The German theologian Martin Luther (1483-1546) is reported to have once said, “Even if I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would continue to plant my apple trees.” Twentieth-century Unitarian Universalist theologian Henry Nelson Wieman said such acts of faith, what he termed “the creative event,” are at the center of a meaningful life. This Sunday we will ask and answer the question, “Why do we try?” What bids us to keep pushing even when we are exhausted? We may see that our own creativity is our saving grace–that with it, no less than the mighty universe is on our side.