Sept 6 Sermon Genesis 1:1-­‐25, Leviticus 25:23-­‐24 Slide 1 – the universe In the beginning when God created[a] the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth
was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a
wind from God[b] swept over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let
there be light”; and there was light.4 And God saw that the light was good;
and God separated the light from the darkness.5 God called the light Day,
and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was
morning, the first day.
Slide 2-­‐ debris “As a result of 50 years of space flight, the useful orbits around earth are littered with derelict satellites, burnt-­‐out rocket stages, discarded trash and other debris. In Sept. 2012, the U.S. Space Surveillance Network tracked 23,000 orbiting objects larger than 2-­‐4 inches…it is estimated there could be a total of 750,000 orbiting objects larger than [1/2] an inch.”1 Slide 3-­‐the sky 6
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it
separate the waters from the waters.” 7 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. 8 God called the dome Sky. And there was
evening and there was morning, the second day.
Slide 4-­‐depletion of ozone 1 The Menace of Earth Orbiting Space Debris: http://www.space.com/23039-­‐space-­‐
junk-­‐explained-­‐orbital-­‐debris-­‐infographic.html Scientific evidence indicates that stratospheric ozone is being destroyed by a group of manufactured chemicals, containing chlorine and/or bromine. These chemicals are called "ozone-­‐depleting substances" (ODS). What's more, ODS have a long lifetime in our atmosphere — up to several centuries. This means most of the ODS we've released over the last 80 years are still making their way to the stratosphere, where they will add to the ozone destruction. Stratospheric ozone filters out most of the sun's potentially harmful shortwave ultraviolet (UV) radiation. If this ozone becomes depleted, then more UV rays will reach the earth. Exposure to higher amounts of UV radiation will have serious impacts on human beings, animals and plants2 Slide 5-­‐land and sea 9
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together into
one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry
land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And
God saw that it was good.
Slide 6- soil contamination
With the rise of concrete buildings and roads, one part of the Earth that we rarely see is the soil…. like all other forms of nature, soil suffers from pollution. The main reason why the soil becomes contaminated is due to the presence of human made waste.3 Slide 7-water pollution
According to regulators, sediment, metals, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution prevent more than 7,100 miles of the streams in the Susquehanna River Basin from providing a livable habitat for aquatic communities or being safe for human use. The Susquehanna River delivers half the fresh water in the Chesapeake Bay and about 40 percent of the 2 BC Air Quality: http://www.bcairquality.ca/101/ozone-­‐depletion-­‐causes.html 3 Conserve Energy Future: What is Soil Pollution?: http://www.conserve-­‐energy-­‐
future.com/causes-­‐and-­‐effects-­‐of-­‐soil-­‐pollution.php nitrogen pollution, 20 percent of the phosphorus pollution, and a heavy load of the sediment pollution.4 Slide 8-vegetation
11
Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed,
and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And
it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of
every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God
saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, the
third day.
Slide 9-­‐Deforestation Deforestation is clearing Earth's forests on a massive scale, often resulting in damage to the quality of the land. Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, but swaths the size of Panama are lost each and every year. The world’s rain forests could completely vanish in a hundred years at the current rate of deforestation. Deforestation has many negative effects on the environment. The most dramatic impact is a loss of habitat for millions of species. Trees also play a critical role in absorbing the greenhouse gases that fuel global warming.5 Slide 10-­‐Sun (with sunflower) 14
And God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to separate the
day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days
4 Waters at Risk: Pollution in the Susquehanna Watershed—Sources and
Solutions: CHESAPEAKE BAY FOUNDATION:
http://www.cbf.org/document.doc?id=197
5 National Geographic: Deforestation: http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-­‐
warming/deforestation-­‐overview/ and years, 15 and let there be lights in the dome of the sky to give light upon
the earth.” And it was so. 16
Slide 11-­‐Moon God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the
lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 God set them in the dome of
the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the
night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was
good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
Slide 12-­‐light pollution Light pollution is excessive, misdirected, or obtrusive artificial (usually outdoor) light. Too much light pollution has consequences: it washes out starlight in the night sky, interferes with astronomical research, disrupts ecosystems, has adverse health effects and wastes energy.6 Slide 13-­‐Fish and Birds 20
And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and
let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky.” 21 So God created
the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, of every kind,
with which the waters swarm, and every winged bird of every kind. And
God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and
multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the
earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
Slide 14-­‐Entangled Tail "Almost one thousand whales, dolphins, and porpoises die every day in nets and fishing gear.7 Once entangled in netting or its supporting ropes, marine mammals face high risk of drowning. 6 Globe at Night: What is Light Pollution. http://www.globeatnight.org/light-­‐
pollution.php 7 Nets Kill Nearly 1,000 Marine Mammals a Day: National Geographic: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/06/0610_050610_dolphins.html Slide 15-­‐oiled Pelican •
•
•
•
During the six months after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon, more than 7,000 birds were collected in the spill area, of which nearly 3,000 (about 40%) showed visible signs of oiling.8 Slide 16-­‐other living creatures (land) 24
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures of every kind:
cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth of every kind.” And
it was so. 25 God made the wild animals of the earth of every kind, and the
cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every
kind. And God saw that it was good.
