Ordinary Resurrections

Christ Church United Methodist

April 16, 2008

Rev. Amy Alletzhauser

The quiet words of the wise are more effective than the ranting of a king of fools. Wisdom is better than warheads, but one hothead can ruin the good earth. Ecclesiastes 9 The phone rang while I was putting out the fire. It had been burning for a few minutes. I was watching it go out; much like one does around the campfire. The problem of course, was that this was my dinner burning in the kitchen sink. (Broiling is over rated.)

I asked my friend Charlie to call me back after the fire was out. He agreed. Silly, to think he would know when the fire was out. Silly, to think I would answer the phone while putting out a fire.

Carrying on life as usual while a fire burns is a parallel for how we go about living in the midst of environmental crisis. How do we face the fact that the environmental crisis is a fire raging?

In a few different local church meetings we’ve discussed how to more effectively care for God’s environment. At the Conference level the Trustees and Church and Society committee are producing information to assist local churches in going “green”.

Information about environment is one thing. Relationship to the environment is quite another thing. Relating to the environment as a creation that is as important as human creation is what helps me to act differently in relation to the environmental crisis. Information helps, but without a relationship, information means nothing.

My relationship to the earth changes my choices at home and as a consumer at the store. At home I fully believe that reducing my energy consumption is keeping the environment healthy. At the grocery store I radically diminish what I buy in packages. Doing this helps me see how utilitarian I am.

I use the environment at my convenience. It is Machiavellian really, using someone to get what I want, but otherwise disregarding the person… placing expediency above morality. I observe how subtle and overt the deception of caring for the earth is in my life. I claim to myself, “go ahead, buy waters in the bottle, you need to drink more water.” I stopped buying water bottles eight months ago because I realized I could drink water without using all the plastics.

The water bottle issue led me to realize how God’s creation is on fire but I go on as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening. I’ve come to realize that when a fire is burning, concentrate on the fire.

At church, how are we wise about the environment and what needs improving? How do we meet our needs without raping the earth?

Prayer: God of Sunrise and sunset, God of the butterflies and blue skies, awaken urgency within us. Bring us to a place of pause. Take us out of the ordinariness of now. And then, help us see how we harm your created world. Keep us mindful of our practices that we bring healing where healing is needed. In the name of Resurrection, here and now, Jesus Christ. Amen.