Earth Day Sermon from Central Presbyterian

“Your Vision for Creation” by Rev. Anthony Damelio

Preached at Central Presbyterian Church, Sunday 21 April 2013

Genesis 8:13-22, 9:8-17; Revelation 7:9-17

Way back in high school, one of my classmates’ fathers was the pastor at a local non-denominational church. It was one of many megachurches that flourished in suburban Cleveland, but at that time, I didn’t really understand what that meant. One evening, my friend suggested that we go see a little theater performance the youth at that church were putting on.  Since some of our friends were in the play, I said, “Sure, why not?” So we showed up and took our seats as the play commenced.It took me a little while to figure out what was happening on stage, but I soon realized that the play was set sometime in the not-so-distant future, in what appeared to be a war-torn country. The stage was dimly lit and tension was in the air. The small community of Christians in the play was worried, frantic. And, one by one, each Christian was killed by a military figure, until the very last person was shot. And the play ended, leaving the audience stunned and silent.I sat back and thought to myself, “Well, that was a little strange, but it’s just drama, you know!?”Little did I know! It wasn’t just theater, and the youth pastor let us know that loud and clear! He got up to the stage and thanked us for coming, and then he suddenly turned very serious.“This is not just a play; this is real,” he warned us. Christians were already being persecuted, and Revelation describes what kind of warlike scene will happen at the end of days! If we weren’t careful, he said, the characters in the play would be us!!!After that, I had finally reached my breaking point, so I nudged my friend and whispered, “Let’s get out of here!” and we scampered out of that church.It wasn’t until I reached seminary that I began to understand what exactly was going on that night. I had known that something wasn’t right, that they were trying to scare me, but I just couldn’t put my finger on why. Then we got to the book of Revelation in our New Testament course. We discussed the distinction between the common, literal readings of this book and the alternative approach that examines this book just as we would other parts of the Bible.When we allow Revelation to sit in its own context, I learned, it makes a lot more sense—and doesn’t give you nightmares.The book of Revelation is a great example of a kind of literature called apocalypse, which was popular in the ancient Near East. In this context, the term ‘apocalypse’ does not mean the end of the world, but rather a lifting of the veil, or the revealing of something hidden. An apocalyptic story interprets present, earthly circumstances by casting those events in a future, supernatural world—a little bit like science fiction. This literature uses wildly creative and symbolic images, as well as numbers and supernatural figures to gesture toward real people and events.Much of the time, these apocalypses were written in situations of occupation and oppression, like the Babylonian captivity, and the book of Revelation is no exception. Its writer, John of Patmos, and his Christian community are experiencing relentless persecution under the brutal Roman Emperor Nero, the one made famous for burning Rome and blaming the Christians.So, John envisions a cosmic battle between the Beast and the Lamb, between the Empire and Christ. He pictures 144,000 people, the multitude of every nation, a number that represents all of God’s people, twelve times the twelve tribes of Israel. In our passage this morning, this great multitude stands before a throne…But, whose throne? That of the emperor? Absolutely not.They stand before God’s throne, the God of Abraham, not the God of Caesar. True salvation, John says, comes from God, not the worldly success of the Empire. Furthermore, those who have suffered these persecutions will be protected by God. Their robes will be washed by God’s sacrifice, and Christ will guide them to the springs of life-giving water, wiping away every tear from their eyes.What a beautiful image for this community struggling to live out the Gospel in the midst of an oppressive state, of an empire whose values ran counter to the faith this community expressed.John wants them to know that God is on their side even when the powers of the world are crucifying them. This book gives this battered community a powerful vision of a better world in which their enemies will be destroyed by God.Somehow, in the popular discussion about this book of Revelation, we’ve forgotten that it is indeed literature, filled with incredible images, profound metaphors, and hidden meanings.And by literalizing all that Revelation contains, making it a looming prediction of the end of the world, we have ripped it out of its particular context and robbed it of its power to speak to our present situation.So if this book is not a guide to the end of days, what does it have to say to us?Well, we’re not exactly suffering intense persecution under a dominant empire, though I recognize that this is the reality many Christians and others face around the world.Revelation, I believe, is not meant to give us nightmares about the “end times” or to scare teenagers and adults alike into being “better Christians” so that God will rapture us— just in case that comes tomorrow. Revelation should not give us more fear, as there’s plenty of that to go around, with bombs going off in Boston, factories exploding in Texas, civil wars and gun violence and deadly