Tag Archives: Care of the Earth

Care of the Earth

Advent

December 9, 2019

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 35:1-10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
   the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
   and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
   the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
   the majesty of our God. –Isaiah 35:1-2

What responsibility do we have as followers of Christ to turn wilderness and dry land into rich, life-sustaining land that God created the earth to be? We first must be able to deal with our responsibilities as beings given dominion* over the care and of the earth and all that is in it. As with our personal lives, God grants us freedom of choice in how we use the resources provided for us at the creation. That freedom carries with it the fact that we face the consequences of all those choices. Regarding the earth, those consequences fed by greed are self-destructive. While all of us may not have been major contributors to the destruction, we all have done our part, we all are required to work toward the restoration of the earth.

Each spring, the man who cares for my yard trims the bushes and trees in my backyard in preparation for their healthy growth into the spring and summer. This past spring Oklahoma was besieged by unusual downpours of rain, causing floods in some places. The weather anomaly was most likely the result of the melting of ice in the north caused by global warming.  We all contribute to greenhouse gases that cause global warming. In my yard, the rains caused water to stand, which eventually resulted in erosion. It resulted in postponing the yardwork to the fall, during which time my backyard became a wilderness.

During this Advent season, let us consider our role in the care of the earth.

Prayer: Lord, help us not get so caught up in fixing blame on what causes global warming that we do not make the changes in our lives and our world to restore the earth to wholeness. Amen.

*See Genesis 1:26-28

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.

Forgive Our Foolish Ways

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.

Decimated

Kingdom Building

September 9, 2019

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22-28

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert towards my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse—a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgement against them.
‘For my people are foolish,
   they do not know me;
they are stupid children,
   they have no understanding.
They are skilled in doing evil,
   but do not know how to do good.’ –Jeremiah 4:11-12, 22

I can assure you that this scripture is not what I wanted to read after watching the morning news where I saw flyover pictures of a Jamaican Island with splintered trees and bare foundations of buildings were all that was left. I saw this same image in Moore, Oklahoma in 1999 after a level 5 tornado struck them. The scene was eerily pristine as if the skies had swept slab foundations readying them for building to begin. Gone were the homes and their histories that had previously filled the land.

I do trust Jesus’ statement that it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45) that storm could have ravished any of us. I also believe that we must face the consequences of our own actions and our own actions are not good enough regarding addressing the issues of climate change and its impact on all the earth.

Prayer: Father, forgive us for we are denying what we are doing. Help us learn from tragic scenes that we must be proactive regarding our responsibility of having dominion over the earth. Help us learn quickly and respond immediately. Amen.

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.

Commonsense

Kingdom Building

June 26, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

When the waters saw you, O God,
   when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
   the very deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
   the skies thundered;
   your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
   your lightnings lit up the world;
   the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea,
  your path, through the mighty waters;
   yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
   by the hand of Moses and Aaron. –Psalm 77:16-20

The weird weather we are experiencing raises questions about why. We humans are not comfortable with facing the consequences of our actions, so we are quick to say strange weather is just an oddity this year. Of course, we have been saying that for a while now despite information to the contrary:

The warming trend over the last 50 years (about 0.13° C or 0.23° F per decade) is nearly twice that for the last 100 years*.

I do trust that it rains on the just and the unjust. (See Matthew 5:45). It does, however, not make sense to me that people who do not believe humans contribute to global warming think we should not do everything in our power to reduce it when it is measurably occurring.

So, when I read the above scripture for today, it did make me wonder if God is trying to once again save us from ourselves by sending weird weather to open our minds to caring for the earth God graciously gave us as a home.

Prayer: Lord, open not only our minds but our hearts to the commonsense actions we can take to care for the Earth you provide for us. Ame.

*https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/upsDownsGlobalWarming.html

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.

Taking Responsibility

Kingdom Building

June 16, 2019

Scripture Reading: John 16:12-15

‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

We do continue to have prophets who speak for justice and righteousness. Rev. Dr. William Barber* was on trial in North Carolina recently for leading a protest two years ago calling for Medicaid expansion in the state’s legislative building. He is charged with trespassing. I did not know one could be charged with trespassing on publicly owned property. He is non-violent so I do not think he was a danger to anyone. He does make people uncomfortable because he has no problem speaking truth to power.

“Prophets believe that what they proclaim on any day can be transformed into real action.”

