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….
No comments:
Post a Comment