This past week was a difficult one for many of us in Oregon. 10 days of smoke kept us locked in our houses, windows sealed with tape, and filters strapped to fans. Each day we heard of more loss, of houses burned, businesses destroyed, and people who were unable to escape the fires. In the aftermath of this our parish stepped up, we explored opening a shelter, offered up our parking lot and building as needed, and partnered with the Oak Grove UMC to support their work keeping our houseless neighbors safe and inside while the air was toxic. Gifts were made to the Red Cross and the Phoenix/Talent School District.
We know that there will be ways we can continue to love our neighbors as they grieve, rebuild, and move on. And we will do so
And yet it’s not enough. So much of where we are today, in this wild year of 2020 is the predictable outcomes of climate change. So many hurricanes, out of control wildfires in places we don’t expect them (remember Australia last January??), rising water temperatures, colder and earlier storms.
We as people of faith are responsible for the earth. In Genesis 1 God speaks and says,
“Let us make human beings in our image, make them,
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
they created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
They created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
It is up to us. As a child I read the book 101 things you can do to save the earth. I did those things. I recycle, I own a hybrid, I reduce my packaging, and reuse items. I don’t use chemicals on my lawn and I donate to the Sierra Club. And this too is not enough. To really make a difference we have to advocate for responsible laws and policies that care for creation. We have to think critically about how we spend our money, and examine the lifestyles we live that consume so much energy and resources. God is calling us, the earth is crying out to us, and we can see on the faces of those who have lost so much how much more we have to lose.
We can get started by checking our carbon emissions related to our household energy, transportation and waste here: https://www3.epa.gov/carbon-footprint-calculator/
You can also read more from the Natural Resources Defense Council, with this great comic as good place to start to understand some of the bigger choices before us.
God has given us the gift of being responsible for the earth.
May we take that responsibility seriously now and always.
-Eilidh
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