Sunday, April 22, 2012

April 22, 2012 - Easter 3B & Earth Day


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Let us pray- We give you thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers. We praise you for these good gifts, and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity. Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of your abundant creation, to the honor and glory of your Name, now and for ever. Amen.[1]
            This morning we are presented with wonderful readings that really plunge us into the joys and mysteries of the Easter season. I realize that for some of you, diving into these readings would be of great interest. In addition to being the Third Sunday after Easter, today is also Earth Day, and that will be the focus of today’s sermon. But for those of you who rightfully think that our gospel reading from Luke is worthy of its own reflection- here are a few brief thoughts.
            One of the major themes we see in this reading is that we cannot understand the Resurrection. How is it that Jesus is alive again and his own disciples don’t recognize him? How is it that Jesus is able to get through locked doors and appear as a ghost in one sentence, then sit down and eat fish in another? What we see in Jesus is that Resurrection is real and physical, but it is somehow more than resuscitation. It is not simply that Jesus woke up on the third day in the tomb and got up; but, rather that Jesus was somehow transformed into living in a new sort of reality. There is something earthy and real about the Resurrected Christ; he is deeply incarnational, still bearing his wounds and having an appetite. The Easter invitation is to live in that reality of the Resurrection here and now.
            There is also a very missional tone to Jesus’ message- repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations. There is a realization that Jesus’ Resurrection is not for the disciples alone, or even for Jews alone, but is for all of Creation.
            And finally, Jesus concludes by saying, “you are witnesses of these things.” Last Easter season, I preached an entire sermon on the idea of witness- but the gist is that a witness is both someone who sees something, but also someone who testifies to something. So we both must keep our eyes open to see signs of the Resurrection all around us, and we also share the Good News with others.
            So in my view, that’s a quick synopsis of this Lucan passage. Some of these themes lead me into the messages of Earth Day. In this Resurrection passage, we see that Jesus’ physical manifestation is important. The sense of the body being evil and the spirit being heavenly is dismantled in Jesus’ Resurrection- this is not a purely spiritual resurrection, nor is only a physical one- it is something new, but there is undeniably a physical element to it. And in the glorification of the physical, we are reminded that this world too is full of God’s glory. This is what incarnational theology is all about. Heaven is not the goal, but as Jesus says “the Kingdom of God is present among you.”[2] It is an affirmation of Creation, of Earth, of life itself, of all the physical stuff we see and experience- all the world is holy.
            Now I know that you all have heard the Earth Day message before. Reduce, reuse, recycle, yeah yeah. Global warming, rising oceans, organic produce, fuel efficient cars. Got it, now how about you get off the liberal agenda, Robert. I want to make it clear, this is not a sermon about chastising us for our poor stewardship of the earth, but if that shoe fits, then so be it. And this is not a sermon about politics; this is a sermon about humanity, Creation, and being stewards of God’s bounty.
            What is interesting about this passage from Luke is that the disciples don’t recognize Jesus at first, and are prepared to ignore him or run from him. And I wonder, how many times do we not recognize what is standing before us? For too long, issues of the environment have been ignored. In fact, just this week, I saw a news story that said only 69% of Americans believe in global warming. I’ve talked with folks from Europe, and they’re amazing that instead of fighting about what to do about climate change like the rest of the civilized world, we instead fight about whether or not it even exists. And why do we refuse to see it? Probably the same sort of reasons that the disciples refused to see the Resurrected Lord in their midst. They saw what they expected to see, and didn’t see what they did not expect to see. Jesus was dead, they had even heard reports that Jesus had been Resurrected; and yet they could not see what was in front of them.
            So many evils happen in our world because we refuse to see them, because it’s easier to pretend that they don’t exist, because we’d rather hope the problems solve themselves than have to make difficult lifestyle changes. But I think of future generations, of children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and I sincerely hope that we can change the way we treat God’s Creation for their sake. And don’t take my word for it on the important of stewardship of Creation- consider these words: From Nehemiah- “You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of the heavens worship you.”[3] The Psalmist says “How many are your works, O Lord! In wisdom you made them all.”[4] Colossians says that “Christ is the image of the invisible God…all things were created by him and for him.”[5] Psalm 145 reads “The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”[6] And of course, Genesis reminds us that “God saw everything he had made, and indeed, it was very good.”[7] God clearly cares for all of creation- lakes, streams, mountains, valleys, stars and moon, plants, animals, and humanity.
            But we have committed a great evil. We have forgotten that God is the ruler and owner of Creation. Despite the fact that we only live for 100 years at best, we think we have the right to claim land as our own, we burn through resources like they’re going out of style, we try to hoard up treasure that we can’t take with us. As the prophet Isaiah says “the earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated statues, broken the everlasting covenant.”[8] We have corrupted the natural order of things. Our reading from 1 John talks about the fact that we are children of God, and it’s true. But we’ve been acting like teenagers who have a party when their parents go out of town for the weekend, trashing the house in the process
Everyone knows and often cites Genesis 1:28, but few have understood it. The word “dominion” that is often used to claim humanity’s authority over Creation has been misread. The word in Hebrew, means to have dominion, but in the royal sense. We are to have dominion, in the same what that king has dominion. And any good king cares for the lowly, takes care of all people, and only exercises power to protect, not to enslave. We’ve twisted our roles and have tried to rule creation with an iron fist instead of an open hand.