Slide 17-­‐ Extinction cartoon Just to illustrate the degree of biodiversity loss we're facing, let’s take you through one scientific analysis... The rapid loss of species we are seeing today is estimated by experts to be between 1,000 and 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate.* These experts calculate that between 0.01 and 0.1% of all species will become extinct each year. If the low estimate of the number of species out there is true -­‐ i.e. that there are around 2 million different species on our planet** -­‐ then that means between 200 and 2,000 extinctions occur every year. But if the upper estimate of species numbers is true -­‐ that there are 100 million different species co-­‐existing with us on our planet -­‐ then between 10,000 and 100,000 species are becoming extinct each year. 9 8 Oil spill Impacts on Birds: National Wildlife Federation: http://www.nwf.org/What-­‐We-­‐Do/Protect-­‐Habitat/Gulf-­‐Restoration/Oil-­‐
Spill/Effects-­‐on-­‐Wildlife/Birds.aspx 9 WWF Global: How Many Species are we Losing? : http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/biodiversity/biodiversity/ On today’s factory farms, animals are crammed by the thousands into filthy, windowless sheds and stuffed into wire cages, metal crates, and other torturous devices. These animals will never raise their families, root around in the soil, build nests, or do anything that is natural and important to them. Most won’t even feel the warmth of the sun on their backs or breathe fresh air until the day they’re loaded onto trucks headed for slaughterhouses. The factory farming industry strives to maximize output while minimizing costs—
always at the animals’ expense. The giant corporations that run most factory farms have found that they can make more money by squeezing as many animals as possible into tiny spaces, even though many of the animals die from disease or infection.10 2 Laudato Si-­‐ on Care of our Common Home “[Our Sister, Mother Earth] cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her because of our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she ‘groans in travail’ (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (Gen 2:7); our bodies are made up of her elements, we breath her air and we receive life from her waters.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvBUswFA5bw (youtube) 10 Animals are Not Ours: Factory Farms, Misery for Animals. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-­‐used-­‐for-­‐food/factory-­‐farming/ This morning we, as professed Christians to whatever degree-­‐ or not-­‐ we are going to spend some time thinking and talking about our the Earth. We will be exploring how our theology has contributed to her present Winter, and how perhaps a changed theology might be a catalyst for her hopeful Spring. I’d like us to begin with just a short time of silence to prepare our hearts and minds –just about 30 seconds As many of you know, I grew up in southern Lancaster County-­‐ We did not go to church -­‐ although I have generations of Mennonites who have gone before me in my Harnish and Mylin family ancestors who were lifetime church goers-­‐ my father was a bit of a black sheep-­‐ but my grandmother sent me to a Christian camp at the age of 10 and there I came to know Jesus-­‐ a different Jesus than I know today. I learned that Jesus died on the cross for my sins. His bIood was shed for me-­‐ I said a prayer, and I was saved. I returned home to a difficult, lonely life, with a King James Bible to read, and the woods in which to play. Friendly snakes, the muddy banks of the Tucquan Creek, butterflies in late summer, newly nesting Bald Eagles in the winter-­‐ endless sky of stars year round… It was in this context that I came to associate the love of God with what we refer to as “creation.” And not only the love of God-­‐ But God -­‐-­‐I came to KNOW something Greater Than Myself through the living world. And in that SOMETHING-­‐greater than myself-­‐ I came to believe in the power of God in that living world… and my connectedness to it. It was upon this foundation that my present theology was built. But not without some detours…. My stepmother left when I was a senior in High School and I was finally permitted to go to church. I looked to others to teach me, from the Christian community-­‐-­‐what I thought I’d been lacking-­‐ interpretation of scripture. Where I ended up from that indoctrination was a place I think many Christians in America find themselves today-­‐-­‐With a theology that requires us to say certain words and believe certain things in exchange for life forever with God. A theology that places humanity in the center of God’s cosmic plan for all of creation— A theology that I found increasingly out of sync with what I truly believed being a Christian was about-­‐ and as I moved on in life, I began to search for affirmation from somewhere out there in the