the first environmental legislation

*This is a revision of an earlier blog post, that seems very appropriate for us to consider now given the recent legislation in our country .

There has been a lot of talk recently about new legislation passed in Washington regarding Climate Control and Environmental care. There are arguments for and against on both sides. I do not want to nitpick over the finer points of the argument.

I do want to express confusion and concern about those who follow Jesus saying, in response to this bill, things like, “Environmentalists drive me crazy.” “I cannot believe our country is buying into the ‘green’ fad!” In speaking about environmental issues once I was told after by one angry brother, “You are a lousy tree hugger!” Those who champion this legislation are even being referred to in an antagonistic way as “Climate Control Zealots.”

Why all the malice? People are trying to care for our earth, the earth that God calls good, it is not like they are asking us to snort lines of Coke. Below is a I really do not understand why there is such vehement disagreement and debate, especially from those who follow Jesus, and believe in the Scripture, about this issue. Since I have been asked repeatedly about this, I thought I would simply take the time to talk a little about why I am a tree hugger (I will let you determine if I am lousy).

In Genesis 1 we see the first Environmental Legislation ever recorded in the history of mankind. The writer tells us that God said,

"' ... fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.' Then God said, 'I give you every seed bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.' And it was so."

From the start the first thing God tells the man and the woman in the garden is to care for his earth.

In Genesis 2, the writer tells us,

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. "

(Scholars refer to this as "The Creation Mandate"). The word for "work" in that in this verse is abad. The idea of working and caring in the garden carries with it the idea that we are called to continue to create alongside of God. Caring for the earth was not simply for practical reasons.

It was God entrusting what he created to us - to humanity. He was giving us a way to interact with the earth - the dirt from which we were created - in worship to him. Humanity is made in God's image - so when we co-create - care for and work his creation we are identifying with him. God invites us to participate with him in the ongoing process of creation.

In Genesis 3 the first man and woman go against God’s intentions for humanity. It is interesting to note what the punishment is for them.

The writer of Genesis records,

"To Adam [God] said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat of it," 'Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.'"

One of the immediate results of sin is the cursing of the dirt. Which is interesting. God puts a barrier between man and the earth because of sin. At creation he gave humanity a charge to care for it and to work it. However, the work has now changed to toil. The word "toil" is atsav. It means more than work - it is sorrowful / anxiety devoid of joy. Suddenly the relationship God instituted between man and the earth is broken - The care which Adam once was given was work / care that was ultimately a vehicle for worship. That all changed and now has become joy-less labor.

However, God in his love of humanity did not abandon us. He pursued humanity to bring restoration, redemption, and reconciliation. God, in his bringing of redemption to humanity included the restoring our relationship to this earth. It is interesting to note how many times God brings the land/earth (The Hebrew word for land eretz is translated both as land, ground, and earth) into the promises he makes to humanity.

We often say that a rainbows are God's sign of his promise to us never to destroy the earth again by a flood - however Genesis 9.13 God says in the midst of his renewing the Creation Mandate with Noah and his family, " I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Which raises the question - God made a covenant with the earth? In the midst of God making a covenant with Noah and his sons God includes the earth.

He also gives a promise to Abraham - central to that promise is a promise to give him land. He promises the same to Isaac, Jacob, and the people of Israel throughout Torah. He then gives a promise to David - promising him a throne/kingdom established forever. He points to a physical location - Jerusalem - at the center of it all.

Some object and say, “Why care for the earth, wait until you see what God is going to do to it!!” They say this in reference to 2 Peter 3.10-13 where Peter seems to say the earth is going to burn up. However, scholars have found older and more reliable manuscripts that give new meaning to the words in those verses. Rather than say the earth will be burned up, Peter seems to be saying that the earth will be purified, cleansed, or purified – much like gold is purified in the furnace.[1] God, is going to improve the earth by fire.

This is why the end of the book is so beautiful. John has a vision in Revelation of the new heaven and new earth. The earth has gone through the fire and is restored, and humanity is living on a renovated planet. It seems that each time God reaches toward humanity he is redeeming an initial relationship he ordained from the beginning - our relationship with the earth.

The Bible constantly speaks about God caring for his creation. Which makes sense. God creates the heavens and the earth, and calls it good. It does not make much sense to think that he would just stop caring about it.

The reality is that today we are no longer living in an unblemished creation. Creation, like humanity is experiencing the effects of the fall. But we are headed for a renewed creation. As a result we believe we are to live in light of that future hope now. In direct relation to the earth then, we have a responsibility to care for creation. This piece of legislation was given in Genesis 1 and 2, and God never rescinded his command that he gave to humanity.

We should have a deep concern for the environment and ask how can we be more earth friendly. God called this place good - and we should treat it as such as God has given us a way to have a relationship with the earth that brings him glory.

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[1] Michael Wittmer, Heaven Is a Place on Earth, p201,202

beginning with the artwork

The Bible is a fascinating book. That first sentence is an understatement. The Bible has it all. Love, hate, romance, violence, treachery, friendship, life, death, pain, suffering, war, famine, deceit, and the list could go on. If one begins to read the Bible she may realize how much the ground and how many issues the Bible covers .

The Bible also defies categorization. It is a story, but not a novel. It speaks about what is true, but it is not a list of propositional truths. It is able to teach God’s people how to live rightly, but it is not an instruction manual. At times it is perfectly clear, at other times it defies interpretation. In some ways it is more like an indescribably beautiful painting than a book of words.

Consider all the different interpretations of the Bible. Some want to say that this is a weakness. However, I believe that this may point to the beauty of the Bible. For centuries men and women have approached this book, and recognized the mystery contained in its revelation. Maybe this is what keeps so many coming back again and again.