― William J. Barber II, Forward Together: A Moral Message for the Nation

Prophets do not normally predict the future; they predict outcomes of behavior patterns that if continued will led to success or ruin. They predict things over which we have control. I really do not know if climate students predicted the Dust Bowl. I do know that farmers across Oklahoma adopted a pattern of plowing the ground in straight rows with no natural barriers to hold back blowing earth.  When the winds came the topsoil was removed from the earth and the ground became a wasteland for crops. Those farmers were encouraged to follow this way of plowing to increase their yield by people more interested in immediate financial gain than the stability of farming for the future. There were some who did not follow this pattern. There also were some who warned against it. If you drive through Oklahoma in the spring now you will see lines of trees planted at the edge of fields to serve as barriers to blown away soil and you will see different forms of plowing.

I wonder how much of this weird weather we are experiencing is the result of our not dealing with climate change. I wonder if these “natural disasters” are truly acts of God or the result of our inaction in taking responsibility for the earth.

Greed is the Baal of the 21st Century. It is epidemic in our land and it will bring us to ruination, if we do not turn away from it.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us for worshiping wealth. Lead us to springs of living water where our work as well as all other aspects of our lives is ruled by love. Amen.

*You can learn more about Reverend Barbers work at https://www.breachrepairers.org/

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.

Tenders of the Earth

Eastertide

June 5, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 104:24-35

O Lord, how manifold are your works!
   In wisdom you have made them all;
  the earth is full of your creatures.
Yonder is the sea, great and wide,
   creeping things innumerable are there,
   living things both small and great.
There go the ships,
   and Leviathan that you formed to sport in it.

These all look to you
   to give them their food in due season;
when you give to them, they gather it up;
   when you open your hand, they are filled with good things.
When you hide your face, they are dismayed;
   when you take away their breath, they die
   and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created;
   and you renew the face of the ground. –Psalm 104:24-30

The cycle of life applies to all things. The spirit is breath at the command of God as it comes and goes among all living creatures. It is fun to read the first segment of the Psalm above and imagine fish and porpoises and seals playing in the ocean. The earth God created contains sustenance enough for all with one caveat, we are charged with having dominion over all the animals that dwell on the earth.

Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ (Genesis 1:26)

Having dominion or rule over the animals of the earth means we are responsible for them. We can choose to destroy them or save them. We can hoard them for our own use or assure that all God’s children have access to their bounty. Such an arrangement also means that we must live with the outcomes of our choices. 

Something as simple as bees are not as simple as they may seem. It is my understanding that chemicals we use are markedly reducing the number of bees available to pollinate the development and growth of plants. We are putting our food supply at risk because we have not cared for bees.

When greed and its resulting recklessness drives our care of all God’s creatures, all God’s creation, including humans, suffer the consequences.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in being responsible tenders of the earth and all that is on and in it. Amen

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.

Dominion Over the Earth

Jesus’ Ministry
March 3, 2019

Scripture Reading: Luke 9:28-36, (37-43a)

On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. Just then a man from the crowd shouted, ‘Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It throws him into convulsions until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.’ Jesus answered, ‘You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here.’ While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And all were astounded at the greatness of God. –Luke 9:37-42

Who would have ever thought that some 2,000 years after Jesus healed the child with seizures, we would still be seeking cures for seizures and to discover that ingredients in what we previously identified as an illegal drug, marijuana, could markedly reduce the number of seizures patients with this disorder have? God created the earth with all that we need to sustain life and gave us dominion* over it.

Dominion means a supremacy in determining and directing the actions of others or in governing politically, socially, or personally: acknowledged ascendancy over human or nonhuman forces such as assures cogency in commanding or restraining and being obeyed . . . the exercise of such supremacy**

God made us sentient beings with the ability to perceive and feel things. We have been given a grave responsibility to care for the earth and all that is in it, to choose wisely how to use its abundance for good and not for greedy gain and for health and not overindulgence. We must use all our skills and talents to address the problems we face from starvation in many parts of a world able to produce and abundance of food, to finding cures for diseases that destroy life, and to controlling our habits that contribute to global warming. God gave us resources; we must use them wisely.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we misuse the abundance of resources you provided us. Guide us in always seeking the better way of caring for your earth and all that is in it. Amen.

*Genesis 1:28-31
**http://unabridged.merriam-webster.com/unabridged/dominion

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.

