An Open Letter to Governor Tom Corbett, DCNR Secretary Richard Allan, and Anadarko Regarding the Protection of Rock Run and Old Loggers Path in Loyalsock State Forest:
We are members and friends of United in Christ Lutheran Church in rural Lewisburg. We are alarmed about the threat to Rock Run and Old Loggers Path in Lycoming County from the natural gas industry. This pristine wilderness area of Pennsylvania is a treasure that should be protected. We are asking you not to develop the Clarence Moore mineral rights in the Loyalsock State Forest and to halt natural gas development in the Old Logger’s path area.
This issue is important to us as Lutherans for several reasons. First, we see the despoiling of the Rock Run area as nothing less than the degradation of God’s gracious gift of creation. Scripture witnesses to God as creator of the earth and all that dwells therein (Psalm 24:1). The creeds, which guide our reading of Scripture, proclaim God the Father of Jesus Christ as “maker of heaven and earth,” Jesus Christ as the one “through [whom] all things were made,” and the Holy Spirit as “the Lord, the giver of life” (Nicene Creed). Thus we believe all of creation is worthy of protection, especially those areas that are particularly sensitive and whose ecosystems are fragile. Rock Run is one of those areas.
Second, the Holy Bible gives us several examples of mountains and waterways being special places in which God reveals God’s self. We believe that this area of Loyalsock State Forest is a place where God’s presence in creation is experienced deeply by those who hike, swim, and fish there. A natural area such as this is not a domain to be conquered and exploited for short-term gain, but to be enjoyed, preserved, and explored as a wondrous, sacred trust.
Third, according to Genesis 2:15, our role within creation is to serve and to keep God’s garden, the earth. You have an opportunity to leave a legacy for this state and future generations that preserves the pure water, native fish populations and unparalleled beauty of the forest. It is your responsibility as leaders in government and industry to protect this ecologically and aesthetically sensitive area. And it is our responsibility as Christians to ask that you do so.
Finally, according to the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) social statement, “Caring for Creation,” adopted in 1993 (http://www.elca.org/What-We-Believe/Social-Issues/Social-Statements/Environment.aspx): “We live within the covenant God makes with all living things, and are in relationship with them. The principle of participation means they are entitled to be heard and to have their interests considered when decisions are made.” We urge you to consider the interest of the fish, fauna, trees and plant life, as well our children who deserve the opportunity to be in communion with their earth-kin in this area of Rock Run.
We will be praying that God’s will may be done in this situation. And we trust that you will make the decision that is best for the residents – both human and God’s creation – of Pennsylvania.
Sincerely,
The Rev. Leah Schade and Members and Friends of United in Christ Lutheran Church (signatures below)
Texts: Amos
5:6-7, 10-15 - “You trample on the poor
. . .”
Mark 10:17-31 – “It is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the
kingdom of God.”
Farmer Amos has been puzzling on something for a long time. Day after day, year after year, he tends his
flocks and cares for the fig trees his grandfather planted a generation ago. He takes his harvest and the choicest cattle
and sheep from his flocks to the market to sell. He knows there is plenty of food. And yet all around him, people are
hungry. They languish, begging, along
the side of the road, or suffer silently in their homes. But in the market place, the wealthy who pass
these beggars along the road as they travel in to the market from their estates,
they proceed to buy wine and grain and the best cuts of meat and the fattest
figs from his trees. Then they go back to
their luxurious homes, barely glancing at the ones along the road, and prepare
feasts for their festivals.
Farmer Amos had been puzzling on this for quite some time. Until one day, something seized him. As he arrived at his stall in the market, and
began to set up his goods to sell, it all became clear. He couldn’t not say anything anymore. He
wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he knew something needed to be
said. So on that day he left his stall
and marched straight to the court of the king.
No one was ever quite sure what set him off. Maybe it was because he was one of the few
who still worshipped at the Temple and honored the Sabbath, and observed the
Torah. Some say that the Word of the
Lord came to Amos that day, that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him. So focused was Amos on his task, that he didn’t
realize his fellow farmers were following him.
They all noticed when Amos just up and left his stall. This was such unusual behavior, and Amos had
such a look of determination on his face, that they just had to see what he was
up to.
Finally he arrived at the court of the king. And he began to speak. “Seek the Lord and live, or he will break out
against the house of Joseph like fire, and it will devour Bethel, with no one
to quench it. You step all over the
poor, and you take the food right out of their mouths. You can build your mansions, but you won’t
get to live in them. You plant your
vineyards, but you won’t drink the wine.
You take bribes and ignore the needy.
I’ve been silent for too long.
But I can’t hold my tongue anymore.
We better change the way we are living, and quick, or we’re headed for
disaster.”
