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.

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.