Christian world that I wasn’t alone in my unwillingness to fully embrace the interpretations I was being given from the churches I attended. My old theology taught of a Jesus who was sent to earth by his Father to die for ME. I am the reason Jesus died. Not just for love, but because of my sins. Because every time I sin, I am crucifying Jesus all over again. But-­‐ through certain words, I also get to live with Jesus for all eternity if I only believe certain things. Jesus’ incredible sacrifice was for me. Recently my dear, saintly Pentecostal mother in law, in a conversation about my changing faith, in her concern for my soul, pleaded with me, “but you believe in the Blood of Jesus, right? The blood of jesus washes away your sins?” And I didn’t even know what to say-­‐ how to respond. The blood of Jesus? I mean, I believe Jesus shed blood when he died on a cross-­‐ but -­‐-­‐do I believe in a God who would require blood sacrifice for the propitiation of our sins-­‐ No, I realized-­‐ I just don’t anymore. After the death of my father, I found myself in seminary, seeking words to articulate what I did believe. I knew what I no longer believed – but couldn’t make sense of the importance of Eucharist, or if I could in clear conscience recite the Apostle’s Creed-­‐ How could I blend my love for the teachings of Jesus, and my misgivings about interpretations of Scriptures that fell flat to me? I must say that I’ve come out of seminary with a new theology, which is constantly in flux. (and I think that is good)-­‐-­‐ As I seek to understand new things and reflect on what I believe, and how I’ve thought wrongly about issues, my heart changes, and my theology changes-­‐ sometimes even subtly. And I have words to clearly state some foundational points in my evolving faith. I no longer understand salvation to happen in a moment with a particular prayer about believing a particular thing. My theology is now based on the principles that Jesus taught and the life Jesus lived-­‐ centered in actions not beliefs. The God I believe in now is more about loving and accepting all people, and especially the outcasts. Kind of like what Jesus did when he walked on the earth.-­‐he loved the poor-­‐ spent time with the tax collector-­‐ defended the prostitute—healed the leprous-­‐ his work was with the marginalized of society—and his focus was never about the betterment of himself, but rather doing something for the betterment of his community-­‐ working to meet the needs of those suffering in his community… Our country has an arrogance issue-­‐ an ego-­‐centric mentality that has captured our national psyche in a way that we feel justified in any horror we choose to inflict on the world around us. And I truly believe that our faulty Christian theology is at the core of this justification. It says that humans are at the center of the universe. We say God has blessed our country (for some reason above all others)-­‐ and we justify going to war, destroying the planet with pollution from our factories (which we keep moving to countries outside our own)-­‐ and in how we THINK about the superiority of our nation. We use this theology to justify our abusive and exploitative relationship with the world around us-­‐people and animals – soil and mountains-­‐ water and all growing things—and even vulnerable human members of our society. Our history is a story of the damage we have done to our earth couched in the a belief system that God has Given us this right to conquer and destroy… I am reading a book right now called The Republic of Nature-­‐ An Environmental History of the United States-­‐ by Mark Fiege. I highly recommend it. One of the biggest take-­‐aways for me so far is the idea that our country has been founded on this precise premise-­‐-­‐that God has give us the right to … do so many awful things in God’s name and with God’s blessing-­‐ specifically-­‐ in ways that abuse our power and honor financial profit above all else. Here in the United States, our twisted relationship with the earth, in the name of God-­‐-­‐ began before we were even established as a country-­‐-­‐when the colonists were led to the New World by God-­‐ in order to tame the land and save the savages for God. It was a spiritual test for them. Fiege puts it this way. “The English colonists asserted a hierarchical relationship to land. God created humans in his image and enjoined them to multiply and to subdue the Earth and make fruitful.” The colonists believed so much in God’s given right to the land, that even a plague in 1620 and later smallpox in1634, which wiped out tens of thousands of the natives, were seen as God giving them the right to the land through the destruction of their enemies. 