earthquakes.This book is meant to provide hope in the midst of destruction, despair, and death. To paint a picture of what life could look like, outside the muck of our present situation. To give us fortitude to fight the powers of our time and continue living as the faithful community that God has called us to be. A vision in which ALL people are care for and creation sings for joy.I believe that this passage encourages us to undertake a similar prophetic task in our time: to think forward and use our imaginations and dream of a better world. We must imagine a radical vision of a different way of being, to counter the violence and destruction around our world and in our backyards.Today we’re celebrating Earth Day in worship, just one Sunday in which we explicitly focus on issues of caring for God’s creation. While it’s not something we restrict to just one day a year, it’s helpful to be reminded of our call to care for ALL God’s creation—humans, animals, plants, water, and more. And caring for creation is a task that requires not only a deep faith in God’s presence around us and God’s commands to us; but it’s a task that necessitates a prophetic vision for the way life could be.All around us, there is environmental destruction. I read about it and see images of it constantly: fish and manatees dying from algae blooms caused by our chemical fertilizers; oil slicks running through neighborhoods in Arkansas; nuclear disasters and people living on garbage dumps and sinfully high asthma rates in low-income communities.The environmental crisis of our day is nothing new; many of you have been fighting it for decades now. I grew up in Cleveland, the city made famous by a river so polluted that it caught on fire, an environmental disaster that outraged a generation in the late 60s and incited the formation of the EPA. I’ve been told since I was little to turn off the water while brushing my teeth, to recycle bottles and cans, to carpool and ride my bike.But, my friends, these basic efforts aren’t working. We need something more radical, a vision that addresses the dire situations of our time.What is clear is that our way of living is destroying the planet—and hurting other people. We may not be the ones living on garbage dumps, we may not have a nuclear waste facility or oil pipeline behind our house, and we may not have water tainted with chemical runoff—but there are many people who experience these tragedies of our society.When I talk about justice issues like care for the environment, some folks offer strong objections, saying, “My own actions have nothing to do with that!” But, if we’re honest, we know that isn’t true; how we live directly affects others’ realities. But for Christians, pretending that it doesn’t represents a failure to live into our covenant with God and one another, a failure to acknowledge the interconnectedness of all God’s creation.See, we have a God-given responsibility not just to ourselves, our families, or even fellow Christians; but to all creation. We hear in the Genesis reading this morning that God covenants not only with Noah’s family and all their human descendants but also with all the earth, all the animals that came out of the ark. God says to Noah and his family, whenever you look up and see a rainbow in the sky, remember that I have covenanted with you and ALL creation. While earth remains and this world continues, we are called into covenant with God to care for it.But, how do we do that? If we choose to live into our covenantal responsibilities, what is the renewed vision of creation? And what are we called to do about it?I could talk about conserving water, eliminating our use of Styrofoam, or reusing and recycling all the paper we use. I could encourage everyone to eat local and organic produce, to only use ecologically friendly dry-cleaning services, or to sign more petitions and view more documentaries. And even though all that is important, a turn toward creation requires a more radical move, a fundamental cognitive change, and a consistent pattern of behavior.But, first, we need a vision. A revelation, of sorts. Not just a pretty picture; something that will rock us out of our collective complacency and propel us forward into collective action.So, close your eyes for a moment. Really, keep ‘em closed. And take a couple deep breaths.What would a green world look like?How would creation rejoice?What type of dwelling would you inhabit?What would you eat?How would you move from place to place?What would you wear?What would you do?You can open your eyes now.Now I ask you to take out that little piece of paper and the pen that was on your pew. Write down something radical you would consider doing to bring that vision about. Take a moment to write down something radicalthat you would do to help make that vision a reality.So, this earth day, while we all must continue (or start!) to recycle, turn off the water, stop using harsh chemicals, eat locally, and more, we need to begin to do what is radical for us.Will we make important choices, like what we do with our lives, where we work, what we buy, based on this covenant we have with God?Are we willing to go that far?So, take that piece of paper home, and when you think you’re ready, go bury it somewhere. Imbedded in that paper are little wildflower seeds that will take root. When you see those flowers come up, be reminded of God’s call to YOU to care for God’s creation and our own need to do something more radical. And just like the rainbow in the sky, let those flowers remind you of God’s vision for a better creation.AMEN.