Kingdom Building
September 10, 2019
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28
I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void;
and to the heavens, and they had no light.
I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking,
and all the hills moved to and fro.
I looked, and lo, there was no one at all,
and all the birds of the air had fled.
I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert,
and all its cities were laid in ruins
before the Lord, before his fierce anger.
For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end.
Because of this the earth shall mourn,
and the heavens above grow black;
for I have spoken, I have purposed;
I have not relented nor will I turn back. –Jeremiah 4:11-12, 23-28
Have you ever wondered if any of the planets, now desolate, supported thriving civilizations that disappeared over time because the population was unwell or unable to do the work to sustain life? Jeremiah’s vision in the above scripture seems to describe such a situation happening to the planet earth as he chastises his fellow Israelites for getting so embroiled in their self-interests, they forgot their responsibilities of caring for the earth. Jeremiah was a prophet over 2,500 years ago and his words still sting us deeply today.
I remember studying about the Dust Bowl and how, yes, the lack of rain and the subsequent drought were bad, the major cause of the topsoil blowing away was over aggressive use of the land in the years leading up to the Dust Bowl. Droughts like recessions occur in the normal fluctuations of weather and economics. We have known that for years and yet we fail to heed the warnings. Joseph, son of Jacob, illustrated what could happen when people are prudent about the care of the earth and the economy. He foresaw the coming drought and had the Egyptians store up grain for use when the climate could not support a harvest, bringing stability to the economy in the down years saving his estranged family in the process.
Our situation with a changing climate is becoming dire when we know actions that can at least slow down the deterioration of the earth. The question is are we willing to give up our current self-interest to take restorative and proactive actions necessary to sustain life.
Prayer:
Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our foolish ways;
Reclothe us in our rightful mind,
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper rev’rence, praise.
Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.
Breathe through the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
O still, small Voice of calm. Amen.
*Verses 1, 3, and 4 of Dear Lord and Father of Mankind by John G. Whittier see at https://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Dear_Lord_and_Father_of_Mankind/
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.