We have fallen out of Communion with Creation. In preparing for this sermon, I read about a study that found that children can correctly identify over 1,000 corporate logos, but cannot name even 10 local species of plants and animals that live in their backyard. There is a story about a scientist that goes to chat with God one day and says “God, we don’t need you anymore, we can clone people, and you’re just not needed anymore.” God says “that’s fine if you feel that way. But let’s have a contest, if you can create a human being the way that I did it in the beginning, then I’ll leave you all alone.” So the scientist gladly agrees and begins to collect some dirt from which to genetically manufacture a human being. And God interrupts him “no, no, you have to use your own dirt.”  We have forgotten that God is the source of all- of the Big Bang, of every atom, of every imagination.
There is another wonderful story that illustrates this point. A priest walks into a church one day to find a young man sitting next to the altar, with his feet propped up on it. The priest screams at him to take his feet off the altar and says “don’t you know that is a holy place? Show some respect.” Then young man replies, “where then should I put my feet?” We have lost the sense that every clump of dirt, every wetland, every arctic tundra that has a storehouse of oil beneath it, every shale formation that has gas under it, every ocean, every valley, every animal used in laboratory testing, every village without clean drinking water, each and every corner of Creation is holy ground.
When I was in Israel, one of images burned into my memory came at the Baptismal site of Jesus. It’s a small strip of the Jordan river, right on the Israeli/Jordanian border. And all around the area, there is a fence that blocks off certain areas. The fence has large yellow signs on it that say “DANGER! MINES!” And while it’s a great metaphor to use in a baptism sermon, it was a profound reminder of the ways humanity has perverted the land and abused it. We have taken one of the holiest sites in our faith, and riddled it with landmines.
So the question for this Earth Day, for this Easter season in which we are called to proclaim the Resurrection to all of Creation remains- What are we are going to do about these problems? How do we get back into Communion with Creation? How do we return to our proper role as steward and caretaker instead of master and dominator?
Now I know that we all aren’t going to agree on what the exact problems are. And we aren’t going to agree on how to address the problems. The line between caring for the earth and using the fruits of Creation for our own survival is a thin one. There are a few things that I’d suggest. First, we need to seriously take up the task of reconciliation with the world. Our Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts-Schori, said this last week: “Reconciliation is God's mission. Reconciliation means restoring God's intention for the world. It's needed in the relationships between human beings and their creator, between and among human beings, and-in ways of which we are becoming increasingly aware-between human beings and the rest of creation.”
Our task is restoring relationships and getting to God’s intention, not our own. We all know most of the evils done to the environment are about money and ease. It’s easier to not recycle, it’s easier to not take public transportation or walk, it’s cheaper to not buy organic produce, it’s cheaper to buy furniture from China instead of something made locally, it’s tasty to eat out of season fruits and vegetables that have been shipped in from South America. And oil drilling and fracking are certainly lucrative businesses. Our Psalm today asks “how long will you chase dumb idols and run after false gods?” How long will we chase the idols of dollars and power?[9]
Sometimes we forget how industrious we as a people are. We forget our God given gifts of imagination and ingenuity. The American people are strong, we are resolute, we are industrious. I have no doubt that if we wanted to be a green nation, we could be. We have people smart enough to design electric cars that reduce pollution. We have people skilled enough to install solar panels on our homes and businesses. We have farmers who are caring enough to raise crops and animals ethically. But these things are not always in the best financial interest of big corporate farms, or the oil industries, or the politicians whose pockets are padded with donations from such tycoons.
For the sake of our world, for the sake our children, for the sake of our God- it is time to do something about the God given gift of Creation. It is time to make a change, it is time to make sacrifices, it is time to get political and tell our representatives that as Christians, we stand for the abused, the poor, and the oppressed- and right now, our planet is being exploited and abused. The Bible makes it very clear that Sabbath rest is needed for people, but it also says that the land needs Sabbath. It’s time that we demand a respite for our home, for the glorious Creation of our God.
I challenge us all to do something about this. I challenge us all to be stewards of Creation. The way to address this issue is to do something, because the path we are on is not sustainable. It will not be easy, but make a change. Whether it’s buying more groceries at the farmer’s market, changing your driving habits, or carrying around that empty bottle until you find a recycling can instead of a trash can, do it. Or better yet, don’t drink bottled water, but get a water purifier. If you are blessed enough to have the financial resources to do so- look into greening your home. Plant a garden or work in the St. Francis community garden. Write or call your representative. Use reusable products instead of one-time use products. Demand sustainable and non-toxic products. Support businesses that treat the environment and animals the way you’d treat your own pets and your own backyard. And I challenge this church to look at how we can be a leader in our community in caring for the Earth. We have taken some steps in this direction, but there is no reason why we can’t live as fully into the St. Francis namesake as possible with greener products, better energy usage, maybe even solar panels one day.
After all, it was our patron saint who wrote “most high, all good Lord! All praise is yours. Be praised through all your creatures. Be praised through Brother Sun and Sister Moon. Be praised through Brothers Wind and Air. Be praised through Sister Water. Be praised through Mother Earth, who feeds and rules us. Praise and bless the Lord, and give thanks, and serve God with great humility.”[10]
Let us be witnesses. Let us see and know the beauty of the Earth. Let us give thanks for all that God has so freely given. Let us be in touch with the glory of God’s creation. Let us be caretakers for the oppressed and the abused. Let us stand up and give testimony with our words and deeds on behalf of those without a voice- the trees and lakes, the animals and crops, our ancestors who communed with the land and our descendents yet unborn. Let us honor their presence by caring for our communal home. Let us remember that God is the source of all, and that we will all one day give an account for how we lived in this world. And may God strengthen and inspire us to serve boldly as stewards of God’s Creation. Amen.


[1] BCP, p. 840
[2] Luke 17:21; Matthew 12:28
[3] Nehemiah 9:6
[4] Psalm 104:24
[5] Colossians 1:15-16
[6] Psalm 145:9
[7] Genesis 1:31
[8] Isaiah 24:5
[9] Psalm 4:2
[10] Paraphrase of the Canticle of the Sun, by St. Francis of Assisi