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.
Sermon, United in Christ Lutheran Church, West Milton, PA
The Rev. Leah D. Schade
9-30-2012
Mark 9:38: “John said
to him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we
tried to stop him, because he was not following us.’”
Insiders and outsiders.
That’s what John is concerned about.
Who’s in the “Jesus Club”? Who’s
not? And if someone is doing the work of
Jesus but not actually following him, shouldn’t they be stopped? Only insiders should be able to access that
kind of power. Outsiders either need to
make the decision to follow Jesus, or accept that they’re not part of the club
and get out of the way.
I have to admit that I was worried that I would encounter
the John-attitude here in Central Pennsylvania before I moved here. In the weeks before I was about to begin my
call here at United in Christ, while I was still living in Philadelphia, I
would tell people where we were moving, and nearly everyone had a similar
reaction. “Wow – that’s such a
conservative Christian area! It’s like
the Bible Belt of Pennsylvania. How are
you going to deal with that after living in the Philadelphia area for the past
decade?” The implication was that the
city is a place of diversity and variety, while the middle of the state is a
homogenous blob of pale-faced Christians.
And I have to admit, I was a little concerned that I would miss having
the opportunity to work with clergy of different faiths, as I had the pleasure
of doing during my time in Philly. And I
was worried that I would encounter some who insisted in the exclusivity of the
Jesus Club, as John did.
But it wasn’t long after we moved here that Jim was out
playing the drums at the Bull Frog, and he met another drummer whose wife is
the pastor at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Northumberland. “You need to get in contact with her and
connect with her,” he encouraged. So
Pastor Ann Keeler Evans and I had lunch, and she clued me in on something about
this region of the state I was not yet aware of.
“There is much more diversity to this area of Central
Pennsylvania than you might at first think,” she said. She went on to tell me about the Jewish
synagogue in Sunbury, the thriving Muslim community in the area, and the myriad
of other non-Christian faiths and practices around us, everything from pagans
to New Age to agnostics and atheists.
And when this really started to become apparent for me was
last December when the Susquehanna River Basin Commission was about to have a
public meeting on the approval of water withdrawal permits for natural gas
drilling, and we began circulating a letter to area clergy asking them to sign
in support of protecting the Susquehanna from these million-gallon
withdrawals. In three days’ time, over
50 people had signed the letter from six different faith traditions.
We knew something important was happening in this area,
because people of different faiths wanted to join their voices and meet across
interreligious lines to protect God’s sacred creation. So this past January, we decided to form an
organization called the Interfaith Sacred Earth Coalition. In the past nine months I’ve been blessed to
meet, correspond with, and work alongside an incredible variety of people who
have taught me so much about what it means to do the work of Jesus, even if
they themselves are not followers of Jesus.
Remember Jesus’ response to John about the man who was
casting out demons: ‘Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my
name will be able soon afterwards to speak evil of me. Whoever is not
against us is for us.”
What I have found is that there is an incredible number of
people who are trying to cast out the many demons that are afflicting our
society and our earth. They may not be
followers of Jesus, but they are doing the work that Jesus calls us to do.
· * I’ve seen Christians, Muslims, and Jews discuss
the sacredness of water in each of their traditions and how that informs their
work of environmental justice.
· * I’ve watched New Age spiritualists stand
alongside Lutherans making speeches that confront the demons of political power
abused, corporate wealth used to oppress, and ignorance manipulated for profit.
· * I’ve witnessed a Roman Catholic Church serve as
host to an interfaith care-of-creation symposium with nearly 50 people in
attendance from different faith traditions.
· * I’ve watched a gathering of non-religious
philosophers and environmental activists take part in an interfaith vigil
lamenting the loss of the Riverdale Mobile Home Park in Lycoming County,
decrying the demons of corporate capitalism that value profits over human
community.
· * I’ve seen Buddhists join with Christians and atheists
in a Native American four-directions ritual to bless a gathering of people committed
to protect the area of Rock Run and Old Loggers trail.
· * I’ve seen Muslims and Jews stand side-by-side in
solidarity against the demon of hate crimes at the synagogue in Sunbury.
What is it that is binding us together? I think Psalm 19 can give us some
insight. The Psalm begins with declaring
that the heavens and earth are proclaiming God’s glory. Nature is silent and voiceless, yet somehow
has speech and words that are heard across the earth. The writer explains that the very design of
nature discloses the law of the Lord which is perfect, revives the soul, makes
wise the simple, rejoices the heart and enlightens the eyes.
