WWJD: The BP Oil Spill

A Sermon from Journey UCC on Sunday, July 11, 2010

Sermon Notes:  www.thedailygreen.org; 

“BP, You and Me”, a sermon by Dave Russell, First Baptist Church, Ames, IA, www.davidrussell.com/2010/06/bp-you-and-me-June-6-2010.html;  

“BP’s Oil Disaster: What Would Jesus Do?”, Don Gordon, Ethics Daily, www.ethicsdaily.com

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bp+oil+spill&aq=f

It’s been going on for weeks now. In addition to the YouTube you just watched there are an abundance of bloggers, columnists and commentators weighing in on the oil spill. Daily we see images of oil slicks, tar balls, oil-soaked wildlife and more. The disaster seems to be growing out of control.


Thousands have lost their jobs. Fishermen who can’t fish. Shrimpers whose boats are not able to make their daily rounds. Those who harvest oysters whose livelihood has been most dramatically affected. Those who work in the hotels and restaurant industry who will not be able to keep their businesses open. Those who are out of work have children to feed and clothe. They have mortgages to pay and expenses to cover. Some of the communities most affected by the spill were not affluent areas to begin with. It’s hitting those who are least able to cope.


As in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, there are reports of sickness among those who are working to clean up the mess, spending day after day breathing in fumes from the oil-filled waters and beaches. There are the kinds of losses we don’t even know about yet.

There is good news: There is hope that a new containment cap will be installed this weekend which will greatly reduce the amount leaking in to the gulf each day; BP anticipates that by the end of the month the first of the relief wells will be completed and the flow might be cut off completely. Unfortunately, hurricane season is just starting up. The oil is moving quickly to coastlands near and far.

The easy answer might be that Jesus would simply raise his hands and start shouting out commands and miraculously heal the Gulf. Stop up the gusher , remove the oil, cleanse the beaches and heal the wildlife. The story of Jesus calming the waters of the Sea of Galilee comes to mind.


But the reality is that Jesus has intervened so dramatically since he left this earth nearly 2000 years ago. These days, he works through people to accomplish his purpose, so the question isn’t so much “What Would Jesus Do?” as “What Would Jesus Have US do?” What should WE be doing?

We see the images, we read the reports, we hear the news on a daily basis … yet, in some ways it feels like we are in some ways very disconnected from the whole thing. At times it feels very removed from us.But it’s NOT! We are all connected!!! Scientists understand that reality; a change to one part of the system will affect the whole. A biologist will tell you the same thing. As will social scientists, sociologists and psychologists and political scientists. The parts are all connected - in our ecosystem, in our relationships, in almost every aspect of our world. It’s something our faith teaches as well. Our readings for today bring home the point. We are connected to creation and we are connected to one another.

From the opening chapters of Genesis, we are told that human beings are to care for all of creation. Adam is instructed to till and keep the garden – to care for it. It is God’s good gift to humanity. We’ve done pretty well with the “tilling” part; we’ve not done so well with the “caring” part.


The earth has a great capacity to heal itself. But it is still fragile and when one part of creation suffers it has repercussions that we don’t often grasp. The oil spill threatens wetlands and coral reefs that serve as buffers and protect the mainland from storms. The dispersants that are being so widely deployed will have consequences we’re not aware of. Many fear they are more dangerous than the oil itself. We see the animals dying on the shore, but we don’t see what is happening in the depths of the ocean, an dhow those effects may ripple through the food chain.


Our actions have consequences. We do have the power to change the earth. The disaster serves as a reminder that we are all connected. Our constant need for more and better stuff and the choices we make about how we live leads to a huge dependence on oil; our need for oil leads to drilling in the ocean, our desire for quick profits leads to cutting corners which led to the disaster.


Fouled waters lead to fishing grounds being closed and plant and sea life dying and decreased travellers to the coast; all of this leads to businesses closing; which leads to people losing their jobs and eventually to coastal communities drying up. The connections go on and on.


And in the midst of the connections we’re reminded that we’re not only connected to creation, but we are also connected to one another. The Apostle Paul had a similar image in mind when he said that we are all part of the Body of Christ. We are interlocked with other human beings in the consequences of our actions, thoughts and feelings … not just here at Journey … but way beyond our geographical boundaries as well.


