i thank You God for most this amazing day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes.

(i who have died am alive again today, and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing breathing any-lifted from the no of all nothing-human merely being doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

"i thank You God for most this amazing day..." wrote cummings. Amazement at the world... the gift of awe, which the poet expressed so well. It's that jaw-dropping, eye-opening experience, the direct encounter with creation. Some mystics say being amazed and being grateful is the truest form of prayer.

Matthew Fox is that mystical priest who wrote Creation Spirituality 18 or so years ago. He wrote: "Creation ... at its core, is about relation. It is the spiraling, dancing, crouching, springing, leaping, surprising act of relatedness, of communing, of responding, of letting go, of being. Being is about relation." He continued, "[Meister] Eckhart says that 'relation is the essence of everything that exists' and that 'isness is God.' ... Creation is the passing by of divinity in the form of isness. It is God's shadow in our midst. It is sacred." (Creation Spirituality, p. 9)

Fox was so controversial that he was silenced by the Catholic hierarchy in 1988 ...in fact by the present Pope when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger! He later became an Anglican priest and began the creation spirituality movement.

I think that Unitarian Universalists understand this spirituality instinctively. After all, much of our Unitarian Universalist theology springs from an earlier and equally famous nature mystic, Henry David Thoreau.

Dorothee Soelle writes that Thoreau is "sometimes called the father of today's deep ecology. [He] says of himself, 'The fact is, I am a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher to boot.' Withdrawing from the world of professional work and false needs, he found a... mystical relationship to the woods and animals, to the light and water. In the face of the lake's calm, he speaks of the transforming power that comes from living in nature and of leaving an existence that is purpose-ridden and machine-like." (The Silent Cry: Mysticism & Resistance, p. 107) Many of Unitarian Universalists inherited the spirit of Thoreau, finding our peace and salvation in nature... in the woods and lakes of New England or wherever we find ourselves outdoors. I think our passion for the world makes us environmentalists to some degree or another. It's not surprising that at our UUA General Assembly in 2006, we passed a Statement of Conscience on the Threat of Global Warming/Climate Change. It urges us all to study the issue and act vigorously to reverse the threat. In my humble opinion, Earth Day should be one of our sacred holidays.

As Unitarian Universalists, isn't it true that our focus is on this world rather than life in the next? Although we may not always agree on the issues, many of us are passionate about politics. We are, in general, as concerned about social justice and economic and environmental issues as about personal morality. But social ethics, rather than personal, are often our "hot buttons" issues. It's enough to give some of us ulcers... especially around election time.

E. B. White, the author of Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little, once wrote, "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." I feel that way often. For me there is not a far distance between my amazement for this world in all its wonder ... and my desire to save it. At the heart of it, I know that my amazement will sooner or later leads to compassion and a desire to do something. But there are other days I just want to turn off the news on the TV and the radio and turn away from the internet, especially on spring days like this... and just go outside.

It's pretty hard to escape bad news, isn't it? We hear about so many issues, including that the Earth is warming up at an ever increasing rate. We hear that if we, the people of this planet don't do something NOW, we'll suffer catastrophic and irreversible consequences in the next few decades. We'll have droughts and floods, storms and insect infestations, killing trees left and right, further diminishing the ability of the earth to transform CO2 gas into oxygen. We'll have rising oceans and shortages of fresh water. Human and animal populations will suffer from disease and hunger. And the poorest, most vulnerable people will experience the greatest impact... both here and in poverty-stricken countries like Bangladesh.

And to top it off, this country never signed on to the Kyoto Treaty on Global Warming... either under the Carter or Bush Administrations. And it drove me crazy to hear earlier this week President Bush's wishy-washy proposal on greenhouse gas emissions. It was essentially do little until the year 2025. Gosh, by that time Earth will be beyond the tipping point!

But enough of politics; enough gloom and doom. We need to stop, to breath, to pause to enjoy the world before we dash off to save it. Sabbath, after all, should be a time to reflect, to gain strength and hope for whatever lies ahead.

Often when I hear about global warming, I just want to go outside and walk around my neighborhood to get away from all my worries and enjoy nature. I'm really lucky to live in a suburban neighborhood with tall trees and grass and all manner of song birds and red-tail hawks and white-tail rabbits. And I even admire those clever, acrobatic squirrels who are always thinking of ways to steal seeds from the bird feeders. I want to say with e. e. cummings, "I thank You God for most this amazing day; for the leaping greenly spirit of trees."

And when I'm here in Taunton, I like to walk around the church yard to appreciate its natural beauty. We have our little patch of parkland at the edge of a downtown, with mature, towering trees and a massive protective stone wall. To gaze up at our grey granite, Neo-Gothic building is like stepping back centuries. Which indeed it is considering its age!

Sometimes I think of those congregation members back in the 19th Century who put their love, devotion and money into this church. And the members in the 20th century who worked to expand, restore and preserve parts of it. And the ones who got the church listed on the State Register of Historic Places as the centerpiece of historic Church Green. Bless them all. Their spirituality was about relationship... not only with God, but with each other, with the City of Taunton and with the Earth. Yes, the Earth. They may not have been farmers, but they were undoubtedly aware of where their building materials came from.

Think for a moment of not only of the land this building sits on, but the building itself. Its framing is from timbers, hewn from trees which grew from the Earth. It walls and roof are made of grey granite and black slate, all quarried from the ground in communities nearby. The Holbrook bell, hanging in the tower above us is made of metals mined from deep within the Earth before the bell was cast two hundred years ago The glass which makes up the magnificent stain glass windows is made mostly of silica, a chemical compound found in sand and quartz.