11 In Milford, Connecticut, colonists wrote in their town’s records-­‐ we “voted that the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; voted that the earth is given to the Saints; voted, we are those Saints.”12 The patterns of using the name of God as justification for the destruction of other people and of the earth continued-­‐ when plantations sprouted up, and they were prospering, and owners sought cheaper labor. Forests were decimated in order to plant more crops-­‐ and slaves were brought in, seen as a necessity for the wealthy to maintain their wealth and get even increase it. Our history is littered with examples of the abuse and misuse of the land and the poorest among us for the benefit of the richest. We have – every step along the way-­‐ facilitated through our dominant, Christian Theology. We use it to justify the rights of the rich and powerful to exploit the vulnerable from their right to natural resources. Even Thomas Jefferson’s words in the Declaration of Independence have not rung true for all. Indeed, even as he was writing the words…“We hold these truths to be self-­‐evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. “—even as he wrote these words, he owned slaves working on the construction of his Monticello home. If Christianity isn’t about challenging these injustices, rather than justifying them-­‐ I don’t want to be a part of it. But I am tired of walking away from Christianity because I don’t agree with how it is defined by some in the church. I want us to stand up and say… THIS is Christianity—The heart of the Gospel of Jesus is a call to protect the oppressed of the world. To stand for the poorest among us. Jesus taught it. Jesus lived it. Jesus believed it and lived it so fully, that his actions led him to the cross. Jesus’ death on the cross was an inevitable consequence to the radical life he lived pushing back at overreaching oppressors and abusers of the poorest in his world. 11 Fiege, Republic of Nature, 33 12 Steele, Warpaths, 94 He challenged the leaders of the temple who turned the temple into a “den of thieves”—the powerful taking from those who had nothing in order to maintain their power and increase their money. He challenged the crowds who wanted to stone to death the adulteress, who – who knows… perhaps was coerced or was trying to flee an abusive husband – and Jesus stepped in and said NO. Who among you is without sin? Over and over again Jesus reached out to the marginalized and spent time with them-­‐ rather than hobnob with the wealthy and powerful in order to increase his standing in society…... This is why Jesus died. So what injustices do we see in our world today? Racial? – bigotry is prevalent and with a black president, I’ve seen the audacity of the bigot’s words and justification grow in ways that I can’t even believe. Even this week-­‐ one of our township supervisors posted a shockingly racist facebook post generated by a sight called, Obama, please kill yourself. This is from the highest elected official in our township. Unfair wages-­‐ It is crazy that with all of the supposed checks and balances in our country that two adults working full time jobs can’t make enough money to live on and raise a family on-­‐ and yet CEOs have private jets to fly them across the world. Corporate rights continue to grow, while local community rights diminish.. did you know that the gas industry is exempt from abiding by the clean air and clean water acts? Life-­‐long farmers living in Lancaster county, struggling to make a living are not exempt, but mega corporations, who produce most of the pollution in our country, get a free pass. You see, what I love most about the latest encyclical from Pope Francis, is that he directly challenges the idea that unfettered capitalism is good-­‐ and he names it as being at the root of the destruction of the earth. In the quote I shared earlier, he says, “the earth herself… is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor.” You may ask, What exactly do corporations have to do with care of creation-­‐ I think Chris Hedges says it best… “The rise of corporatism began with the industrial revolution, westward expansion, and the genocide carried out in the name of progress and Western civilization against Native Americans. It does not denote simply an economic system but an ideology…. This ideology embraces the belief that societies and cultures can be regenerated through violence. It glorifies profit and wealth…. The belief that we have a divine right to resources, land, and power, and a right to displace and kill others to obtain personal and national wealth, has left in its wake a trail of ravaged landscapes and incalculable human suffering… across the country and the planet. “The ruthless hunt for profit creates a world where everything and everyone is expendable. Nothing is sacred. It has blighted inner cities, turned the majestic Appalachian Mountains into a blasted moonscape of poisoned water, soil and air. It has forced workers into a downward spiral of falling wages and mounting debt until laborers in agricultural fields and