Seeing Creation

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent. This is a special time of the year when Christians begin a 40 day journey, excluding Sundays, that leads them to Easter. One of my dear friends, Lon Oliver, put together a Lenten devotional guide for his congregation where he urged them to reflect on God’s two books of revelation–Creation and the Scriptures. Concerning Lent Lon writes: “This special time in the church year always comes when the days are lengthening with the arrival of spring. During Lent not only will the hours of daylight become longer, we will also witness the renewal of the earth as flowers blossom, trees bud, and the wildlife absent during the winter months make a reappearance.” He goes on to say, “During the season of Lent we believe God desires that each of us experience a renewal not unlike that we observe in nature. Lent calls for a spring or rebirth to awaken our souls.”

Yesterday I saw a posting on Facebook from Green Chalice, a group that gives attention to environmental issues in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), that offered a list of things a person might do each day during the season of Lent that will help them connect with the Creation and the Creator. I want to share a similar list of items with you and hope you will consider using it in the days to come. If you do, it may well help you to experience the “renewal” Lon wrote about in his devotional guide.

Feb. 10 — Listen for a bird’s song

Feb. 11 — Read Psalm 104

Feb. 12 — Recycle something

Feb. 13 — Notice where you see life resting or hibernating

Feb. 14 — Read Genesis 1:1-2:3

Feb. 15 — Take a shorter shower

Feb. 16 — Watch a sunset

Feb. 17 — Look at the sky

Feb. 18 — Sweeten something with honey

Feb. 19 — Make a donation to an environmental organization

Feb. 20 — Hug a tree

Feb. 21 — Read Job 38-41

Feb. 22 — Watch a sunrise

Feb. 23 — Ask someone what their favorite part of nature is

Feb. 24 — Notice five birds/animals/plants

Feb. 25 — Light a candle and give thanks for the elements

Feb. 26 — Take a picture of a tree with your camera or smart phone

Feb. 27 — Draw in the dirt

Feb. 28 — Read Ecclesiastes 1:2-11; 12:1-7

Feb. 29 — Take a walk

Mar. 1 — Feel the breeze

Mar. 2 — Read a poem about nature

Mar. 3 — Visit hubblesite.org and marvel at the universe

Mar. 4 — Purchase an organic food product

Mar. 5 — Go stargazing

Mar. 6 — Read Proverbs 8:22-31

Mar. 7 — Visit a local park

Mar. 8 — Sit still outside for five minutes

Mar. 9 — Visit BlessedEarth.org

Mar. 10 — Pay special attention to the “smells” of nature

Mar. 11 — Plant something

Mar. 12 — Meditate on the words to “Morning Has Broken”

Mar. 13 — Read Genesis 2:4-3:24 while sitting outside

Mar. 14 — Google “endangered species”

Mar. 15 — Notice how the days are “getting longer”

Mar. 16 — Take a picture of a flower with your camera or smart phone

Mar. 17 — Read Psalm 23 outdoors

Mar. 18 — Contemplate the many uses of water

Mar. 19 — Do something to learn more about renewable energy

Mar. 20 — Read Colossians 1:15-20

Mar. 21 — Eat lunch outside

Mar. 22 — Water a flower

Mar. 23 — Savor the taste of something fresh

Mar. 24 — Visit nps.gov and learn more about our national parks

Mar. 25 — Meditate on the words to “How Great Thou Art”

I pray God will bless your journey through the season of Lent and that you will be drawn ever closer to the Maker of heaven and earth.

–Chuck

In recent days we have been reminded on a far too frequent basis that racism continues to be an ugly scar upon the soul of America. Most of the media attention has focused on acts of violence afflicted upon African American and Hispanic individuals. This violence is totally unacceptable and somehow, someway, we have got to find a way to bring it to an end. There is, however, another way racism continues to raise its ugly head and, unfortunately, it is not receiving a lot of public attention. What I am referring to here is environmental racism.

This past week I was in Columbus, Ohio, for the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) General Assembly.  At this assembly Rev. Carol Devine, on behalf of Green Chalice, brought a resolution to the floor that addresses this issue. The proposed resolution noted that “environmental racism is an affliction where communities comprised of predominantly persons of color and/or low-income people are adversely affected by governmental, institutional, or industrial practices or policies that either negatively affect or withhold the benefits of clean air, water, soil, or natural spaces.”  It also revealed “contemporary studies show that it is easy to predict the placement of hazardous waste facilities, the creation of food deserts, and the lack of natural space by looking at the concentration of minority and low-income areas across the country and that since the afflicted communities, primarily those of racial minorities, lack local representation or national protection, these communities are made victims of environmental racism’s various forms, including:  greater probability of exposure to environmental hazards, uneven negative impacts from environmental procedures and policies, targeting and zoning of toxic facilities, segregation of minority workers in hazardous jobs, little access to or insufficient maintenance of natural spaces, and disproportionate access to environmental services.”

Having acknowledged the problem of environmental racism, the resolution went on to remind us that the Bible “refers to the entire cosmos as God’s sacred creation and calls followers of Christ to care for creation and care for neighbors” and that “Jesus preached compassion to all people, and tasked us, his followers, with ministering to and caring for all persons in all communities.” Finally the resolution called on all Disciples’ congregations, organizations, ministries and institutions “to address environmental racism in their communities through research and education, thoughtful engagement and prayerful action;” and to “support national, state or provincial legislation which prevents the further marginalization of people from their community.”  It urged that we “diligently strive to faithfully care for all of God’s creation and work for justice for all of God’s people.”