Amos said a whole lot more that day. You can read it all in here [hold up Bible]. But I can tell you, the king and the priests
were none too happy with what he had to say.
“Get out of here, you prophet,” they screamed at him. “You’re talking against the king. You better stop causing trouble! You’re being unpatriotic! You’re a radical! That kind of crazy talk will destroy our
economy! Go someplace else with your protests
and marches! Let’s look at the facts and
not stir up unnecessary fears. You’re
never going to change things anyway – we’re the ones in control, and we’re
going to keep it that way.”
Undeterred, Farmer Amos said to them, “I’m a farmer, not a
prophet. But I know what I see, and I’m
calling you out. Or rather, God is
calling you out. Mark my words – if things
don’t change, and I mean fast, we’re all headed for a heap of trouble. But if we do as God has told us to do all
along, and rebuild this society in a way that’s fair to everyone, and stop
rationalizing why it’s okay for you to be super-rich and super-powerful while
there are children hungry all around you; and if we start following the way God
has called us to in the Ten Commandments, then maybe we can turn it around in
time.”
Two years later, when the earthquake hit, and the mansions fell,
and the vineyards were destroyed, many remembered the words of Farmer Amos. They
even wrote down what he said. And it was
passed on through many generations.
--------------------------
Hundreds of years later, there was
a carpenter’s son who began puzzling on some things. Day after day, year after year, he followed
in his father’s footsteps learning the trade, building fine things with wood
that he and his father took to the market place. He knew that God’s love for him was
plentiful. He studied the Torah and the
prophets, including the writings of Amos.
He knew God’s grace was all around him, everywhere. And yet all around him, people were
hungry. They languished, begging, along
the side of the road, or suffered silently in their homes. But in the market place, the wealthy who passed
these beggars along the road as they travelled in to the market from their
estates, they proceeded to buy wine and grain and the best cuts of meat and the
finest pieces of furniture from his father’s stall in the market. Then they went back to their luxurious homes,
barely glancing at the ones along the road, and prepared feasts for their
festivals.
The carpenter’s son had been puzzling on this for quite some
time. Until one day, something seized
him. As he arrived at his stall in the
market, and began to set up his goods to sell, it all became clear. He couldn’t not say anything anymore. He
wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he knew something needed to be
said. So on that day he left his stall
and marched straight to river Jordan to be baptized by some crazy prophet named
John. And from that day on, he walked. He walked all over the countryside, speaking
about God’s love and speaking up for the poor and speaking out against injustice
in the Temple and the government.
No one was ever quite sure what set him off. Some say that the Word of the Lord came to the
carpenter’s son that day at the River, that the Spirit of the Lord came upon
him. So focused was that young man on
his task, that he didn’t realize people were following him at first. But they all noticed when he came up out of the
water and a voice came like thunder from heaven. This was so unusual, and the
carpenter’s son had such a look of determination on his face, that they just
had to see what he was up to.
Once he was speaking in a place located not too far from where
Farmer Amos had delivered his speech so many hundreds of years ago. And on that day the carpenter’s son said: “How hard it will be for those who have
wealth to enter the kingdom of God. Why
it’s easier for a camel to fit through the eye of a needle than for a rich
person to enter the kingdom of God. I’ve
been silent for too long. And I can’t
hold my tongue anymore. We better change
the way we are living, and quick, or we’re headed for disaster. All of you who are first are going to be
last. And the last in line are moving on
up.”
The carpenter’s son said a whole lot more that day. You can read it all in here [hold up Bible]. But I can tell you, the king and the priests
were none too happy with what he had to say.
“Get out of here, you prophet,” they screamed at him. “You’re talking against the king. You better stop causing trouble! You’re being unpatriotic! You’re a radical! That kind of crazy talk will destroy our
economy! Go someplace else with your protests
and marches! Let’s look at the facts and
not stir up unnecessary fears. You’re
never going to change things anyway – we’re the ones in control, and we’re
going to keep it that way.”
Undeterred, the young man said to them, “I’m a carpenter, not a
prophet. But I know what I see, and I’m
calling you out. Or rather, God is
calling you out. Mark my words – if things
don’t change, and I mean fast, we’re all headed for a heap of trouble.”
Even his closest friends said to him, “If things are that bad, who
can be saved?”
And the carpenter’s son said:
“For human beings it is impossible, but not for God. For God all things are possible.”
Two years later, when the earthquake hit, and the curtain of the
Temple was torn in two, and the carpenter’s son was crucified, many remembered his
words. They even wrote down what he said.
There’s even talk that the impossible did, indeed, happen – that God
raised the carpenter’s son from death, and that he is alive to this day. And it was passed on through many
generations.
