Pied Beauty or Why I’m an Environmentalist

An advertisement caught my eye in yesterday’s Bangor Daily News. The advertisement had a bold headline that said: "Called to Talk About God… In the Present Tense." It turned out to be an ad for a course at Bangor Seminary on Creation Spirituality. Creation Spirituality. Usually that term means something about spirituality that is somehow connected to God’s creation as it is found in nature. Speaking of nature, look at your bulletin covers for this Sunday. The quotation is from this morning’s reading from Romans. "From him and through him and to him are all things." The picture is of the Grand Canyon, surely meant as a glorious example of God’s creation and a reminder that all of the glory of the natural world is God’s glory. And this morning’s Old Testament reading includes that wonderful phrase where God says "the coastlands wait for me." I love those Old Testament images where the coastlands wait for the Lord’s teaching, the mountains skip for joy at the Lord’s presence, and the trees sing praise to the glory of the Lord.

So there are many things that prod me to think and talk this morning about nature, the environment.

Many of you probably know that I have a personal interest in nature. You know that I volunteer at the Fields Pond Audubon nature center. I have all of that geology background, and rocks are certainly a part of nature. So I do have a "natural" interest in nature; it’s part of who I am. Some people collect spoons; some people follow football; some people like to read murder mysteries; some people like to ride horses. We are different people with different interests and hobbies. I happen to be a person with an interest in rocks and trees and the sun and the wind.

But there’s more to it than that. I am more than just a person with an interest in nature. I am a Christian, a person of faith, with a commitment to the environment, a commitment that arises out of my faith. And I really think all Christians should be environmentalists. Whether or not you as an individual like the outdoors. Whether or not you can tell a blue jay from a goldfinch. Whether you consider yourself a tree-hugger or you work in the pulp and paper industry. Whether you’re young or old, rich or poor, black or white, gay or straight, scientific or artistic or athletic, rich or poor… as faithful Christians we all should be environmentalists.

By environmentalist I mean we all should be people who care about the long-term health of the natural world. I don’t mean we all need to be card carrying members of the Sierra Club or that everyone here needs to picket the state house or devote tons of time to political activism or chain themselves in front of nuclear power plants. I don’t mean that to be a "good" Christian you have to cut yourself off from society and technology and live a completely self-sustaining life off the land. But I really do believe that each and every Christian, as a Christian, should care about the health of the natural world.

Why should we all be environmentalists? Why should we care about creation? For one thing, because it’s God’s creation. It’s God’s. Most of us, if we borrow a book or an evening gown or a power washer from a friend treat whatever it is with special care. These things are freely offered to us to use, to enjoy, but they do not belong to us. We treat them with special care. And yet with God’s creation there’s even more. It’s not just that the trees and birds and clouds don’t belong to us, although that is important to remember. All of creation was created by God. God doesn’t just own it; all of creation is cherished and loved by God. That tree that you can see outside your kitchen window is something that is loved by God. It matters what happens to it. We cannot be indifferent. I imagine it pleases God to see some of the trees that he loves become paper that bears words that can enrich human life. I imagine it warms God’s heart to see some of the trees that he loves formed into sturdy homes that provide comfort and keep out the winter cold. I imagine that God treasures some of the trees that he loves for the majesty of their limbs reaching into the sky, for the splendor of their leaves in fall, for the nooks and crannies of their trunks where birds nest and squirrels play. Just because God loves every tree, every gnat, every cliff, every black fly, every lake, does not mean that all must remain untouched. But it does mean that it matters what happens to every atom of God’s creation. These things are God’s. God loves them. It could not matter more what happens to them. We have the power to affect what happens to everything in nature. It is a momentous responsibility. We cannot be indifferent.

That’s one reason why I think people of faith, people of faith in particular, should be environmentalists. God created everything in the environment. God cares what happens to every bit of it. We should care, too.

The second reason I think all faithful people should be environmentalists is the "S" word—stewardship. It’s a word even non-religious folk often use when talking about the environment. Or sometimes they talk about sustainable development. Sustainable development is defined as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Secretary of State Colin Powell has said that sustainable development is a compelling moral and humanitarian issue and a security imperative. Even more importantly, it’s a theological issue. It is a theological statement to assert that my immediate needs are not all that matter. There are things in this world more important than my individual short-term needs. There are the needs of others, for example, throughout the world whose faces bear the image of Christ just as surely as mine does. There is my baptismal commitment to respect the dignity of every human being, including those who are yet to come. It is my Christian responsibility to ensure that future generations can inherit the fullness of God’s bounty, not just what happens to be left over. Sustainable development. Responsible earth stewardship. These are a part of our calling as baptized Christians.

There is much that we can do. I bought and put up a clothesline this spring. Not to save money (although I’ve certainly been pleasantly surprised with this summer’s electric bills). Not for the fresh scent of line dried clothes (that doesn’t seem to happen in south Brewer). I use a clothesline as a deliberate decision to be environmentally responsible. And when it would be a lot easier just to toss the clothes in the dryer, I remind myself why I’m doing this. I'm doing this so that the next generation will inherit a little more of God’s abundance.

And finally, I can think of one more reason Christians should be environmentalists. Yes, we should care for this creation that God loves and we should maintain it responsibly so that others may inherit God’s gifts. But there is something in it for us, too.

I was a little puzzled by the ad in the paper yesterday, about how the title of the ad related to the course on creation spirituality. "Called to talk about God. In the present tense." I’m still not sure if that title is just a general theme for the seminary these days, or if they did intend some specific connection to creation. But whatever their intent, there is a connection. Encountering God in the present tense. Not just talking about God as the ad says. But talking with God. Listening to God. Being with God. Right now in our own lives. God’s voice, God’s love, God’s spirit, God’s presence come to us from creation. In the present tense. If we do not live as environmentalists, caring for the health of that creation, we run a grave risk. To lose the environment, whether we kill it or just let it die, is to amputate at least one limb of God's presence from our own lives.

On the other hand, to cherish the environment, to nurture God’s creation, is to encounter the living God in the present tense. Listen to a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins. As with most poetry, I don’t really understand it, but the images are full of joy and the celebration of God’s presence in creation. It’s called Pied Beauty.

Glory be to God for dappled things.

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