Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 22nd March 2009 by the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Genesis 1:1-26, Psalm 104: 1-24 and John 3:14-21.


Opening Prayer

God of Creator, grant us a spirit of truth to recognize our human failings, give us the humility to understand your mystery of creation, help us to focus our mind, heart and soul in Your word and in Your will. Amen.

Introduction

This is the fourth sermon in my Lenten series with the theme --- repentance and reconciliation: Christian faith in context. Today, I have picked up the ecological crisis in our contemporary world as our theme for reflection. What do we need to repent in view of the ecological crisis and the need to reconcile with the earth?

Our family has an 8-seated StepWagon vehicle. Three years ago the car reached the age of 7. We started to have to spend more money in repairing and maintenance. I was therefore thinking of buying a new car in order to avoid the increasing maintenance cost. After discussion with Tong, my husband, we then talked to our children who were 10 and 8 years old by that time. To my surprise both of them strongly objected to our suggestion. The reasons for that were both pragmatic and sentimental. They said the car still worked and it was a waste of money to buy a new one. More importantly, they shared that the car has been with us for so many years. They have developed an attachment to it and find great sentimental value for this car. My son who is always critical, even challenged us by saying ‘isn’t it too cruel to get rid of something that has been serving us and with us for so long, just because it is old?’

My children’s strong attachment to the car and their environmental friendly attitude impressed me. We did not buy a new car. We ended up by paying a higher maintenance cost for the past few years, even now. Our children’s response to the idea of buying a new family and the reminder of my daughter to use less private vehicle, gave me some insights in the reflection of ecological crisis that we face nowadays and how it is related to our faith about God’s creation.

Ecological Crisis In Our Contemporary World

We Christian affirm our faith in God the creator in the first article of the Apostles’ Creed, “Maker of Heaven and Earth.” However, God’s good creation is profoundly challenged by the ecological crisis. The earth and the network of life that it sustains are in peril. In the view of some experts, the damage to the environment is already severe and in some cases perhaps irreversible.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that 20-30 percent of plant and animal species are at risk for extinction and that acidification of the oceans will fundamentally change marine life. Overall, global climate change is predicted to bring increase in flooding, severe storm events and droughts.

There are figures pointing out the serious damages of the world

· Death in the forest– Humans have been cutting down forests at the rate of 120,000 sq kilometer a year. An area of forest equal to 12 football fields is lost every minute.
· Death of the land – The world population is around 6 billion. This is expected to increase to 8 billion by 2030. There will be a steady increase in land permanently occupied by housing, industry and infrastructure.
· Death of diversity – Virtually all the earth’s eco-systems have been dramatically changed through human activity. It’s estimated that between 17,000 to 100,000 species vanish every year. Almost a quarter of the world’s mammals face extinction within 30 years.
· Death in the skies - Greenhouse gases caused by human activity play a major role in global warming – activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and the use of chlorofluorocarbons in refrigeration systems. The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts a steady rise in sea levels as a result of temperature increases of 1 to 6 degrees C by 2100. The head of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Lam Chiu-ying has also pointed out that we will face more extremely wet years and more extremely dry years in the future because our climate is no longer in a state of equilibrium. The equilibrium has been disrupted by human activities emitting carbon dioxide.

Global climate change affects all human populations across the globe, it hits those living in poverty the hardest. It is because they depend on the surrounding physical environment to supply their needs and have limited capacity to cope the climate extremes and variability.

Reflection On Ecological Crisis

In view of the ecological crisis, how have we humans contributed to it?

The causes for the ecological crisis are many and complicated; I would like to highlight two points for reflection. They are unchecked consumerism and misuse of power by humankind.

We live in an era of consumerism where human desire to consume and possess has been greatly driven by the market. People are encouraged to spend more which is in fact not that necessary. I remembered one episode about a friend who brings her children to a popular fast food shop in HK sometimes. One day there was one local newspaper doing a promotion by offering cash coupon of one local fast food shop. Without much hesitation, this friend bought several copies of the newspaper for she wanted to get the coupons. When she was asked why she did this? She just simply felt it was something she gained. The newspaper cost 6 dollars but she can get 10 dollars coupon back. Somehow the gift of coupon had created a want for people which in fact she they did not need. Likewise, there are always promotions in supermarkets like by paying one additional dollar, you will get another piece of the same product. In many occasions, we do not need the extra item. We purchase because it costs just one additional dollar and then we get twice the goods. The market in our highly commercialized world has created this unnecessary consumption. One common phenomenon is people buy and consume more than we really need. In fact, unchecked consumerism is the major factor for ecological crisis. In the late modernity, human beings have come to a point of “I consume, therefore I am”. When the goal to maximize one’s possession and use of the world’s goods are so common in our lives, our environment would be deeply in trouble. We have to be aware that unchecked consumption in some societies could turn out to deprive those of others. While the inhabitants of some countries recklessly consume non-renewable resources of the earth, millions of others lack even the basic necessities.

Therefore, we need to confess that we humans have consumed too much of world resources especially in affluent societies. The poor and the less developed countries suffer more as the ecological crisis and climate change hit them the hardest because they are more vulnerable to natural disasters.

Besides, we have to confess for our sins against human’s selfish desire. We have to reaffirm that God is the creator and everything comes from God. God is the source of all that exists. We human beings have no rights to exploit God’s place. Besides, we should never take things for granted but give praise and thanks to God for gifts in the world that God has given to us.