-------------------------------
Thousands of years later, there was
a group of people who began puzzling on some things. Day after day, year after year, they tried to
follow in the footsteps of the carpenter’s son, learning the faith, building fine
churches, singing beautiful hymns about the death and resurrection of the
carpenter’s son. They knew that God’s
love for them was plentiful. They
studied the Torah and the prophets, including the writings of Amos, and the
books of the New Testament. They knew
God’s grace was all around them, everywhere.
And yet all around them, people were hungry. They languished, begging, in soup kitchens,
and government assistance offices, or suffered silently in their homes. But in the market place, the wealthy who passed
these beggars along the road as they travelled in to the market from their
estates, they proceeded to buy wine and grain and the best cuts of meat and the
finest pieces of furniture for their homes.
Then they went back to their luxurious homes, barely glancing at the
ones along the road, and prepared feasts for their festivals.
This group of people had been puzzling on this for quite some
time. Until one day, something seized them. As they arrived at church that morning, and
began to set up for the service, it all became clear. They couldn’t not say anything anymore. They
weren’t sure what they were going to say, but they knew something needed to be
said. So on that day they left after the
service and marched straight to the center of town to join other groups of
people. And on that day they walked. They walked all over the town, speaking about
God’s love and speaking up for the poor and speaking out against injustice in
society.
No one was ever quite sure what set them off. Some say that the Word of the Lord came to the
people that day, that the Spirit of the Lord came upon them. So focused was that group of people on their
task, that they didn’t realize others were following them at first. But everyone noticed when the streets were
blocked off and traffic was rerouted and hundreds of people filled the streets
to walk. This was so unusual, and the people
had such a look of determination on their faces, that they just had to see what
they were up to.
And when the walk was over, the people
decided that more needed to done. And
they went on to write letters to their representatives and their congressmen
and their president and the ones who controlled the water and the land and the
air and the energy that the people used. The spoke up and they said, “We have
had enough. Stop poisoning our streams
and rivers. Stop drilling and mining for
these fossil fuels that are causing this climate crisis. People can’t even eat the fish because of the
mercury and black spots and lesions. Don’t you see that there is a connection between the health
of our soil, air, water and our food supply, and this is one of the causes of
hunger in our world? Don’t you see that degradation
of the environment will lead to more hunger?
You’re exploiting us and God’s creation for profit, and now global
climate change is devastating the people who are the most vulnerable, and have
the least resources to cope.”
“Seek the Lord and live, or our earth is going to be consumed like
fire, and it will devour everyone, with no one to quench it. You step all over the poor, and you take the
food right out of their mouths. You can
build your mansions, but you won’t get to live in them. You put in your drill pads, but you won’t get
to profit from them. You take bribes and
ignore the needy. We’ve been silent for
too long. And we can’t hold our tongue
anymore. We better change the way we are
living, and quick, or we’re headed for disaster.”
The people said a whole lot more that day. You can read it all in here [hold up computer, phone]. But I can tell you, the king and the CEO’s
were none too happy with what they had to say.
“Get out of here, you prophets,” they screamed at them. “You’re talking against the government. You better stop causing trouble! You’re being unpatriotic! You’re a radical! That kind of crazy talk will destroy our
economy! Go someplace else with your protests
and marches! Let’s look at the facts and
not stir up unnecessary fears. You’re
never going to change things anyway – we’re the ones in control, and we’re
going to keep it that way.”
Undeterred, the people said to them, “We’re teachers and moms and
kids and factory workers and pastors. We’re not prophets. But we know what we see, and we’re calling
you out. Or rather, God is calling you
out. Mark our words – if things don’t
change, and we mean fast, we’re all headed for a heap of trouble.”
Even among themselves they spoke to each other in worried tones, “If
things are that bad, who can be saved?”
But they remembered the words of the carpenter’s son: “For human beings it is impossible, but not
for God. For God all things are
possible.”
We don’t know what will happen two years from now, or twenty. But I can tell you, no matter what happens,
many will remember your words and your walk. Some may even write down what you
say and what you do. And maybe the
impossible will happen - that God will resurrect this dying planet, and that generations
after us will live without hunger. And
if this happens, they may say that, in part, it was because of what we did
today. Because of what Farmer Amos did
thousands of years ago. Because of what
a carpenter’s son did two millennia ago.
Because of what God is doing today.
And it was passed on through many generations. Amen.
“The opposite of poverty is not wealth; the opposite of poverty is
justice."--Bryan Stevenson
[Note: this sermon is best viewed rather than read. It is done as a dramatic monologue with the preacher speaking from Earth's point of view. Click the link above to watch the video on Youtube. The text is below:]
The Rev. Leah Schade
“Of Lambs and Limbs” Preaching series, Part Four
Texts: Genesis 2:18-24; Psalm 8;
Mark 10:2-16
[Sung:] O, Lord, how majestic is your name in all of the Earth!
