Rogation
Sunday
April 24, 2005
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Jesus said, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me." [Jn. 14]
Today is Rogation Sunday. It is traditionally a time before Ascension Day when we ask God's blessings on the seeds sown in spring and upon our parish. Since Rogation Sunday is usually celebrated close to Earth Day, I use this opportunity to preach about the stewardship of the earth. Since today's readings from the Holy Scriptures do not have much to do with stewardship of the earth, I will only mildly refer to today's gospel.
This past Friday was "Earth Day" but there was little joy in America's environmental movement. The environmental movement has less national political clout today than at any time since the first Earth Day, thirty-five years ago. The White House, congress, and Supreme Court are not promoting new environmental laws and are often working to rewrite existing ones. While 70% of Americans say they support the goals of the environmental movement, that support is often very shallow. Take for instance the media (which produces the kind of news that most people will watch). On Friday evening, I scanned the news on all of the major networks. The lead story being reported was the "finger fiasco incident" (FFI) involving a woman who claimed to have received food from a Wendy's Restaurant containing a human finger. For at least five minutes or more, station after station gave details of the FFI. There was only a 30 second blurb showing President Bush in Tennessee, speaking about the importance of protecting the environment.
It is hard for me to accept that most Americans are more concerned about a finger than they are about a planet which is facing an environmental crisis of great magnitude. Perhaps they are just tired or do not know what to do. But the fact is, environmental coverage on TV has decreased while coverage of stories like Michael Jackson, Laci J. Peterson, and the FFI, continue to increase.
There are two major issues that are at the core of the environmental crises. They are:
There is a thermal blanket that now covers our earth. This thermal blanket is called global warming. It is caused by using too much carbon-based fuel, such as oil and coal. Global warming causes changes in climate, melting of the glaciers, and more frequent hurricanes. As the climate changes, so does our ability to grow food. Providing enough water for the growing population has also become a critical environmental concern in many nations. In five years, it is likely that China will have depleted its underground water tables and its rivers will not provide enough water for agricultural needs. The cradle of Chinese civilization for thousands of years has been the Yellow River. In 1972, the first time in recorded history, it failed to reach the sea for 15 days. Since 1985, it has run dry for an increasing part of each year. In 1997, this river failed to reach the sea for 226 days.
Now if you think that the desperate water situation in China has little effect on our lives, think again. Without enough water, China will require a massive importation of grain from other countries. With nearly 1.3 billion people to feed, a fast-growing economy, and a multi-billion dollar trade surplus with the United States, this environmental crisis has the potential to disrupt world grain markets which could soon mean rising food prices for the entire world. We are interconnected with the world and all of creation.
There are two ways to address the environmental crisis we are now facing. The first is to embrace an "I have a nightmare" speech. This has been the technique of environmentalists over the past few decades, who point out the destruction of the rainforests, the effects of global warming, the depletion of the ozone layer, acid rain, smog, the desertification of northern Africa, over consumption of resources, the population explosion, the global shortage of food and water, and the pollution of the environment. This "I have a nightmare speech" gets our attention and even scares us. But after awhile, we become overwhelmed and are unable or unwilling to come up with solutions that solve the multitude of problems. Making large personal sacrifices for the protection of our environment often comes into conflict with our desire for a more robust economy, job security, and a comfortable lifestyle. What are we to do?
Another way to address the environmental crisis is to embrace an "I have a dream" speech; a speech that lays out a vision for a new-world order, a new way of organizing our economy, a new way of relating to our environment. In this "I have a dream vision", one can easily imagine a momentum (building up over time) which harnesses the resources, the energy, talent, excitement, and intelligence, (not only of our environmentalists), but also of our citizens, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and politicians. Imagine all parties being encouraged and brought together to brainstorm and to create a successful economy that utilizes alternative energy resources and employs millions and millions of people to make this environmentally-friendly society work. If we can make it to the moon, if we can create a computerized world by manipulating electrons in a silicon chip, then we certainly can reverse the damages to mother earth by living differently so that all of God's creation is honored. Let me offer a few theological underpinnings that support this "I have a dream vision."
Alleluia, Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia!
| Updated 4/25/05 |
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