Earth Care

I was looking ahead to the April schedule and noticed that my next article for the Brainerd Dispatch Clergy View is due on Earth Day, April 22, for publication on Friday the 25 which is Arbor Day. (Also Great Friday in the Orthodox church.) It's an interesting collection of themes. Are they Holidays...as in holy days? First of all, I am happy that "Earth Day" is printed on my denominational calendar. In what year did that first get included? Earth-care issues have moved more into the spiritual core of today's generation of Christianity and it now seems to be transcending the old destructive divisions of the political-religious right/left patterns. Yesterday Scott G. from Park church was telling me how his family had participated in the Earth Hour"" lights out hour, along with many cities around the world. I wonder how many other households participated? Jeff Reed's blog that I often reference is another good example of spirituality and ethics. "Going Green" for many people has deep religious groundings.
While my practices and lifestyle lag behind, seriously behind, my sense of the vision, I am also remembering that my earlier spiritual life was intuitively fed by my hours in the ponds and the coolie behind our house in the country. ..or the nearby large groves of trees. My family was kind enough to endure the many aquariums, terrariums and the like that I had in my room, filled with ants or frogs.,crickets, salamanders and the like. My school years were enriched by the ecological interests of the late 60s and early 70's and my early career interests were towards ecology or conservation. I look at the the prayers that I wrote in early years of ministry and the strains of "natural revelation" were clearly there. Now I feel like I am going back to the spiritual insights of rhythms and interconnectedness that I saw in nature.


This morning also I read this quote from the Spirituality and Practice web site:
Losing a species to extinction
Is like tearing a page
Out of sacred scripture.
— Calvin DeWitt quoted in Ponderings from the Precipice by James Conlon

Again, its the point that spirituality and earth care are partnered.
I have some other relevant quotes form Martin Luther, Meister Eckhardt, and even Oswald Chambers, that I can't find at the moment, that I will possibly put into my clergy view article when I actually get around to writing it. For now, here is something in the same line;

The Beatitudes for Ecologists/Environmentalists

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who know how little they know and are therefore willing to listen to the world to see what it says about itself. Theirs is the path that leads to whatever wonder there is to be found.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are those who understand that all is not well. Blessed are those unwilling to drink the Kool-Aid of false hope that says otherwise. Blessed are those who know we are in the process of losing something. They are the ones with any real of hope of changing things.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Blessed are those who understand that the earth is a gift of inestimable worth. In the end, they are the only ones in a position to receive it.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are those whose souls ache with a sharp craving for things to be better, for the wrongs we are inflicting to be righted, for the course we’re on to be corrected. Those who have such hunger are the first in line for its filling.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are those who long to use their power to give what is endangered a chance. Blessed are those inclined to cut what is standing in the path of our greed some slack. They’ll be given the slack they need to survive when the time comes.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.Blessed are those willing to refuse illusion. They are the ones with a vision ruthless enough to perceive God

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God.

Blessed are those willing to do what needs to be done with those who are needed to do it. Blessed are those who are eager to make of their adversaries, allies. Blessed are those who are willing to call it creation if it will help to save it. They will be called cooperators with the divine.

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those whose concern for the forests earns them the “tree-hugger” title.
Blessed are those whose love for the planet puts them in the “wacko” category. They are the ones who love heaven enough to want to bring it back to earth.

(the source for this "beatitudes" on the internet, that I can trace, would be Ken Wilson from the Vineyard Churches)


PS.
I picked up the book Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne and Chris Haws; (see the website they have also.)
The problem I suspect, if I continue to read it, is that I will see its truth, and the truth will bother me!
Anybody out there reading it? It would be an interesting mix into all the banter about Sen. Obama and the Rev. J. Wright sound bytes!

Rambling on,