April 20, 2008

Message

The Rev. A. Thomas Carlson

Scriptures: I Peter 2:2-10

John 14:1-14

Have you seen The Rev. Al Sharpton and The Rev. Pat Robertson sitting in beach chairs with the ocean as the backdrop? The left and the right come together over the need to care for the Earth. Yes, it is a commercial with Pat Robertson concluding, “It’s the right thing to do” with Al Sharpton responding, “there you go again, Brother Pat.”

Today is Earth Day and as Christians we could do more to focus on the stewardship of creation. It is true that the younger generation tends to look with passion at the issue, how about the rest of us? Those sincerely concerned about the care of their budgets, both at home and at church, will receive a double blessing by being less wasteful and more focused on conservation.

The Faith Lens web page, designed for teenagers, offers this statistic. “Energy Star for Congregations says that congregations can cut utility costs by 25-30% when committing to energy savings. And the U. S. Department of Energy added up that if all 307,000 U. S. worship buildings would cut their energy use by 25%, 5 million tons of CO2 emissions could be prevented and $500,000,000.00 could be spent on other congregational activities rather than on electricity and heating.” This is a “Faith Lens” for all of us, not just teens!

I felt this needed to be said, even if it doesn’t fit neatly into the Scripture themes for today. Perhaps Eugene Peterson’s translation of I Peter 2:4a, 5 comes close: “Welcome to the living stone, the source of life . . . Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God.” (The Message).

I’m not equating a high-energy star rating with Christ-approved living. I’m not saying that sharing the Gospel and going “green” are one in the same! But Christ-approved living will have in it, appropriate care and concern for all aspects of life, including God’s creation. Stewardship doesn’t focus only on money, it has a concern for how Christians handle all aspects of life, including the environment.

Before moving on with this text, I want to say that we have a wonderful piece of property to practice care and conservation on. Have you walked the trail under the trees out back and heard the owls? I have! Those of us who worshipped just across the property line into Keeney Park recognize that this sanctuary is not the only worship space around here! Who knows what will be discovered in the future?

So, whether it is Earth Day or not—whether we worship indoors or outdoors, Peter is telling us to present ourselves as “building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life. . . .” Caring for the Earth, whether at home, in the workplace, or church, is being constructive rather than destructive. I believe God blesses that!

If we were to stop with focus, the Earth, it would be good but not good enough. For our life in Christ is meant to touch both the physical and the spiritual. Peter is talking about being living stones / building blocks that construct a vital faith community. Within that community, which by the way, extends beyond the building, there is genuine concern for one another. Building blocks are meant to connect!

There is a Zulu proverb that goes like this: “When a thorn pierces the foot, the whole body bends over to pull it out.” When one person in a community experiences pain, the rest of the community shares its strength with that person in order to ease the pain. Friends, this moves us from being building blocks / living stones to being priests each to the other. This increasing awareness of one another shows a vital concern and a living faith that Christ intended for his followers to share with one another—in community!

Christ-approved living shows caring and concern for the earth as it does for fellow Christians. Christ-approved living takes us to still another place, the world itself. I know the idea is not always appreciated, but Christ has called us to “think and act globally” when exercising our role as priests and as living stones. John Wesley set the tone for us when he announced, “The world is my parish.”

One writer puts it this way: “The purpose of the church is to change the spiritual, social, moral, and political climate of our world so that the kingdoms of this world bear a more striking resemblance to the kingdom of our God.”

While we talk about “going green,” or becoming energy efficient--as Christ followers we are to share the Good News of God’s love which connects more people to a new energy. It involves more than changing the kind of light bulbs we use and instead point to the greatest source of energy, the Creator Himself. When you stop and think about it, our motivation comes from being aware of God being in our midst and recognizing that God is making a difference in our own lives. The church starts making a difference when we claim the name of being “a chosen people, a royal priesthood—a people belonging to God.” The Christ-approved seal becomes ours!

A few weeks after he was elected President of the United States, Ronald Regan shared with the nation a letter he had received from an elementary school in Iowa. A child had written, “Dear Mr. President, you have now been elected President of the United States; now go to the Oval Office and get to work!”

Our work is clear, friends: care for creation; care for one another; care about the world! May God give us the grace and the strength for the living of these days. Amen.