"Creation flavored" thoughts on the lectionary texts
Date: September 14, 2008
(Just under the wire with this one! Somehow last week kind of got away from me - and then I had written some
of this on the back of an invoice - the only paper I had available at the time - and then filed it with the rest of the bills!)
Text: Exodus 15.1b-11, 20-21 Celebration!
Thoughts
"The horse and his rider (God) has thrown into the sea" - what have we thrown into the sea, in particular along the lines
of military hardware or toxic waste? Or things like plastic bags that get eaten by the sea turtles. Or garbage
or agricultural run-off that creates algae blooms. Or mud and topsoil from deforested areas? While I was writing
this, the plane was circling LAX to use up fuel before making an emergency landing. One commentator suggested dumping
fuel in the ocean, but I don't know if that actually happened or not!
In 1945 the Army dumped 600 tons of 50 caliber projectiles in Lake Superior. Between 1959 and 1962 the Corps of
Engineers (on behalf of the Army) dumped 1,400 barrels in the lake.
Text: Exodus 14.19-31 At the Sea
Thoughts
The storm surge, the seiche - natural terms for similar events. How "natural" an event do you think of this as?
(How's that for a sentence?!)
The sea always returns! According to the book World Without Us - it would return to the New York subways
in just a few days if we (humans) weren't there to service the pumps! Is the sea returning from the polar ice caps with
resulting sea level rise?
A theological issue - is God vindictive or even purposeful in the storms (for current example - Gustave, Hanna, Ike,...)
or not? I believe not.
Text: Romans 14.1-12 Who are you accountable
to?
(That's right, I'm doing my occasional detour into the Epistles! I figure it's just good for my soul.)
Thoughts
The weak man eats only vegetables! (Except on Packer nights when he has bratwurst with sauerkraut!)
Actually God welcomes both vegans and carnivores! I think it was in Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (Barbara Kingsolver)
the point gets made that even for strict vegans, some animals suffer in the production of our food - habitat gets diminished
or destroyed, field mice die in the planting and harvesting. Life lives off of life - life offers itself up to life.
Vegan or carnivore - one can still eat responsibly. And neither should look down on the other.
There is still the issue of people who eat responsibly and people who eat irresponsibly. A story in
the Food and Faith book (Michael Schut) described the difference between simple, natural, wholesome eating and extravagant,
opulent eating. There are situations where we are accountable to each other - lawn chemicals, carbon footprint, recycling
practices - because our actions affect others; but even more we are accountable to God for how we live as part of God's Creation.
Prayer
Creator God,
in your interconnected world
the action of one has an effect on another.
During these days we are particularly concerned
that our actions may be having harmful effects
on some of the poorest people and countries in the world,
as storms bring wind and water in damaging amounts.
We pray for their safety in the face of, and the aftermath of,
Gustav, Hanna, and Ike.
Make us generous in our response to these events. Amen.
One Thing to Do This Week
