taking all colours
from your light.
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