A sermon
preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 7 June 2020, First Sunday after Pentecost, by Dr. Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro. The scripture readings that day were Genesis 1:1-2:4a; 2 Corinthians 13:11-13.
An episode of a TV program called Last Week Tonight with John Oliver featured
Bill Nye, popularly known as The Science Guy. His topic was on climate change.
Nye supplemented his brief speech by showing a globe model that was burning. He
declared, “The Earth is on fire.” He tried to blow the fire out, but he could
not do it. Distressed, he turned to the audience, and said, “I didn’t mind
explaining photosynthesis to you when you were twelve, but you are adults now,
and this is an actual crisis. Any effort to save the planet must be made right
now.” So, who will help put out the
fire?
In 2019, wildfires have dominated the media. In a
brief video clip, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring System maps the areas of
the planet that experienced wildfires over the last 12 months. Wildfires raged
across Africa, Australia, California, Indonesia, Syria, Siberia, Alaska, the Arctic,
and in Benguet, Philippines even as the COVID-19 pandemic was raging. The
Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring System recorded at least one hundred separate and
recent wildfires. The fires have burned homes and tens of thousands of acres of
land. The usual explanation for most of these unprecedented catastrophes is the
“unusually hot and dry conditions” of the regions. Of course, there were stories
that some unscrupulous people torched the forests in the Amazon, Malaysia and
Indonesia to give way to some mining and plantation projects such as coffee,
cocoa, palm oil, or cattle ranches for our steak and burgers. The wildfires
have released hundreds of megatons of carbon dioxide into the air. The
Indonesian fire alone pumped out 708 megatons of CO2. In April, the temperature in my hometown
reached 420 Celsius. That was the highest temperature we have ever
had in our area. Literally and metaphorically, the Earth is on fire! Who will
put the fire out? And why can’t we help put out the fire?
Let us go back to the Creation story. The reading
was rather long, and the story is familiar. According to the Genesis story, God
breathed the “wind” (ruach) or spirit
over the face of the waters, over chaos, and created order. God created, not
through magic. And the Earth emerged as a beautiful planet among the other
planets in the galaxies. There was evening, and there was morning. There were
mountains, seas, trees, birds, cattle, and all kinds of living creatures. And
God saw that it was good! And then, entered the latecomers, the human beings.
Scientists said that for 10,000-12,000 years, during the Holocene period, the
climate was generally stable. But at the advent of machine inventions, and industrialization,
especially at the turn of the 20th century, overwhelming alterations of the
atmospheric, geologic, hydrologic, biospheric, and other earth systems took
place. Greed and acquisitiveness led to the anthropogenic or human-influenced
activities, and now we are in the period of the Anthropocene. And what is the result? The Earth is on
fire!
Each one of us might probably say, “Oh, No! No, I am
not guilty of bringing in the Anthropocene!” But we are caught unawares! You
and I are all complicit in the destruction of the Earth, in one way or another.
Our consumerist values, our choices of food, and our lifestyles have led to the
destruction of Mother Earth. The wealthy nations and their companies/corporations
intensified their race to get access to Mother Earth’s resources, scoured her
bowels, and raped the land. What for? To feed their insatiable greed for profit.
But also, to feed people's/our materialist desires and wants for unnecessary
goods and unhealthy foods. But we are not conscious of the consequences of our
desires. For example, when we buy something, how many of us would ask: where
did this item come from? How did the production of this item impact the Earth?
How did the production of this item impact the lives of the communities, and
the workers?
A UK-based scientist said that “the shift into the
Anthropocene tells us that we are playing with fire, a potentially reckless
mode of behaviour which we are likely to come to regret, unless we get a grip
on the situation.” And yet, when the Earth defenders all over the world try to
stop these “reckless behaviour,” they get murdered. And we keep silent because we are
beneficiaries of the products of these anthropogenic activities. So, can we put
out the fire if we are the beneficiaries of the economic and political systems
that put the planet into the fire? Why did we come into this stage?
Dominion, subdue and stewardship?
I just would like to focus on some keywords in Genesis
1:26 and 28, namely, God said: “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; . . . be fruitful . . . fill
the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea. . . ”
Question: If we are created in the image of the Creator Triune God, why are we
destroying the good earth that God created?
Where did this destructive tendency come from?
First, I think humanity has forgotten that they/we,
are created beings. The Triune God created us in God’s image. But then, we
refuse to remember that we are earthlings.
We have been so proud and arrogant. We think all other earthlings on
this planet are at our disposal. Consequently, instead of reflecting God’s
image, we fashion God in our own image. Patriarchy, for example, has created
the idea that man is the proper image of god and demanded subservience from
women and the rest of the creatures.
Second, we refuse to see the Godself revealed in
Creation. Theologians have debated over the notion of God being revealed in
nature. Some argued that such a view is pantheistic, and it is not acceptable. But
then, around the 1950s, the destruction of the Earth was moving speedily to a
peak. The ecotheologians began to counter-argue for panentheism: that
God reveals the Godself in nature, although nature and the universe do not
exhaust the meaning of God.
Third, we do not understand what the writers of
Genesis mean with the word dominion (rada)
and subdue (kabash). Associated with
the concept of stewardship, the idea of “dominion” and “subdue” became a
license for human beings to exercise power over the Earth, instead of caring
for the Earth. Humanity assumed they are the owners of the Earth. And what is the result? The Earth is on
fire!