I suggest that there might be a connection between attending
to God’s law in nature and the exorcist working outside of the disciples’ inner
circle. What is that connection? Well, the members of the Interfaith Sacred
Earth Coalition, while they may not be part of the same club, have certain
beliefs and values in common. For
example, we believe that children, women, men, and earth-kin have the right to clean
water, land, air, and health. We are committed to being a public presence
on ecological issues in order to bring ethical, moral, spiritual, and religious
perspectives to bear.
In other words, what once made us outsiders of each other’s religions is making us insiders of the same planet. It is what’s outside our houses of worship that is making us insiders working for the same cause.
The theologian Paul Knitter, in his book Introducing Theologies of Religions (Maryknoll,
N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2002), says that one model for a theology of religions, that
of “mutuality,” where the diverse religions are all considered “true” and are
called to dialogue with each other. He
uses the metaphor of “bridges” to illustrate the means by which people of
differing faiths can meet and connect either philosophically, mystically or
ethically. Knitter says:
Given the
present pain-ridden and crisis-strewn state of the world, the religions have a
job to do, a job they all share. Taking
up this job together will enable them to get to know each other better. For this bridge, ethical issues and ethical
responsibility are the pillars that will sustain a new kind of interfaith
exchange. A pivotal term in this
approach to pluralism and dialogue, therefore, is global responsibility: in
being responsible for our endangered globe and all its inhabitants, the
religions have new opportunities to understand both themselves and each other.[1]
That is exactly what we are seeing right here in the
Susquehanna Valley. Our hope is to raise
consciousness and offer education about eco-justice issues so that citizens may
be better informed, advocate for eco-justice issues in the public arena, and
offer a positive, creative vision for our planet based on our collective
interfaith dialogue.
This is not to say that there are no points of tension in
our work together. Issues of race,
gender, power, and theological discord are always part of our discussion. But we don’t see them as excuses to shut each
other out, as John wanted to do with the exorcist. We see them as opportunities to learn from
each other, and find points of commonality that allow us to build these
eco-ethical bridges.
Today we’re going to see another instance of bridges being
built in protection of our area. This
time the bridge is going to include music.
At 4:00 there’s going to be a concert at Oak Heights on Rt. 15 called “Songs
from the Sacrifice Zone.” Musicians from
all over the region are going to be performing songs celebrating the beauty of
Pennsylvania and raising awareness about the threats to the area from natural
gas drilling. I’m going to be playing
the harp as well. There are going to be
all kinds of people there – people with long hair, people with short hair. People wearing “hippy clothes” and people
wearing jeans and t-shirts. Young
people, older people. Religious people,
non-religious people. University
professors and factory workers.
We’re all outsiders to each other in some way. But we all live inside the same atmosphere threatened by the climate crisis. We all
live inside the same state threatened by powers that see our land only as a
profit-making venture and our residents as nothing but a sacrifice. We all live inside the same planet whose sun comes
out “like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy, and like a strong man runs
its course with joy. Its rising is from
the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them; and nothing is
hidden from its warmth,” (Psalm 19:5-6).
“Whoever is not against us is for us,” said Jesus. And, I would add, whoever is for the planet,
is for all of us. Amen.
[1]
Knitter, Introducing Theologies of Religions,
134-5.
“Natural gas is a gift from God for us to exploit,” is an
argument sometimes used by politicians, the gas industry, and those who are
benefiting from fracking. But this a dangerous
and inaccurate rationalization based on a perverted understanding of a theology of nature. And it is easily debunked with
a reading of Genesis, Chapter 3, often known as the story of the “fall” of Adam
and Eve.
Why does God curse the ground in this passage from Genesis
3? It’s because Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree of knowledge.
Most people see this story as the explanation for the concept of Original
Sin. But there is another way to view
this story.
The myth of the “fall” of human beings has specific
application to the current environmental crisis. This story shows us that
God set limits for human beings in how they were to exist in the garden. For
the good of Adam and Eve, for the good of the tree, for the good of the entire
garden, God essentially said: “This far and no farther.” God
established a boundary for the mutual protection of the relationship between
humankind and the created world.
