The Nightmare: An American Horror Story

The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade

February 28, 2016

Last night I had one of those vivid nightmares that begins like you’re watching a movie, but then you realize you’re in the story, living the horrible dream.  It was about a monster, a small creature that had been dug up from the ground.  It seemed almost cute in its ugliness at first.  

It was small but hungry.  It started eating anything it could find. It was put in a cage.  It ate and ate and ate, grew and grew and grew.  It started with just plants at first, but then animals – small ones, then larger ones.  It was ravenous, insatiable in its appetite. 

Eventually it was realized that it had to be put back in the ground.  It had to stay buried.  As long as it was buried, it would not hurt anything or anyone.  But dug up, it would continue to grow and consume.  It had no personality, no morals.  Its desire was only to eat and grow.  And it would eventually eat its own cage, get out, and consume the whole earth. 

So a whole troop of people took the caged monster – now huge in size – back to the place from which the unsuspecting person had dug it up.  It was a swamp-like place, dark and creepy.  We started to dig a hole big enough to bury the creature.  But as we dug, we made a horrifying discovery - a whole nest of sleeping, shrunken monsters in the ground.  It was a shrieking-violin moment, a sickening twist in the story.  But we dumped the creature into the ground and quickly covered him up.  He and the other creatures had no power against the soil once we started to bury them again.

We knew someone had to stand guard at this place from then on and protect against any other unsuspecting person digging up one of the creatures.  So from then on, the guardians patrolled the grounds, telling the story to all who came along wanting to dig. 

Reflection:  As I was writing this nightmare in my dream journal (I keep one by my bed), I realized the message immediately.  The monster is fossil fuels.  

They are ugly, but were cute at first.  We thought they could be caged, kept under control, used for our purposes.  But in the end, the thing we thought we were consuming is, in fact, consuming us.  It has a voracious appetite.  No personality, no morals.  It only wants to eat and grow.  The fossil fuel industry has gotten bigger and bigger and has become this horrible nightmare.  

It’s an American Horror Story that has spread around the globe.  It’s eating its own cage and consuming the whole earth. 

After years of keeping a dream journal and paying attention to the messages from my subconscious, I have learned to discern the messages.  Sometimes they are multivalent (having more than one meaning).  But the immediate message from this nightmare came through loud and clear:

The only way to deal with the monster is to keep it in the ground. 

It has to stay safely buried in the soil and guarded so that no unsuspecting person might come along and accidentally dig it up.  It will take vigilance.  But the monster of fossil fuels – coal, oil, methane gas – must stay in the ground.

Eco Ecclesia - Interview with The Rev. Dr. Leah Schade

Dale Lature is a video blogger with a passion for connecting ecology and the Church.  He is among a growing number of individuals who recognizes that environmental issues need to be addressed at the most fundamental levels of religion - in our theology, worship, preaching, education and advocacy.  In this new series, Eco Ecclesia, he conducts in-depth interviews with others doing this kind of work, and I am proud to be featured in his second episode.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Fhi12N1DBM

Dale notes that "the climate crisis is screaming for attention from churches," but observes that most denominations have very few resources available for congregants and only address the issue sporadically. "I'm not satisfied with an article every two to three months," he says.  "That doesn't say crisis to me."  He also recognizes that for those outside the church, the reluctance of the church to address ecological issues is "seen as yet another glaring omission in the church's life and work."

He asks some important questions:  Why is this so hard to talk about?  How can we not tell this story?  Over a period of about a year and a half, Dale and I have engaged in Skype conversations about these very questions which he has edited into this video.  While it is on the longish side, we tackle these questions with forthrightness and hope.