Our building is heated by natural gas, the product of the fossils of tiny organisms (plants and animals) which died millions of years ago. We cannot deny our connection to the Earth which produced these materials, just as we cannot deny the skills, the artistry and the craftsmanship of those people who made this building and the stone wall.

Of course, those of us who are also responsible now for the upkeep and maintenance of this building are also aware of how even the sturdiest of materials crumble. No manmade structures last forever... even the Pyramids of Egypt... without proper maintenance. Just take a close look sometime. There are gaps in basement windows and doors and door frames. And a squirrel (those clever squirrels) once found a way into the Supper Room to nest. Termites and wood borers have eaten away at those huge, rough beams in the cellar. Not at the present time, thank goodness, although their traces are evident. Roofs and eaves decay and rainwater and snowmelt come inside, onto wooden beams and inside plastered walls. Old boilers rust and pipes leak.

Resources such as water and natural gas and electricity are wasted because of leaks and deterioration. It's something to think about on this coming Earth Day. How does this building add unnecessarily to global warming?

Please understand me. On the whole, I love this building. I admire its beautiful structure and its park-like setting. As you sit in this Sanctuary or walk around, it can put you in a meditative state...a state of mystical spirituality. I think its soaring ceiling and beautiful windows can bring one closer to the wonders of creation and the divine spirit without and within. That is what it's meant to do, as a place which is designed to bring forth such feelings of sacredness.

At the same time, we must be aware that it is not indestructible. We must take care of it as an act of stewardship... as we hope it will protect and nourish us and future generations as a religious community. It's not too far of a stretch, I hope, to see the connection between preservation and protection of this building and Earth Day. For in repairing and upgrading this grand structure, built to honor the Creator, we can do much to be greener, to work to save some more of the creation and of earth's precious resources. There are many ways that this building is both our greatest burden and our greatest asset.

Do you think that restoring the building is beyond our means? I know it will be a long process and a challenge. Maybe we won't get that grant from the Mass. Historical Commission this year to do a comprehensive study of the building. Maybe next year or the year after. But we can, in smaller ways, still make an impact.

One step we've taken this year is to become a member congregation of the non-profit organization called Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light, whose purpose is to help churches and their communities become greener. It took a mere $50 to enroll us! And over the past week, I've taken a second step. I've gathered information about the church's recent consumption of gas, water and electricity to enter into a worksheet. I'm not quite done, but am almost there.

Next I will submit the results to the Mass. Interfaith Power and Light and, if the board is willing, request a building audit. Because of that organization's mission, we can have this done by a professional environmentalist at a significantly lower cost. From there, who knows? We may be able to get a grant or subsidy to help do some projects, large and small ... to use fewer resources and even to switch to greener, clean, renewable energy. If we don't dream big, we won't have the passion for that first step.

I would love to have any of you who are concerned about this church building becoming greener to join with me... maybe to form an ad hoc advisory committee. You could call yourselves something like the First Parish Church Greens. As starters, there are resources out there to help. Besides Mass. Interfaith Power and Light, there is the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, which supports and encourages Green Sanctuary programs in our houses of worship. And there's Bristol County Savings Bank, which would consider giving us a community grant for new, energy-efficient furnaces if we applied.

Another hope I have is to someday sponsor a fair or a workshop here in the Chapel at First Parish Church on going green in our homes. I know that there are individuals within the congregation who have particular expertise in that area.

As UUs who love the Earth, we should have no problem calling this part of our spiritual practice. So anyone who's interested please stand up. You needn't testify that the spirit has moved you. Standing by itself is testimony enough. If you're too shy for that public act or undecided right now, please talk to me at coffee hour.

But wait! There's just one more thing I'd like to tell you. I'll end on a political... but a more hopeful note. The UUA, the UU Service Committee, UU Mass Action and UU Ministry for Earth are joining together to celebrate Earth Day Sunday. They will advocate with one voice for socially responsible environmental legislation that will reduce our nation's carbon footprint. And they ask that you take part. In Massachusetts, they are asking that you call Governor Patrick on Earth Day, April 22. Ask him to support the Global Warming Solutions Act (Senate bill 534) - which was sponsored by Taunton's Senator Marc Pacheco. Now, how could we refuse to support our own Senator?

On the national level, they are asking that you write letters and send e-mails in support of key legislation. They have determined that the best, most far reaching bill on climate change is the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act. This was introduced by Senators Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Barbara Boxer of California in the Senate and Henry Waxman in the House. Of course, as you might expect, I have print outs about all of this, including a sample letter, for you to look at during coffee hour.

There's an old saying in politics, "think globally, but act locally." There's a lot of wisdom in that. But I say the time is past to just act locally. This is a time when we must reach out and do our small part, at least, on the state and national level.

The UU poet Mary Oliver once said, "When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms." Let us take the world into our arms, by warmly embracing the goal of a greener sanctuary here at the First Parish Church in Taunton. Let us do this "for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes." Then surely the Spirit of Life will smile down upon us and we will be blessed. Amen and blessed be.

e. e. cummings, "i thank You God" in Earth Prayers from Around the World, Elizabeth Roberts & Elias Amidon, eds. HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.

Matthew Fox, Creation Spirituality: Liberating Gifts for the People of the Earth. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991.

Dorothee Soelle, The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance. Translated by Barbara Rumscheidt & Martin Rumscheidt. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001.

Massachusetts Interfaith Power & Light, c/o All Saints Parish, 1773 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA 02445. Website: www.mipandl.org

Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth, P.O. Box 11, Lyme, NH 03468. website: www.uuministryforearth.org/mfe_overview.htm. Now partnered with the Northwest Earth Institute.

UU Mass Action Network. www.uumassaction.org.