Human Sins Of Misuse Of Power, The Second Cause For Ecological Crisis

The second aspect I would like to discuss is the misuse of human power.
Obama has recently lifted a Bush Administration ban by using federal funds for human embryonic-stem-cell research. Scientists believe that such research could help treating illnesses like Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s. While there are supporters for Obama’s move, pro-life advocates criticized this act, saying it could lead to the destruction of human embryos in the name of research.

The stem-cell research may do good for humans but that is yet to see. While we admit that modern technology may serve and save lives, it is at the same time modern technology that is used to demonstrate the power of humankind. There is the criticism that ‘at the heart of the ecological crisis is always the misuse of power. The modern scientific enterprise has frequently succumbed to the intoxication of power.’
God has given humans wisdom to perform the role of steward to take care of the world. However, there are times humans have totally neglected and exploited nature and focus only on the welfare of humankind, especially for those who have more power and resources.

Historian Lynn White criticized that Christianity should bear a ‘huge burden of guilt for our present ecological crisis. There is an accusation against Christians at the teaching that human beings alone are created in God’s image (Gen 1:26a) and that they are commanded by God to exercise ‘dominion’ over all the other creatures (Gen 1:26b)

Thomas Aquinas, a 13th Century’s theologian second to none in affirming that the goodness of God is displayed in the diversity of creatures. He however declared that ‘the life of animals and plants is preserved not for themselves but for man.’

To be fair, it is not Christians’ monopoly for such a ‘human-centred view’ or ‘anthropocentrism’. In view of this manipulation and control of human beings towards nature, Christians should represent all humanity to repent for the ideology of mastery and domination over nature and abuse of the environment for human greed and selfishness.

Be God’s Good Steward

It is time therefore, we humankind to reflect on our call commissioned by God in performing the role of good steward to take care of the world created by God.

We have to be critical when we talk about stewardship and their role as human beings. As God’s steward, we are appointed to care for, not to manipulate and exploit the environment. Christians cannot treat the natural environment with a ruthless manner.

To be a good steward, we have to admit the co-existence and interdependence of all created beings. God has created me but God has created more than me. That’s why Martin Luther, the prominent German theologian of the Reformation in the 16th century pointed rightly that ‘God has created me and all that exists’. Human beings exist with animals, soil, sun, water and all forms of life that they produce. God is creator of the world whose inhabitants are profoundly interdependent.

The affirmation of God’s creation is good It is the fundamental basis of respect and admiration of all beings. Humanity is part of the creation and thus human beings are trustees rather than masters of the world. Only God is our master. Domination over the earth is understood in a context of distinctive identification of God – God is a god of grace and covenantal love. Human beings are given the responsibilities to take care of the whole creation as God cares for it. It is a ‘dominion’ of care and protection rather than of control and exploitation. The whole universe is God’s, not ours.

All living beings are from God. We human beings must admit our limitations and dependence to God. All creatures are in a web of relationships. We are inter-related and inter-dependent. Take an example of a piece of bread or a bowl of rice that we have everyday. The bread or rice gives us the nutrition to up keep our body and strength. Who and what have been involved for the production of the bread/rice that is finally consumed by us? We need the factory workers to do the packaging, the drivers to bring them to shops, the shop keeper to sell them to us, and of course the farmers and perhaps the cows to work on the farm, the sun, the water and air to make the wheat and rice grow. When we are able to see how all forms of life, including the natural environment, humankind and all kinds of animals are inter-connected and interdependent, working together, we will then realize that it is absolutely wrong and inappropriate for humankind to take up a superior position. On the contrary, we should treat one another with love and compassion for our lives are so closely connected with different people, animals and the natural environment. Take my life as an example, I can see the life the farmers and nutrition from the soil.

John 3:16, the golden verse, ‘for God so love the world he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.’ God loves the world. In here, it is obvious the world that God loves include both humans and non human. God has sent Jesus Christ to the earth to redeem the whole world, not only human beings. In an era our nature is very much damaged and endangered, the world is broken that requires God’s redemption so that God’s creation will be restored. It is time that we have to take a proactive action to restore God’s creation so that the glory of God will be revealed once again.

In the eyes of Jesus, eternal life is not something out there after death. Eternal life is reconnection and restoration of relationship of every kind. These include relationship with God, with others and with our own self. Since God is the source of creation, restoration of relationship should include relationship between humankind and nature.

Conclusion

In facing the global economic crisis, Obama’s Administration has taken a motto for their political strategy, that is “never waste a good crisis”. Similarly, in encountering the ecological crisis, can it be an opportunity to bring a change for a better tomorrow or just a crisis?

Recovery of faith in God the creator and respect for the whole of God’s creation is a matter of great urgency.

Today, I present the following three challenges to you.

1) to lead a simple life that we consume less world resources for the sake of other people in need and the conservation of the environment for our next generation.
2) to lead a life to stand against any injustice towards the vulnerable nature and the poor.
3) to take good care of all living beings including animals and the natural environment, by cultivating a more compassionate heart in us and in the community.

May what we will be doing and have been doing glorify God the highest.

Closing Prayer

Our gracious and almighty God, grant us a spirit to concern our environment in future. Help us to bring an end to the exploitation of the earth’s scarce resources. Encourage us to be responsible stewards of your creation. Amen.