I’m happy to say that the resolution passed at the General Assembly without dissent. This speaks well of the denomination I happen to call my own. But environmental racism is something all Christians (and everyone else for that matter) ought to be concerned about. This is an injustice that needs to be dealt with just as much as the violence mentioned above. But what can we do? An addendum attached to the resolution in Columbus offered these suggestions. We can take action by 1) researching the pervasiveness of environmental racism in our area; 2) joining creation, racial and economic justice movements; 3) funding and supporting creation, racial and economic justice work in organizations and academic institutions; 4) lobbying state/provincial and federal elected officials for stronger enforcement of environmental standards and petitioning for new legislation designed to address the affliction of affected communities; and 5) supporting and voting for candidates sensitive to and supportive of creation, racial, and economic justice.

May God help us all to combat racism in any and all forms it might appear.  In the words of the prophet Amos, “let justice run down like water, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

–Chuck

(I photographed the two waterfall images while in Ohio last week and the two sunflower pictures this morning at Bluegrass Fish and Wildlife Area near Evansville, IN.)

In the liturgical calendar this is the Second Sunday of Easter.  In the denomination I serve it is also Earth Stewardship Sunday.  This morning I had the privilege of preaching and presenting multi-media programs at South Elkhorn Christian Church in Lexington.  Mickey Anders, one of my personal heroes, is pastor there and he asked me some time ago to be their guest speaker.  It was great getting to share about our calling to be good stewards of God’s Creation with his congregation.  I hope a lot of other Disciples churches took advantage of Earth Stewardship Sunday to emphasize this calling as well.

I wrote about my love for Easter and its message last week on this blog.  I mentioned there that one of the most meaningful messages is God’s ability to bring good from bad situations.  As we reflect on how the earth has been treated the past hundred years or so it is clear that this has not been a good situation.  We have polluted once pristine waters, fouled the air, destroyed incredible amounts of rains forests, literally removed mountains, hastened the extinction of numerous flora and fauna, and apparently altered the climate at the same time.  I’m not sure how any of this could be considered good.  I do believe, however, that the God of resurrection is at work and that it is, indeed, God’s desire to bring good from this bad situation.

When I first became interested in Creation Care twenty-five years ago there were not a lot of books to be found on Christianity and the environment.  That has certainly changed.  Hundreds of such books are now available.  Back then you rarely heard about churches being intentional about Creation Care and ecological responsibility.  That, too, has changed.  In my denomination there is a growing number of churches that have made commitments to be Green Chalice congregations.  We are encouraged regularly to remember our divine responsibility to be good stewards of God’s earth.   I don’t know what’s happening in other denominations but I hope that there, too, a growing commitment to Creation Care can be found.

About forty-five years ago there was much discussion about whether Christianity had contributed to the ecological crisis by espousing an anthropocentric understanding of the human role in Creation.  It was said by some that along with Christianity came the idea that nature is not sacred but disposable, that humans are not really a part of nature, they are above it.  There may have been some truth to these arguments but it truly does seem that more and more Christians are beginning to recognize that we are, indeed, a part of nature and that God has given us the role not of dominating nature but tending to and caring for it.

Hopefully with this better understanding of our role we can start doing what we were supposed to all along.  Obviously we cannot undo all the damage that has been done but there are areas where restoration is possible.  Working together we can help others, including our government officials, to see the moral and divine imperative to treat the earth and its resources in a wiser and more sustainable manner.  We can provide those who follow us with a healthier planet.  That will result in healthier lives for us too, as well as more opportunities for God to reveal Himself through Creation.  This may seem overly optimistic to some or perhaps even impossible but, once again, I truly believe that God’s specialty is bringing good out of bad situations.  Having Earth Stewardship Sunday fall closely to Easter is a good thing.  It reminds us all that there is, in fact, hope for all of us and for Creation itself.

–Chuck

(I took these images the past couple of days in the Lexington area.  I want to say a special thank you to Mickey Anders and Holly Fuqua for allowing me to help lead in worship today at South Elkhorn Christian Church.)

This weekend I had the privilege of taking part in a retreat sponsored by the Green Chalice, an environmental group which is part of the Christian Church in Kentucky.  The retreat was held at Rough River Dam State Park in western Kentucky.  It will not surprise you to learn that I took my camera with me.   I knew this was not the prettiest time of the year but was hoping I might still find something to photograph.

When I got to the park things were pretty barren.  What made matters worse is that there have been a lot of houses built around the lake which is the centerpiece of the park.  It quickly entered my mind that it was probably a waste bringing all my camera gear. 

When I walked down to the lake shore Friday afternoon the light was nice but it seemed like everywhere I pointed my camera there was a house in the picture.  Eventually I spotted a cedar tree sitting atop a rock cropping and pointed my lens upward so that no houses could be seen.  The image above was the result.   The following morning I got up for sunrise and discovered that a heavy fog had settled on the lake.  As a result the houses on the lake could not be seen.  This enabled me to get the image below of the same tree.

Reflecting on my photographic experience at Rough River Dam S.P., I was reminded that there are a lot of things that can distract us from seeing the beauty of God’s handiwork.  At times we will have to work hard to find and take in the beauty that is there.  At other times we may just have to wait for conditions to change.

This parallels my experience with God.  Although God is always there many times I find it hard to “see” Him due to all of the distractions in my life.  I’ve learned that if I will discipline myself to “look upwards” so that the distractions are removed it increases the chance of my experiencing God in that moment.  There are other times, however, when seeing God is not difficult at all.  It’s almost like He graciously removes all distractions.  I have to admit that the former is my more common experience; it usually involves some effort on my part to see and experience God.  I do not complain this is so because either way it is a miracle to me that the Maker of heaven and earth desires to make Himself known to us.  He truly is an awesome God!

–Chuck