Did the original humans respect these boundaries? No. They did not
obey the limits God set for them. They ignored the warnings, flouted the
rules, and crossed the line. There’s almost a feeling of entitlement you
sense from Eve and Adam’s rationalization of their disobedience. It’s as
if they’re saying, “This is our garden after all. God gave it to
us. We should be allowed to do anything we want with it. Look, the fruit
is good to eat. It will make us smarter, better, richer. God just
doesn’t want us to be like God. God’s afraid we’ll know what God
knows. And why shouldn’t we?”
And because of this arrogance, there is an immediate cascade of events that
shatters the relationships of paradise. The humans hide from God, and are
not honest with God or themselves. They blame each other, and they blame
one of God’s creatures for the temptation. They refuse to accept
responsibility for what has happened, but the consequences are unavoidable.
From that point on, their relationship with the earth is cursed:
"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of
it all the days of your life." (Genesis 3:17b , RSV). All
because of human beings’ insistence that we can have whatever we want whenever
we want it, no matter what the cost or the consequence.
Psalm 19 tells us that the laws, decrees, and ordinances of God are about
respecting the boundaries of relationships.
This includes the delicate balance of our ecosystems and being mindful
of our impact on them. And yet we continually cross those lines and
insist that we can and should pluck the fruit from the tree of knowledge of
good and evil, rationalizing that we have the right to become like God.
But just because we can does not mean that we should. The
warnings are clear, and they have direct bearing on the arguments against
fracking. Do not continue to pollute the air, water and soil.
You’ll learn good and evil the hard way when your children die from strange
diseases and you can’t swim or eat fish from the poisoned waters. Do not
continue drilling for fossil fuels. You’ll learn good and evil the hard
way when the gasses trap heat within the atmosphere and melt your icebergs and
flood your islands and coastlands and whip up catastrophic weather events. Do
not continue to clear-cut the earth to make way for one more frack pad or
industrial waste land. You’ll learn the good and evil the hard way when
species die out and invasive plants and animals prey on your weakened natural
habitats.
There are limits and boundaries that God has established which need to be respected. God created the best carbon-sequestering system that could have ever been devised: that shale and oil is buried thousands of feet beneath the earth's surface because it was meant to stay there! When we release it into the atmosphere it disrupts the delicate balance created over time to sustain life on this planet.
So we have done more than just cross the line. We have decimated the
entire garden. We are not just plucking fruit from the tree
anymore. We’re cutting the whole tree down – indeed entire swaths of
forests - to drill down to gas that tempts us with its illusory promises of
power and wealth.
Natural gas is not a gift from God, any more than any other
fossil fuel is. Any fuel that requires
or results in the large-scale industrialization of what was once beautiful
woodlands, farmland, meadows and rural communities, the poisoning of billions
of gallons of water, the destruction of contiguous forests, compressor stations
threatening explosions and emitting poisonous gases, and the ruination of
communities and public health is certainly no gift from God.
What is a gift
from God is clean water and air, intact forests and natural lands, and the
ability of human beings to discern how to live within the natural boundaries
God has set for us. God’s gift to us is
not natural gas, but the capacity to discover forms of fuel that do not
threaten the planet and human health. And
it is a gift from God to have communities valued for their protection of God’s
creation rather than their willingness to sacrifice for it.
Sometimes there is great blessing in establishing boundaries
and protecting them. Sometimes the benefits of changing your lifestyle or
business practices to live in accordance with God’s designs in nature outweigh
the assumption of entitlement. Sometimes foregoing profit in order to
preserve God’s natural legacy reaps rewards far beyond monetary wealth. And sometimes the real gift is trusting that
there is a reason why the forbidden fruit is placed so far out of reach. It’s better left alone – for our sake, for
the sake of the planet, and for the sake of our relationships with each other
and God.
“Jesus loves the little children.” We sing that at the time of our children’s
sermon. Because it’s true! Just in the Gospel of Mark alone, children
have a prominent place in 5 different stories.
Why do you think this gospel focuses so much on children? Well let’s think about children a
little. What do we know about kids?
Helpless; Without status; Vulnerable; High
mortality rate; Small view of the world, but big imagination; Inquisitive,
curious; Know nothing but have everything to learn; Love affection, love to be
held; Freedom to explore without fear.
So why does Jesus care so much about us welcoming children? Certainly, all these things we listed are
true. But there’s another reason. Jesus says that when we welcome children in
his name, we are actually welcoming God into our midst.
Remember Jesus is all about having God’s
kingdom established on earth. And God’s
kingdom is all about caring for those most vulnerable. They say you can tell a lot about a society
by the way they treat their oldest and youngest members. So if we are like the disciples - so
concerned with who is the greatest that we ignore the needs of our children - then
we are not following God’s will.