Here is a breakdown of the segments:

Dale's introduction and my background through minute mark 12:00

Discussing the term "eco-crucifixion" - 12:00 - 19:00

Ecofeminism - 19:00 - 24:00

Climate crisis as "blaspheming the Holy Spirit" - 24:00 - 28:00

Stages of "climate grief" - 28:00 - 32:00

Tower of Babel and capitalism - 32:00 - 37:00

Signs of hope, connection and community - 37:00 - 40:00

Dale's conclusion:  40:00 - 44:00

Islam, the Middle East and Christianity: Misconceptions, Facts, and Surprises

This is the forum I presented at my church, United in Christ Lutheran, Lewisburg, PA, on "Islam, the Middle East and Christianity: Misconceptions, Facts and Surprises." It's long (40 minutes), but if you're interested in seeing one approach to tackling this topic in a congregation, here's a model of how to do it. I'm also willing to share the Powerpoint with anyone who would like to use it in their context.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5X64WBTcrc

You've Got Dirt on Your Forehead: Ash Wednesday Sermon

This article has been moved to:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/2018/02/dirt-forehead-ash-wednesday/

Thank you!

Healthy Pastor, Healthy Congregation: Why I’m Taking Steps to be More Committed and Accountable

This Lenten season I’m encouraging our congregation to take steps toward better health, healing and wholeness in mind, body, emotions and relationships.  And I’m taking this call seriously for myself as a pastor.  I recently learned from Portico, the Benefit Service provider for the ELCA, the serious nature of the overall health of ELCA clergy and what the church is trying to do to change it. 

Click on this link if you’d like to learn more: 
https://employerlink.porticobenefits.org/home/CallToLiveWell/FaithBasedWellBeing/WellnessReformation

Clergy have such high instances of stress, weight problems, hypertension and heart problems that it is becoming a characteristic of the profession.

Our health costs as a group are 23% higher than other comparable groups.  And this is reflected in the skyrocketing costs of health benefits for congregations.  Clergy work inmore stressful environments. And our population has a higher incident rate ofchronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, kidney disease, and heartfailure.

One of the things the ELCA is asking clergy to do is to make lifestyle choices and changes that have tangible positive outcomes.  In response, this year I'm committed to being accountable to our Council and the congregation about the steps I'm taking to improve my health.  I will be including that information in my pastor's report, writing about it in my column for our newsletter, and designing a Lenten sermon series on "metanoia" - turning toward health and faith.  My hope is that this will model for our congregation taking positive steps toward better health for all of us, taking care of the temples of our bodies which God has entrusted to us. 

As I shared in a recent sermon, the Commandment that I break most often is the one about honoring the Sabbath.  Yes, I lead worship nearly every Sunday.  But I have not been taking a weekly day of rest for the last several months.  I am also not exercising as much as necessary.  Add to this the history of  heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure in my family history, as well as my own level of stress, and I realize that I could be a risk for the congregation and the church as a whole if I do not take steps to better care for myself.  So here are things I’m committed to doing in the coming year:

1. Sabbath:  Honor the day of rest once a week.  Usually this will be on Fridays.  On these days I will engage in the activities that strengthen my relationship with God, family and friends, and God’s Creation (taking walks, meditating, journaling, playing games with my kids, having “dates” with my husband, etc.).

2. Exercise: Add one additional day of high-energy exercise each week (in addition to my current practice of exercise once a week) and walking 20 minutes each day.

3. Nutrition:  Eliminate meat from my diet (I’ve committed to being a “pescatarian” - not eating meat, but allowing fish).  This is not only good for my health, but also for our planet’s well-being (see also, http://www.cowspiracy.com/facts/)

 4. Accountability:  Being accountable to these commitments in my monthly reports to Council and asking for their prayerful support and encouragement.

I pray that God may give me the will and the willpower to take care of the temple of my mind, body and emotions that have been entrusted to me, as well as the relationships that are a reflection of the Divine Love that seeks to enfold me in grace.

And if you are inspired to take steps in improving your own health in mind, body, spirit and relationships, I welcome hearing from you.  Supporting each other on this journey together will help us all live into our calling to take good care of the bodies, minds and spirits God has entrusted to us.