September 24, 2023 - Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost - We Are Witnesses - Paul Stromberg's Reflection - Creator and Creation

 

Paul Stromberg gave his We Are Witnesses Creation reflection about bees. A very informative talk with a lot of factual information about bees and how they operate and communicate with others in their hive.

He tied their operations and communications with Creator's congregation observing that we each of us had gifts and talents that contribute to the health of our community. He had the congregation do a bee dance that helped us understand how bees communicate the location of honey.

The reading was from Romans 12: 4-8  For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function.

The true lectionary reading for this Sunday is The Parable of The Laborers in the Vineyard. This parable provides an interesting perspective when thinking about the difference between bees, hives, humans and congregations. Bees appear to have an instinctive understanding of what is needed by the hive. The needs of the individual don't cloud the purpose of the hive. It is not that simple with humans. The reward system is different. Bees are not greedy. They are workers. They identify with their hive and work for the hive's needs.

It is hard to say if there is any bee judgement or morality. There is nothing to suggest that there is bee discontentment over the division of labor hours or work assignments.

Humans could learn something from this perspective that could help in determining what we consider to be fair.