In many ways, the spill is a huge wake up call that reminds us that our actions which are often rooted in our materialism and our consumerism have an impact on people in other places. Our addiction to oil and failure to move toward clean, renewable energy will deeply affect our planet and the people we share this planet with.


The disaster in the gulf is a reminder of our connectedness.


So, what’s the answer? What would Jesus have us do?


We could make a long list: corporate responsibility, more regulations and oversight of industries with potential for such tremendous environmental damage, actions to protect waters, coastlands, plant and animal life, and people’s livelihoods.


But it's not just about "them"; it's also about "us"


Jim Wallis, from Sojourners, had a great article in the Times Union yesterday and if you haven’t ready, you can check out the link on Facebook. Here’s what Jim has to say early on in the crisis: “We literally need a conversion of our habits of the heart, our energy sources, and our lifestyle choices. And somebody will need to lead the way. Who will dare to say that an economy of endless growth must be confronted and converted to an economy of sustainability, to what the Bible calls stewardship? What about the community of faith?”


We’ve started to take his words to heart. As a church, we use energy efficient light bulbs, we don’t use paper towels or paper plates or paper cups. On a personal level, most of have taken steps to avoid gas guzzlers, to purchase energy efficient appliances. We try to support initiatives that are sustainable and earth-friendly. But can we do more?

What will be our next steps….

WWJD: Immigration Reform

What Would Jesus Do?: Immigration Reform
a sermon from Journey United Church of Christ, Delmar, NY
(with references to resources from the www.ucc.org and www.sojo.org (see Sermon Notes at end)
Sunday, July 4, 2010

Several months ago the state of Arizona received nation-wide attention with proposition SB 1070, a proposal that would give law enforcement officials the right to demand that folks be prepared, upon request, the paperwork supporting their legal status as residents or citizens of our country. While some supported the new move as a necessary means to address the issue of those who crossed the border illegally”, others across the nation rallied in outrage pointing out that the measure amounted to nothing more than racial profiling that would result in the harassment of Latinos in the state.


The United Church of Christ jumped on board by raising money of an ad campaign that opposed proposition. The issue isn’t new to the UCC. For years the Justice and Witness Ministries have been working towards immigration reform. For the last 2 years, frustrated over the failure to pass a comprehensive reform package, they have designated the first Sunday in May as “Immigration Rights Sunday”.


I’ll admit that up until this week, I wasn’t really all that knowledgeable about the movement. I’d get news blurbs here and there … but this series have me a great excuse to dig a little deeper in a quest for understanding. I still have a long way to go … but I think I have a better understanding of what Jesus would do in response to issues related to immigration.


Now Jesus didn’t come right out and address the issue of immigration and proposition SB- 1070. He lived in a different time and a different place. But based on what he did say and what he did do, I think we can paint a pretty good picture of how he would respond… a lot of our attitudes in life are developed in those early formative years … and the same was true for Jesus…Remember that Jesus was raised a good Jewish boy which means he was schooled in ancient Israel’s understanding of the land and the ancient rules of hospitality.


First a word about the land: The Psalmist says “the earth is God’s and all that is in it … this is not our land nor our wealth … it is God’s land. (Psalm 24:1) God, in an incredibly act of hospitality allowed us to be stewards of the land. All good things of creation are gifts of God held in trust for the good of the whole human family. It’s important because a lot of how we feel about those who cross our boarder is based on fear about how it will affect OUR land, OUR resources, OUR stuff…Perhaps it would do us well to remember that what we have – all we have – is God’s, not ours. We have no right to abuse the earth, nor to hoard its wealth. Jesus “got” that … it was at the core of his being … from the beginning..


But beyond the understanding of the land, Jesus would have also had a deep understanding of and appreciation for the ancient rules of hospitality … Hospitality is one of the grand themes of the Bible. When the people of Israel wander in the wilderness, God provides them with manna and water, as a gracious host. When the refugees finally enter the Promised Land and settle down, they are told them must follow God’s gracious example. Love the sojourner” it says in the book of Deuteronomy, for you yourselves were one sojourners in the land of Egypt. “


Ourscripture we heard from the Hebrew law “When a foreigner resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress that alien. The foreigner who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the foreigner for you were aliens in the land of Egypt and I the Lord your God”.


