Happy Earth Day from the Moon
This Earth Day 2007 essay was written by me for the Sunday service at First Presbyterian Church, Bloomington, Indiana on April 22, 2007.
On Christmas Eve 1968 two brothers Jeff, ten years old and Tim, six years old, were captivated as the crew of Apollo 8 sent fuzzy television images from the Moon. The crew of Apollo 8 were the first three humans to look back at the Earth from so far away. That night, they read from the first book of Genesis as the crescent of the small, blue orb came into view above the lunar horizon. They started reading, "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
These words took on a new clarity as the Earth was seen in the vast firmament of space. How small it seemed. How fragile it seemed. How special that God had created this home for us.
Jeff and I used to dream of what the future held. As children, we had such hopes, such dreams for the future fueled by the moon landings and science fiction. Through science fiction, we were usually presented with two futures. One future was a world devastated by war, pestilence, or pollution. The other was a future where we humans had overcome these obstacles and were living in peace and taking care of our world.
I must admit that now in our forties, my brother and I have become rather disillusioned. We never expected some of the bad things that fiction told us could happen, or really would happen. But they did and they are. Whether we want to believe it or not, the Earth is faced with serious changes to its air, land and water. It’s what is commonly known as “Global Warming.”
But what does this mean to Christians? In Genesis, God creates the Earth for mankind. Chapter 1, Verse 28 in one Bible translation reads, “Fill the earth and bring it under your control.” Another translation reads it, “Fill the earth and govern it.” Yet another reads, “replenish the earth, and subdue it…” What is God charging us here? I think an old school interpretation would mean to, “use as we see fit, or use up as if there is an infinite amount of resources.” I think its meaning is closer to this phrase in our church mission statement. It reads, "Be good stewards of God's creation."
Taking this statement and putting our faith into action, a small group ministry of a dozen people, including myself, has formed here at the church. We call ourselves, “Earth Stewards.”
As individuals and as a group we pledge to become better stewards of God’s creation, despite the rather daunting challenges ahead. And yes, they are daunting.
Now, I could stand up here for a long time and recite the facts and figures about carbon emissions, vanishing glaciers, polluted air, rising sea levels, rising temperatures, and how time is running out turn the tide. It can all seem overwhelming. I know it does to me at times. But that does not mean I am without hope. It does not mean I feel there is nothing we can do. It does not mean I will sit by, live in fear, and do nothing. We must act, not only for ourselves in this generation, but for the next and future generations. And I know that God is with us in this work.
The Earth Stewards group was formed to come up with practical ways for each of us to make a difference. Not only are we seeking ways to make a difference in our personal lives, we are also making a difference right here with our church family. We are starting with action steps for Earth Day. These steps include:
1) Enhance and increase visibility of recycling efforts at the church by placing recycling bins in classrooms and common areas like Lyman Hall
2) To the extent possible, use recycled paper (post-consumer content) for printed items generated by the church, such as the Visitor and Sunday bulletins
3) Put the Visitor on the web site, and ask those who are willing to read it on-line to sign-up to be taken off that mailing list.
4) Continue efforts to carpool, bicycle or walk to church. This is what we’re calling the Car-less challenge.
Discussion has also begun in conjunction with the Property Committee on the possibilities of other such green improvements as low-flow toilets and on-demand water heating.
Want to know more? Read the May “Visitor” newsletter to find out how
to access the Earth Stewards website. Also coming in May, we’ll have on
both the website and in print form tips for simple strategies for one
person or a whole family on :
Light Bulbs, Plastic Grocery Bags,
Car-Pooling, Expanded Recycling Options and Trees & Gardens. But
wait! There’s more! Speaking of trees and gardens, next month the Earth
Stewards will offer a special program on landscaping. And if you check
the insert in your bulletin this morning, you find that we’re going to
have an Earth Stewards outing to the T.C. Steele Site, next Sunday,
April the 29th.
I will leave you by paraphrasing the last words of that Christmas Eve message from space in 1968: "And from the Earth Stewards, we close with, Happy Earth Day, and God bless all of you - all of you on the good Earth."
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