sweatshops work in conditions that replicate slavery. It has impoverished our working class and ravaged the middle class. And it has enriched a tiny global elite that has no loyalty to the nation-­‐state. These corporations, if we use the language of patriotism, are traitors. “The belief that human beings and human societies should be ruled by the demands of the marketplace is utopian folly. There is nothing in human history or human nature that supports the idea that sacrificing everything before the free market leads to a social good. And yet we have permitted this utopian belief system to determine how we structure our economy, labor, education, culture, and our relations with foreign nations, as well as how we treat the ecosystem on which we depend for life.”13 Some were uncomfortable with the Pope for condemning unchecked capitalism in his encyclical, but here is the connection-­‐ The tyranny we have imposed on others, is coming back to haunt us as a country. Our poorest continue to bear the brunt of the damage from corporate exploitation-­‐ as does the earth. The pope names our earth as among our poorest…. We middle class Christians are concerned, aware-­‐ and yet comfortable in our semi-­‐protected world. Yet, the damage being done to the earth is growing exponentially, and our passive response has allowed us to come to a place where we, too, are beginning to bear the burden of our inaction. My work to protect the environment here in Lancaster County is profoundly motivated by my understanding that we-­‐ our land, our air, our streams our local 13 Hedges, Chris-­‐ Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, XI,XII. communities rural and urban alike, are victims of a system of injustice.—this system gives power to mega corporations. I feel like our work is what the gospel of Jesus is about. We are fighting a powerful enemy-­‐ I know, we Mennonites don’t really fight-­‐ or like to even talk about fighting-­‐ but there is a time, I think, when we must take a stand for the poorest among us-­‐ as Jesus did. in whatever way we can. When we talk about the gospel of Jesus, and the sacrifice that it is to follow him, we aren’t talking minor inconveniences… the pain of the gospel of MY Jesus-­‐ is the pain of fighting a powerful foe, who will hurt me if I stand up to them and challenge their power… That is the sacrifice of following Jesus. but the irony is-­‐ here and now-­‐that foe will kill me slowly with its meted out destruction of my rights and values for its sake anyway. – in time… the systemic failure of our Christian world to take Jesus’ words to heart-­‐ to fight against the oppressor will allow us to – I daresay has allowed us to be oppressed, exploited, damaged, polluted and destroyed in the end-­‐ as we see happening to our natural world right. I believe in a faith that calls me to action, not a particular belief system. I believe the gospel is about how we live today-­‐ how we treat each other, how we deal with the most oppressed among us-­‐ and whether we side with the oppressor-­‐even in our apathy, or stand with the oppressed as Jesus did. I believe this is why Jesus died. Because he was willing to say NO to those in power, who would abuse their power-­‐ exploiting the weakest. And this is my new theology. One that requires a costly discipleship… Make no mistakes-­‐ I am fully aware that this is a dangerous game we are playing-­‐ those in power will do anything to protect their interests-­‐ My family has just begun to see the extent to which the powerful will go to protect their money and power. But we have choices to make. For Jesus-­‐ the inevitable outcome of fighting the establishment–the cost of his life’s work-­‐-­‐was death on the cross. Jesus’ Life was not a symbolic sacrifice. These are urgent and desperate times and an adequate response is going to be costly… Are we ready to live up to the name we bear-­‐ as Jesus followers, as Christians? I have to admit, that I am not always—I’ve shed tears, been criticized publicly, received hate mail, the president of the university where Mark works received a defamation letter about him from the gas industry… This is not easy work…. But like anything else in life-­‐ when we stand together – it is easier to stand. When we realize that we, too, are Christians, we-­‐who believe our faith is about acting like Jesus acted-­‐ boldly and courageously speaking truth and defending the poor, the vulnerable, the marginalized-­‐-­‐-­‐ I have to hope that it will make a difference-­‐ When we choose to write an impassioned letter to the editor, or teach our kids to be gospel inspired activists-­‐-­‐ or stand in front of a bulldozer that is plowing away our rights … as police stand at the side ready to arrest…. together we make a difference -­‐ There is hope-­‐ Yes-­‐-­‐ in many ways, we may feel doomed to continue on this runaway train… to days of destruction— Unless… Unless…