So, what now?
Shall we be just bystanders and watch the Earth burn
literally? Is there anything we can do? How can we make sense of our faith
understandable in our discourse and action, particularly concerning the Earth?
Let me share some points for further reflection on this World Environment Day.
First, let us remember that we are earthlings. We
are not the center of the world. Life is, and there is no life without the
Earth. Being created in God’s image means we must understand that God’s
creation is good. Our task is to maintain its goodness. Now, how about rada/dominion, and kabash/subdue? Frankly, I had problems with these words, and I
tried to find other images or metaphors elsewhere in the Bible. I find these
words problematic because I see these as the source of humankind’s arrogance. But
since this is the lectionary text for today, I must wrestle with these words.
Dominion and subdue were associated with ben
bayith, which literally means “child of the house.” The common term is
steward, or perhaps, a housekeeper, in contemporary times. A steward is a
trusted person who takes charge of the property or affairs of the true owner. To
be a trusted person, a steward must understand the mind, the values, the
concerns, and visions of the true owner. Even as earthlings, we are called to
be ben bayith, stewards who would
practice dominion in the sense of taking charge of God’s creation, rather than
lording it over and exploiting the Earth. We are called to subdue the Earth in
the sense of making the goodness of the Earth flourish. And God will see it is
good.
Second, we must practice an environmental ethics.
Environmental ethics ins one that holds on to the moral principles anchored on
our faith in a God who is good, just, and life loving. Environmental ethics is
about caring and accountability. These are moral principles should guide our
conduct in our relationship with the Earth and with each other. For example, we
might consider shifting our concept of “taking care” to “giving care” or
“caring for” the Earth and for our fellow
earthlings. We need to be conscious of our accountability for any harm or wrong
that is done to the Earth. It is good that today, there are people who advocate
that ecocide - the destruction of nature - must be regarded as a crime. We also
need to learn from the indigenous peoples. They are front liners in defending
the Earth because they regard the Earth as their mother. Along this line,
ecofeminists have re-imagined the Earth as God’s body. If we take seriously the
spirituality and ethics of the Indigenous People and the ecofeminists' view that
the Earth is God’s body, perhaps, we will be mindful not to inflict harm to the
body of our Mother, the Earth reveals the Godself. Think of this: how can you
throw rubbish into God’s face? How can you desecrate our Mother’s body that is manifest
in the seas, forests, mountains and more?
Third, let us go back briefly to Paul’s letter to
the Corinthians. Paul established this church, but when he left, he was sad to
hear that the church in Corinth were having troubles – there were fake “super
apostles” peddling different teachings. So, in this letter, Paul called upon
the Corinthians to settle their conflicts over different worldviews, and
doctrines, and to transform themselves. Paul asked the Corinthians to put
things in order, and to be reconciled with one another symbolized by the
greetings with a holy kiss. (Of course, we cannot do that now due to the
COVID-19 pandemic and the protocol of social distancing!)
The situation of the church of Corinth is not far
from the situation of many churches today. There are conflicts – doctrinal,
personal, political, power struggles. But a church entangled with internal problems
could not attend to God’s mission. So, Paul’s exhortation is still relevant to
us today. We, as earthlings, are part of the ecology of the Earth. Remember
that ecology is rooted in the concept of household (oikos) and the relationship of organisms to one another and their
physical surroundings. The Earth is God’s household, and we are called to put
things in order so that we may live in peace. “Order” is about of
justice-making both for human beings and other earthlings. It does not mean National
Security Law and/or Anti-Terrorism Bill. These do not help put order in God’s
household. Surely, the ministry of defending the Earth these days is risky because
there are those powers-that-be that dominate and seek to amass power and wealth
at the expense of the people and the Earth. On the one hand, how many churches
as institutions, and as people, are engaged in justice-making and
peacebuilding? I am glad I am part of KUC, a church that tries its best to help
in putting things on this Earth in order.
On the other hand, how many Christians, church-going people are involved
in industries, businesses, and other activities that led to the destruction of
the Earth?
Celebrating a Wonderful World
Sisters and Brothers, as we celebrate the World
Environment Sunday, may we remember that we are earthlings tasked to main the
goodness of God’s creation. May we practice environmental ethics that cares for
the Earth and be accountable for any harm done to the Mother Earth. And lastly,
may we remember to put things in order in God’s household – the Earth.
As we come to the Lord’s table, let us remember that
in commemorating the Passover, which was his last supper, Jesus lifted and
celebrated the Earth by using elements from the fruits of the field – the wine
and the bread. But can we celebrate and partake of the wine and bread when the
Earth is on fire? Will you be willing to help put out the fire – literally and metaphorically?
Yes, I believe we can, if we ask for God’s
forgiveness and reconcile ourselves with Mother Earth, and with God who is
revealed in nature.
Remember Paul’s call: “Put things in order.” You and
I are called to put out the fire. We have the assurance that the God of love
and peace will be with us. Let us all do this together so we can hopefully find
ourselves, along with other earthlings, basking in a reconciled, flourishing,
wonderful world.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all. Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, June 07, 2020
