Happy Earth Day! Actually, Earth Day was officially on Friday, one knows why it is celebrated on this date. This year was especially

Transcription

1 Happy Earth Day! Actually, Earth Day was officially on Friday, because it is always celebrated on April 22 nd. It began in 1970 and no one knows why it is celebrated on this date. This year was especially Page 1 significant because Canada was one of 160 countries to sign the Paris Climate Agreement to reduce global warming. Why should we care? Because our New Creed calls us to live with respect in Creation. If we look at the reading we heard today from Genesis (1:24-26) there is a clear connection between the creation of humankind, and our responsibility to care for the earth. It is a theme throughout the Hebrew bible that the earth is good, because it is made for us by God. We are uniquely designed for life on this planet. We are able to walk on the earth, eat its foods, and breathe its air because of the way we are made. Or perhaps the earth was designed to meet our needs. Either way, we have a duty to care for the world. According to Genesis this is called dominion or lordship but it also implies caring and stewardship. Agriculture is considered to be the foundation of civilization. It marked the change from a nomadic culture to one in which other aspects of life could flourish, like language and arts.

2 I have to admit; I grew up as a city girl and knew nothing about where food came from. If you d asked me, I would probably have told you that it came from the grocery store. Like most people, I just Page 2 assumed that the world would continue to be the way that it was. But we have not lived with respect in Creation. We have not exercised our dominion in a positive way. Global warming, climate change, pollution of the water and air are just some of the consequences of our economic policies. Natural disasters are also increasing. Why should we care? Because what we do in our own backyards makes a difference around the world. Pesticides and fertilizers have not increased crop yields significantly over time, and have had negative effects on the ecosystem and human health. In 2011, the worst algae bloom was seen in Lake Erie by satellite and was caused by the run-off from fertilizers. The United Church of Canada has been one of the members of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank since It encourages sustainable growth, and provides seeds and tools. I was going to say this aid is

3 given to the Third World but recently I read that the developing countries are actually the two-thirds world. Why should we care? Scientists tell us that the universe is filled with Page 3 more holes and bubbles than we can imagine. Our earth is very precious and unique in its ability to sustain life. Scripture tells us that we alone are made in the image of God. But we are all made in God s likeness, not just the few and powerful. It might seem to most of us that we are just too small to make a difference. Nothing could be further from the truth. Each one of us can do something, whether it is to plant a tree, or some wildflowers to help support the butterflies and bees. On the website for Earth Day there are ten suggestions on how you can support the environment, from reusable coffee cups to buying local produce. Why does this matter? Because, ironically, at the same time when we have more food production than ever, we also have more hungry people. The Canadian Foodgrains Bank started a project in Bangladesh to help rural women raise ducks, to support their families. There have been

4 efforts in East Africa to produce more food by crop rotation and something called intercropping. But doesn t all this greening of the economy mean fewer jobs? Well Page 4 that s certainly what the premier of Alberta would have us think. In an interview recently she said that pipelines are a path to funding the transition to a de-carbonized economy. To me that s like saying we ll legalize heroin to fund an anti-drug campaign. According to an article by CNN, there are good economic reasons to support a greener economy. Solar power is cheaper than ever, and electric cars are increasing in popularity. The world has invested twice as much in clean energy than in coal and gas. What does this mean for us as Canadians? It means that one of our political parties is advocating that there should be no new infrastructure for fossil fuels, and that more jobs be created in what are called lowcarbon jobs. We need to end trade deals with countries that would put our own agricultural system at risk. Does this sound impossible? According to the Earth Day organization, it s possible to reverse climate change by planting one tree

5 for every person on the planet. That s 7.8 billion trees by Canada has committed to planting 35 million trees, which means 25,000 trees every day. Page 5 Our scriptures tell us quite plainly that caring for the earth means caring for one another. Part of how we honour our God-given creation is by sharing it with all of God s children. In Genesis the link is made between God s caring for us and our caring for Creation. This is not just a practical idea but an ethical standard as well. When we care for creation, we are caring for each other. You can t have one without the other. Jesus showed us that caring for others is the way to honour God. He made himself a servant to prove that power was not the result of force, but of humility. The one who serves is greater than the one who is served. That seems to be a reversal of the order of things, but Jesus loved a paradox. Changing things up makes us think about things we may have taken for granted. How do we love and serve others? First of all, we need to recognize our interconnectedness. Whatever affects one person affects us all. If

6 one person is not free, then no-one is free, because true freedom means that all are free. Recently I watched a documentary about Malala Yousafaiz, the Page 6 Pakistani teenager who was shot by the Taliban because she went to school. Since her recovery it has been her mission to advocate for the education of girls all over the world. When she addressed the United Nations she told them, One child, one teacher, one book, can make a difference. Malala has no bitterness or anger towards the person who shot her. She explains this by saying that she wasn t shot by a person, but by an ideology. Bullets can t stop the spread of ideas. When Jesus told the disciples to serve one another as he had served them, he probably knew that after the crucifixion they would scatter and hide. It wasn t until after the resurrection that they became apostles instead of disciples. To be an apostle means to share the good news, which in Greek is called evangelism. We are also carriers of the good news, that we are called to live with respect in Creation and to love and serve others.

7 In this season of Easter, we learn to practice care of one another and our earth. Soon the fire of Pentecost will come, igniting our spirits with the Holy Spirit. Until the day comes when God chooses to make a new Page 7 earth and a new heaven, we are the stewards of this earth, and servants of each other. We follow in the footsteps of Jesus, with grace, humility, and love. Amen.