Both Sides By Rev. Nina D. Grey March, 2004

Where in our hearts is
That burning of desire?
It is true that we are made of dust,
And the world is also made of dust,
But the dust has motes rising.
Whence comes that drive in us?

We look to the starry sky
And love storms in our hearts
Whence comes that storm?
The journey of love is a very long journey,
But sometimes with a sign you
Can cross that vast desert.

Search and search again
Without losing hope;
You may find sometime a treasure
On your way.

My heart and my eyes are all
Devoted to the vision.

-- Mohammed Iqbal

These national and world times of economic hardship, values conflict, and resorting to violence rather than negotiation, call for vision, the healing of our nation and our world. I hope that we all will draw from a deep well of hope, that we will devote our hearts and eyes to a vision of peace and justice for all, as we participate in the political processes of our nation this spring. Please remember to vote in the Illinois primary on March 16. All our voices and votes are needed.

And these are times, also, that call for a renewal of compelling vision for the life of our church. On February 22, we initiated our Claiming the Future, our vision/mission and covenant process. We remembered the inspirational power of dreams. We continue this month with meditative time in each service for discovering vision within our hearts. Then on March 21, we will bring our separate visions as gifts to all of us, and during worship, through a specially created meditation and small group sharing, together we continue shaping a vision for our future.

I've been reading some autobiographies and memoirs, lately, and thinking about the lives of some colleagues, friends, family members and church members, as well as of my own life. And I've been entertaining this thought: that we need three things to move forward with hope and courage. We need stories of our own and others’ past vision and courage. These stories inspire belief in our own possibilities. We need a vision, a dream. The vision illuminates our path, helps us return when, for a time, we lose our way, and guides our small and larger choices. And we need faithful companionship along the journey. Companions help heal us from despair, they remind us of our vision, and they strengthen us as together we move forward toward our hopes.

We will create our vision in a context. We will draw on our past, on our own gifts and the talents of others. We will imagine strong, purposeful, inspiring possibilities for how we can nurture the life of our whole church and our larger community. And we will be an uplifting, upholding, nurturing support for one another.

I am deeply grateful that we are on this hopeful journey together. Let us grow in strength, vision, loving purpose and action. Together let us help nurture persons, families, and neighborhoods. Let us dream together for the sake of our whole living earth.

With love and faith,

Nina