New Perspective

Christmas 
January 4, 2019

Scripture Reading: Hebrews 1:1-4, (5-12)

‘In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth,
   and the heavens are the work of your hands;
they will perish, but you remain;
   they will all wear out like clothing;
like a cloak you will roll them up,
   and like clothing they will be changed.
But you are the same,
   and your years will never end.’ –Hebrews 1:10-12

I wonder if Mars was ever populated? Did it have robust cities and rolling green farmland? Has it always been a round barren ball with a rock like surface where water probably existed at some point in time? If Mars was populated how hard did its citizens try to take care of it for their children and their children’s children? Does something being inevitable mean we are to forsake it and let it wear out like clothing?

One of the highlights of my childhood was going to town to buy feed for the chickens and cattle. Some feed was packaged in burlap gunny sacks which were very useful in their own way. Other feed was packaged in printed cotton suitable for making clothing. My sister and I could pick out the patterns that would soon become a dress or skirt or blouse. My Mom knew exactly how many sacks it took to make each garment and we had to find a pattern that had enough matching sacks. It was always disappointing when there was only one bag in my favorite pattern and color. As children, we usually outgrew our clothing before it wore out, so it was passed to another family with younger children. When something did wear out or get stained beyond use as clothing, we would take the stitches out (I was good at that) and Mom would create something else like hot pads or a quilt.

I guess this came to mind because I have been cleaning after the holidays. It is unbelievable how much trash one accumulates in a short period of time. I have a large recycle receptacle and a trash one both now full and I will probably refill them immediately after the city empties them. We do not handle our waste well and it is destroying the earth as is our dependence on fossil fuels and plastic and overuse of water and I could go on and on. But that is not what I am writing about. I wonder if we need to change our perspective. Can we not find the joy of caring for the earth similar to the joy I as a child experienced with what many would find revolting, making clothing out of bags holding animal feed.

I do think God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow and it was God who charged us with the care of the earth. I do not question God’s abiding love and God expects us to love the earth as much as he did when he made it and saw that it was good.

Prayer: Forgive us when we fail to follow your example. Guide us in our loving one another as we love the earth you prepared for us. Amen.

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.

The Bigger Picture

Living in the Spirit
October 15, 2018

Scripture Reading: Job 38:1-7, (34-41)

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
   I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
   Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
   Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
   or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
   and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? –Job 38:1-7

We humans thought the world was flat until we discovered it was not. The world is an amazing reality. Although we have come a long way in understanding it, I think we have just scratched the surface. Even the things we do know about our world do not seem to matter much to us in our role of having dominion over the earth. We take the world for granted until the world spews forth its displeasure with our behavior in fulfilling our role of being responsible caretakers rather than pillagers of its resources.

The writer of Job has God asking Job the breadth of Job’s understanding of his world and how it functions. How do he and each of us fit into the workings of the world about us. God is calling Job to look at the bigger picture. I hear that happening in interviews with people who have lost all their material possessions following a recent hurricane. “We survived, that is all that matters, the rest is just material that can be replaced.” Each speaker clearly understands how much toil and tears await them in the recovery and it is that bigger picture that provides them the strength to continue.

Of course, in the story of Job, his family was lost. The final count of lives lost is yet to be determined in the hurricane as rescue and recovery search through the debris left behind. Some may have lost their families like Job. Like Job, though they are finding themselves in the broader family of God as people they did not know before, love them enough to care for them as they start the hard road back from severe loss.

Just as God charged us to care for the earth, he calls us to care for all that is within it including all God’s children.

Prayer: Lord, make us mindful of our role as caretakers of the earth and its peoples. Amen.

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.

Care of the Earth

Christmas
January 2, 2018

Scripture Reading: Genesis 1:1-8

And God said, ‘Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ So God made the dome and separated the waters that were under the dome from the waters that were above the dome. And it was so. God called the dome Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. –Genesis 1:6-8

The Psalmist says what I want to say far better than I:

O Lord, our Sovereign,
   how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and infants
you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
   to silence the enemy and the avenger.

 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,
   the moon and the stars that you have established;
what are human beings that you are mindful of them,
   mortals that you care for them? 

Yet you have made them a little lower than God,
   and crowned them with glory and honor.
You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;
   you have put all things under their feet,all sheep and oxen,
  and also the beasts of the field,
the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,
   whatever passes along the paths of the seas. –Psalm 8:1-8

Dominion means responsibility not license to do whatever we want. Dominion means we must care for the earth God provided as a resource for us. If we take care of nature, it will take care of us. When we ravish its resources, they may support us for a while, and then they are gone or become a danger to us.

Prayer: Lord, guide us in caring for the earth and all that is on it. Amen.

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.