And I would add that it’s not just how we
treat the most vulnerable in the human society that reveals our values. It’s also how we treat the most vulnerable in
God’s creation. How we treat fragile ecosystems, how we treat
God’s earth in general, says a lot about how we treat our fellow humanity. For example, if we look at a beautiful
forested mountain, and only value it for the coal or gas or oil beneath its
surface, and are willing to sacrifice it for our short-term needs, then we are,
in fact, not following God’s will for ourselves or our children.
The well-being of children and the
well-being of God’s creation are fundamentally linked. And throughout the next several weeks, that’s
what our sermons are going to be exploring.
The preaching series is entitled “Of Lambs and Limbs” and will address
the need for justice for children, trees, and other living things. Today I want to make a specific connection
between the need to welcome children into God’s creation, and the need to
protect one particularly beautiful and fragile part of God’s creation right
here in Pennsylvania.
There’s a book I love called The Last Child in the Woods by child
advocacy expert Richard Louv. He
writes about “nature deficit disorder,” where he directly links the lack of
nature in the lives of today's children to some of the most disturbing
childhood trends, such as the rises in obesity, attention disorders, and
depression. We keep kids inside, wired
to their computers and televisions, which not only deprives children of important
relationships with nature, but will result in generations of humans who have no
interest in protecting or caring for God’s creation. Because “children will not save what they do
not love,” he writes. And so he
encourages giving children direct
exposure to nature because it’s essential for healthy childhood development and
for the physical and emotional health of children and adults.
Where this connects with our land right here in Pennsylvania
is in a place called Rock Run. [start
video: http://vimeo.com/48953499] Rock Run is an enchanting, beautifully wild
area of Pennsylvania tucked away in the Loyalsock State Forest just north of
Williamsport. And it is under threat to be destroyed by natural gas
drilling. An oasis of 20,000 acres surrounds a 27-mile hiking path called
the Old Logger’s trail. All around the area drilling is proceeding at
full force. But Governor Tom Corbett could direct the DCNR to protect
this still pristine area from natural gas development.
Now what does this have to do with you and me? What does this have to do with the
church? Well if we do not speak up for
the land and speak out for the needs of our children to be able to inherit this
land as citizens of Pennsylvania unsullied by the drilling industry, then we
will be shirking our responsibility both to protect God’s creation, and
preserve the very land into which God wants to welcome them.
As one blogger wrote:
“It is an area which, once encountered, leaves a lasting impression of
serenity, unspoiled nature, and tranquil other-worldliness that is almost
unknown in our modern world. To despoil this paradise with gas drilling or any
other industry would be nothing short of ungodly. The surrounding area has
suffered enough, leave the people some refuge.”
http://keepitwildblog.blogspot.com/2012/09/dont-despoil-paradise.html
As a Christian, I would add:
How can we welcome the children into these places God has created if
there is nothing left to welcome them into?
Or if we have turned these sacred places into industrialized zones that
are no place for children to play? Or if
we have so poisoned, and compromised the integrity of the area, that we have
left our children with nothing but a memory and an internet video reminding
them of what it used to be like?
I invite you after the service today, to sign a letter to
our governor, the head of the DCNR, and the company that wants to drill in this
area urging them to protect Rock Run and the Old Logger’s Path. This is one way to put our faith into
action. We have an opportunity to
witness to our faith, and make our voices heard, reminding our leaders that the
despoiling of the Rock Run area would be 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). Our leaders need to know that we, as
Christians, 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.
The Holy Bible gives us several examples of mountains and
waterways being special places in which God reveals God’s self. 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.
Do we really want to cut down the tree with its fruit, as we
heard in the Jeremiah text? Or do we
want to uphold what Genesis 2:15 puts forth as our role within creation: to
serve and to keep God’s garden, the earth?
The letter will be downstairs with a sheet for you to add
your name if you wish remind our leaders that they 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 their 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 they do so.
God’s presence is infused in all of creation. And when we take our children into God’s
outdoor cathedral – into the woods, the river, the streams, the meadows, even
just the backyard, and show them the wonders of what God has created, that it
is God who made all this, and that it is our job to love and protect what God
has created – we are indeed following Jesus’ example. We take our children in our arms, by the
hand, and welcome them into this beautiful sacred world, and we do it in Jesus’
name. And when we do this, we are,
indeed, welcoming God. Amen.
