“Grateful, Fruitful, Generous unto You”

For Sunday, June 6th, 2010

(Graphic is of a painting in 1569 by Lucas Cranach the Younger in the town church in Wittenberg, Germany.  Painting is titled, "The Raising of the youth of Nain". Used under Creative Commons license)

Lectionary Scripture – Luke 7:11-17 NRSV

Soon afterwards he went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went with him. As he approached the gate of the town, a man who had died was being carried out. He was his mother's only son, and she was a widow; and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he had compassion for her and said to her, "Do not weep." Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stood still. And he said, "Young man, I say to you, rise!" The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Fear seized all of them; and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen among us!" and "God has looked favorably on his people!" This word about him spread throughout Judea and all the surrounding country.

“Grateful, Fruitful, and Generous unto You”

The above scripture is the focus of the Lord’s Supper this Sunday in my faith tradition. With it being Communion and given this particular scriptural focus, my faith tradition observes that like the widow’s son whom Jesus raised, our lives can also be resurrected through God’s touch. In turn, we’re drawn to be prophetic and touch those who need to be raised up as well. Long and short of it all, as shared through inspired counsel from the president of our denomination, we’re to “courageously challenge cultural, political, and religious trends contrary to the reconciling and restoring purposes of God.” A good question in response to that counsel would be, “What trends need to be challenged so parents have less fear of losing their children?

As a parent of two young adult daughters, I am deeply concerned for the well-being of their futures and for natural environment needed to support them and the families they might have. In that regard, I sense so many things needing challenge – needing to be raised up -- that it’s just not funny! To put it frankly, I’m angry. I’m angry because what too many things that happen demonstrate a thorough disrespect of life, a thorough lack of generosity, and a complete detachment from what constitutes doing right by God, doing right by human life, and doing what’s right for this precious fragile planet we live on. Soon that note, whatever fell dormant or lifeless in us that allowed a catastrophe like the Gulf Coast BP oil well calamity has got to stop! Fouling the environment we live in and on which we depend will one day mean death for all of humanity’s children if we do not change our ways. And if that should happen, guess what? There won’t be a snow ball’s chance in hell of resurrection from the filth we’ve caused, generated, and with which we ultimately poisoned ourselves.

Drill baby drill! It’s the mantra of greed and antithesis of generosity. It’s the oil-person’s version of, “Damn the torpedoes -- full steam ahead!!” It’s nothing more than obtaining riches and a desired end no matter the costs – no matter who lives or who dies. It’s a frame of mind so completely devoid of God that nothing hallowed or sacred can break through save what the oil industry perceives as “divine” riches gleaned from their endeavors.

Where does such disregard for peace, justice, and generosity toward God’s creation come from? Well according to CNN opinion article by Julian Zelizer (Princeton University Professor of History and Public Affairs), political and governmental authorities have waged war on environmental protection infrastructure the past four decades. In that war there has been a systematic onslaught seeking to weaken environmental protections established in the 1960s and 1970s or eliminate them altogether. According to Zelizer, the Reagan Administration had the aim of eliminating the protections altogether but it ran up against a strong environmental movement and therefore the administration was successful only in weakening things. Through subsequent Republican administrations the weakening effort continued. Even now, Zelizer says, news reports indicate that the Democratic Obama Administration has been as negligent as the previous Bush Administration in its oversight of oil drilling.

What it all has led to is probably reflected best in the self-serving self-absorbed effrontery and arrogance of BP Oil chief executive, Tony Hayward, when he recently whined that no one wants the Gulf Coast oil disaster to be over more than him. As he put it, “I’d like my life back.”  Go to the YouTube video to get the full flavor of Hayward’s remarks. Anderson Cooper of CNN had little sympathy for Hayward’s comments and noted that the man earns a million dollars a year, more than most Gulf Coast residents ever make in a lifetime and now many of them will see their livelihoods decimated by this oil spill. Vanity Fair reporter, Juli Weiner, wrote in her June 1st online article that the disaster could cost Hayward his job as well, which would mean that he, like many, many other people may never have his life back either. Weiner also comments that “even if B.P. doesn’t fire Hayward, the U.S. government’s new criminal probe of BP’s policies and practices could mean the end of Hayward’s (possibly environmentally unsound!) life as he knows it.”

During the worship service at my church last Sunday, a music video ran praising and adoring God for the earth and creation given us. While watching it, I felt great sadness come over me. All I could say during the flyovers of pristine beaches and majestic snow covered mountains was, “Lord, I am so sorry. I am so sorry for what we’ve done. I’m so sorry for how we’ve treated the Earth. I am so sorry for being such poor stewards over what you placed in our care.” Repeatedly those thoughts went through my mind but then I heard a young child’s voice singing behind me with ardent zeal and passion for what we were watching that I couldn’t help but turn to look at her. The innocent passionate happiness in her face left me knowing that for her and for every other child who walks the Earth -- now or in the times to come -- that we must raise up again in ourselves whatever has fallen asleep or resigned itself to some comatose state in the stewardship we have for this precious planet. So for that young girl and any other child like her they can have a future without toxins and poisons like that enjoyed by any generation that has preceded them.

The only way I can see our poisoning of the environment turning itself around so that future generations have hope is that we make a realization like Jesus did regarding the widow’s son whom he raised. Simply put, Jesus realized the son was the widow’s only child. We in turn must care for the Earth as if she were our only child. Therefore, we must be overly protective of her and willing to go to any lengths necessary to ensure her well-being.

Become the parent of an only child today, become a parent of the Earth. Change your ways and do what’s right by your child and what’s necessary to ensure her well-being. And then challenge and help other parents change as well. The Earth will be ever grateful, fruitful, and generous unto you.