I am Earth. I am Gaia.
I am Ge. I am ha-erets.
Birthed from your self-emptying
I knew not who I was at first.
Without shape, you molded me, atom by
atom, molecule by molecule
Until I saw that I was round and hot
I could barely contain my excitement
in having been created!
My surface burst and bubbled, molten
lava shooting up from my depths.
You were patient with me
Until I cooled, my roundness
hardening, forming great mountains of rock.
I hovered alone in space. But not lonely.
All around me my siblings –
my sister moon and other planets
joining me in our dance around Sun.
In the distance, my cousins – stars,
supernova, comets, black holes.
All of us sing to you our cosmic song
of glory:
How majestic is your name in all the cosmos, our Creator!
And then I felt something cool and
blue enveloping me like a sheer curtain.
Air!
Sky! You were breathing into me,
your breath flowing all around me:
Ruah, your
spirit, surrounding me, inhaling, exhaling, wind blowing.
And what is this? I am wet.
Are you weeping upon me?
I am wet all over, rain falling upon
me, coursing down my mountains,
Pooling in my deep places, rising up
from my depth in springs.
And then it was quiet. Just your breath, and the sound of water.
You were patient with me
Until I was ready. I wanted to know – what’s next?
Ooh!
What was that?
Ooh!
There it is again!
Oh!
That tickles!
What?
What is all this? Things are
moving within my waters.
Look at what you’ve done! I am alive!
Life lives in me!
Oh, how you have blessed me!
Look – green algae! Yellow fish! Red
earthworms! Blue birds! Orange
insects! Purple frogs!
They dance and swim and fly and creep
and make their home in me!
And it was not quiet! Buzzing and sloshing and splashing and cawing
and whistling!
Listen, they are all joining in the
song of praise to you, their Creator!
O, Lord, how majestic is your name in all the Earth!
I am not patient now. I want to know – what’s next?
Ooph! Ooph! Heavy!
Thump! Thump! Paws, claws, hooves,
move
(Sound of galloping)
They race on me! They jump and climb
and swing from branches.
Look – there goes the monkey!
Zoom!
There goes the zebra!
Fur and scales, brown and black,
white and red.
Teeth, ears, eyes, noses, lambs and
limbs –
Look at what you have done! Oh, how you have blessed me!
I am ready. What’s next?
[Pretend to gently pull a rib from yourself. Pretend to hold a lump of
clay in front of you. Look at it,
rotating it. Slowly fashion it into a
human being, like making a snow man, but a real person.
Add the details – toes, fingers, face].
What is this? Who is this?
You drew him out of me. Out of my very soil. You fashioned him.
This at last is being from my being,
and flesh from my body.
This one shall be called Adam, for he
was drawn from my rib, from my very body.
Gasp! You are breathing into him! You
are giving him your Spirit, your ruah!
He must be very special. I must be very special, that you would think
to create him from me.
Oh, he is lonely. Yes – bring to him all that lives on me! See what he will call them, see which one he
will choose for a companion.
None?
Yes, let him sleep.
Oh, look – you are doing with him,
what you did with me.
Who is this? He likes!
As I care for him, may he care for
her.
May they care for me, as I care for
them.
Look at what you have done!
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 yourself
And crowned them with glory and
honor.
You have given them dominion over the
works of your hands . . .
Oh! Oww! Look what they have done!
[Cough] What has happened to my air?
What have they done to your ruah?
OOhh! They are cutting into me!
My mountain – it’s gone!
My forests – where did they go?
They are taking from me, drawing my
essence out of me.
Why do they not use the sun, as the
plants do?
[Choking,
gagging]: What is that? That tastes
horrible!
What are they putting into my water? What is this poison?
Look at my insects. They are dying. My bee hives – empty.
All of these dead fish!
My animals in cages. They live only to feed the one you have made.
And what is he doing to her? Stop!
You are doing to her what you are
doing to me!
Why do you fight your brother?
Why do you kill?
Why do you scream in rage! Why do you not sing with us the song of glory
to your Creator?
O, Lord, how majestic is your name . . . .
Look at what they have done. They do not love me.
They are poisoning me, taking from
me, drilling me, cutting me, choking me.
They are killing me.
I am afraid to ask:
What’s next?
(Crouching
with hand over head]
Bob: [stand and face the congregation]: And Jesus said: “Let the little children come to me; do not
stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive
the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it.”
[Kneel down and put arm around Earth.
Lift her up by the hand. Embrace
her, placing your hands on her head].
Annette: And he took them up in his arms, laid his
hands on them, and blessed them. Amen.
