why should i?

This week at West Hill we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of “Our Words of Commitment” which were originally known as “The Children’s Prayer.” It has shown up in many places. We made a video of it and accompanied it with the song As I Live by Anne Walker, who set it to music. I recall being amazed when, while reciting the words in a keynote address in Australia, a gentleman in the front row recited them right along with me. They are etched on a mirror in the hallway at West Hill and stuck up beside the bathroom mirrors of many in the congregation, reminding them on a daily basis of the commitment they make.

But there is no requirement for us to live in accordance with the words we share in it. No value exists outside of our own reality to which we must or must not adhere. Values are human constructions and we determine if they are positive or negative. Love and greed are both neutral until we decide which one we believe is worthy.  

As the world turned in the week leading up to Sunday’s service, there was good news and bad, within our congregation and in the wider world. We struggle with challenges. We walk a tumultuous path. There is no promise that, at the end of it, there will be peace. Indeed, many are convinced that there cannot be.

And so, despite the celebration of the words to “As I Live”, the Focused Moment grew out of the challenges of the week. May it reconnect you with the value of choosing love.

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p style=”text-align: center;”>Why should I care
what happens to you?
Why should my mind
worry over
what your future might entail?
Why should I step out of my way
to make your day brighter,
better,
more complete?
There is no law of the universe
that requires I do these things.

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p style=”text-align: center;”>But the law of love
is not of this universe.
It is neither of the physical world
we can measure and explore
nor a spirit world
we cannot know or promise.
It is not of our making
or under our control;
we cannot will it into being
or, once found, clutch it in our hands.

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p style=”text-align: center;”>Love is beyond the beating of a heart,
beyond the sharing of a scrap of bread,
beyond the silent sitting
while the woe is shared,
beyond the knowing of another heart.
Love is beyond understanding,
beyond keeping,
beyond promises.
Love is beyond all things
and its mystery
draws us to it.
There is no rule that calls me to care.
There is only love.
And love is reason enough.