The people of Israel are called to remember their own experience with a border and what it meant to be strangers in a new land …And not only were they required to accept the foreigners in their midst, they also had to care for them, provide for them, and share with them. Again form their law code “when you harvest your fields, do not cut the grain at the edges of the field and do not go back to cut the heads of the grain that were left. Leave them for the poor and the foreigners. For I am the lord your God (Lev 19:9-10)


In Duet we read “at the end of every third year, bring the tithe of all your crops and store it in your towns. This food is for the Levites since the own no property and for foreigners, orphans, and widows who live in your town. They are to come get all they need. (Duet 14:28)


Now think about that. Can you imagine a large corporate American farm inviting immigrants from Mexico to share the harvest? Or imagine one of the big stores at the mall holding back a portion of their spring collection to give recent immigrants from Haiti. The biblical stuff is challenging. It’s not easy; and it’s often at odds with our affluent 20th century lifestyle. .. and perhaps we justify our fears by saying “but that was ancient Israel”, “those were the old rule”, “all of that stuff isn’t relevant for us today ….

But then there’s the very life of Jesus Himself…. The theme of “hospitality continues in his story.

Every Christmas we retell the story of a poor, young, unwed mother who gave birth to a child in a manger. Then that mother and her husband had to feel from political repression. They had to escape the tyranny of Herod just as people today escape the tyranny in some countries around this world Mary, Joseph and the child race to the border with Egypt and they were allowed to cross. They weren’t stopped as checkpoint. They didn’t have to produce paperwork showing they were “legal”. No, they simply crossed the border, found sanctuary in a new land and stayed there until it was safe to return. Jesus was a refugee child, an immigrant himself.  Jesus would live his life without regard for the status of those who he routinely encountered. He didn’t define them by resident, alien, citizen or non-citizen; he routinely interacted with those whom others regarded as less than desirable – the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the poor, the widows, the children … Jesus would go on to teach that acts of hospitality are actually the prime indicator of a person’s relationship with God.

Here in the United States we continue our conflicting tradition of hospitality and hostility towards the stranger.


Benjamin Franklin once noted, “America has hailed newcomers to its shores as the bulwark of democracy; however in times of crisis, it has also used the foreign born as a scapegoat for unsolved social problems.”


For the first hundred years, the United States welcomed immigrants with open arms. In 1819, Congress encouraged immigration by setting stands for the passenger ships to make the voyage to America more comfortable. Only after the frontier was settled in the late 1800s did limits on immigration being. Ironically, just as the Statute of Liberty in 1886 began welcoming Immigrants into New York’s harbor, the United Stated began turning them away. The list of who is NOT allowed has grown and become longer and longer over the years.
A Newsweek survey most Americans today think immigration was a good think in our nations’ past – it helped make us who we are. But 60% of the people in that survey said immigration is a bad thing now.


What to do?



It occurs to me that the first step in reversing the trend and reclaiming our role as God’s hospitality team is to get the right information. To get an education. I believe that, as American’s we’ve been given a lot of false information when it comes to immigration. I’ve inserted some information from Sojourners magazine entitled “10 Myths About Immigration”. I challenge you to spend some time looking it over and see if you feel you’ve got the right information.


Once we get accurate information, then we can more clearly determine our next steps. One pastor put it this way … “Each of us must struggle with this issue for ourselves - - To listen to our “Still Speaking” God. My faith requires that I take a closer look at Immigration reform and call for borders that are more open and free. To do otherwise is a symbol of greed. This is God’s land. I am but a steward without the right to keep others away.
In a day of scape-goating, of fear, of what to me is clearly racist immigrant bashing I think those of us who ask “What would Jesus do” need a bigger vision and deeper hope.  Do remember the divine question, when I was hungry, did you feed me, when I was thirsty did you give me a drink, when I was naked did you clothe me, when I was a stranger, did you welcome me. The spirit of God swells in each person seeking to cross our border whether from Mexico or Haiti, Poland or China. Do we dare look upon those strangers and not welcome them?
“Truly I say to you, just as you did not do to the least of these, so you did not do it to me..”


What will we do with the stranger in need?

Sermon Notes:
• Why I Don’t Believe in Borders, Rev. Jerald Stinson, Pilgrim United Church of Christ, Carlbad, California, 1993, www.ucc.org/justice/immigration
• `No Human Being is Illegal, Rev. Loren McGrail, 2009 www.ucc.org/justice/immigration
• I Was a Stranger and You Welcomed Me”: Sermon Resources on Immigration, Sojourners, www.sojo.net/immigration