We just cannot stop staring at this work of art. We want to look at it in different light. Examine it throughout the seasons of our lives and see how it speaks to us in new and different ways. We want to hear how it speaks to others, and allow their understanding to shape ours.

What is fascinating about all of this is that the Bible is not about the Bible. The Bible is about God, who is love. One might say we are fascinated by the artwork, not because of the artwork itself, but because of what it says (and does not say) about the artist. We throw ourselves into understanding the work of art so that we might grasp something about the artist.

Many have spoken about wanting to know what the Bible says about this or that. However, my experience has told me otherwise. I have seen many people who want the Bible to tell them that their views, opinions, or presuppositions are true or warranted. In this we are beginning in the wrong place.

We are not beginning with the artwork or the artist, we are beginning with something else. Consider the way we often approach other people in an attempt to know them. Often we begin with questions like, “Where are you from?” “Where did you go to school?” “What do you do for work?” "Married or single?"

All of these questions remove us from where the Bible begins. The first chapter of the book tells us that we are the image of God. This instantly imparts to all people dignity, worth, and honor. Yet often we reduce one’s dignity to where they live, their occupation, or their appearance. We begin somewhere else.

This reality grows tenser when one approaches what are perceived to be cultural or political issues from the Bible. Conversation around these issues can be a lightning rod for some. Military. Non-Violence. Poverty. Immigration. Care for the sick. Environmental care. Racism. Equality. Raise one of these issues, and inevitably there will be a strong reaction.

Typically the reaction that is engendered from raising these questions is abrasive, antagonistic, demeaning, disrespectful, angry, or any combination of the above (these reactions, I would contend, is not what the Artist had in mind). Yet, if we are honest the Bible speaks toward each of these issues plainly, and therefore demands our examination of it. It calls for the people of God to wrestle with these and all conversations it speaks into. For in its addressing of them it ultimately tells us something of the Artist who painted the work in the first place.

Often times however, we do not move toward the artwork (and therefore the Artist), we move toward our own thoughts and ideologies. We dismiss quickly the thoughts of those who are also looking into the text, or possibly even the text itself, to hold on to our stuff. We base our idea of truth and understanding on our political persuasion, economic theories, family traditions, or academic knowledge. We begin somewhere else.

This is not to say that one has it right, and the other wrong. Who goes to an art exhibit and walks away telling everyone they see they were right? However, we have to begin somewhere else. We have to begin, as best we can, with what we understand the Bible to be communicating about God. We cannot begin with anything else; for when we do the Bible becomes secondary, and merely serves to frame another painting.

As God’s people trying as best we can, with the aid of the Spirit, we must try to understand what God is teaching us about himself. Some things are much clearer than others. And for those parts that are difficult we should not ignore them. Rather, we ought to spend more time gazing into them together, hearing from a wide variety of God’s people so that we might see more clearly the beauty and mystery that is before us. As God’s people no part of the painting should be off limits, nor should any one group or sub-group claim one piece of the painting as their own.

As we attempt to navigate our world and life, we must do what we can to continually develop and redevelop a proper understanding of the Bible. Looking into all parts of it – the easy, the difficult, the comforting, the disturbing, the hope, the judgment – for the Bible as a whole is what makes the artwork so compelling and beautiful.

All of the Bible is for all the people of God to dive into together so that we can better know the Author of the words. Indeed, that first sentence is an understatement.

the inefficient church

In recent years I have been hearing a lot about efficiency.

ef⋅fi⋅cien⋅cy [i-fish-uhn-see]: Accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort.

There is nothing at all wrong efficiency whatsoever. But many of the conversations to which I have been privy have dealt specifically with efficiency within the Church. I must say I find this a tad confusing. The Church by nature may be one of the most inefficient things out there.

You may, in reading that last statement, have one of a few thoughts:

1. Absolutely it is! I can’t ever get anything done at my church!
2. Good thought, but my church runs with unbelievable efficiency.
3. The idea of efficiency within the church makes me sick.

In interacting with those thoughts, it does seem that the first two speak not toward the Church, but to an institutional system in which a group of people who follow Jesus decide to organize themselves. Within this organization there are hierarchies, policies, procedures, by-laws, articles of incorporation, websites, buildings, structures, and the list could go on. With all these moving parts it is now wonder people want to know and learn about the efficiency in the church.

However, none of those systems and structures are the Church. The Church is the full body of Jesus that exists for the benefit of our world and the worship of our Creator. The Church is people. By nature this makes the Church inefficient.

I know a group of men and women who served one family in need for years … and the family never joined the Church. Those who have served were not upset or discouraged. They recognized their call to serve (end of sentence). How inefficient is that? Could they not have put time, energy, and effort into something else?

A friend I know goes to Retirement Homes and sit with the elderly who had no visitors. He would learn what their favorite books were and read to them for hours. On the occasion that one of them would pass, he would always be sure to see that they received a proper funeral. Sometimes he was the only one around. How inefficient is that? Could he not put his time, energy, and effort into something else?

I know a fellow who fell into drug addiction. He moved away from home and left everything he knew. One day he heard a knock at his door. He looked outside and saw the one friend who had never given up on him. This friend used to call once a week and always tell him “Whatever you need I am good for it.” He did this for years. My friend who was addicted to drugs ignored the knocking. But he kept knocking and knocking and knocking … for three hours. My friend who was formerly addicted to drugs tells that story as the thing that changed his life. Years of persistence. Hours of knocking. How inefficient is that? Could he not put his time, energy, and effort into something else?

Some people at our church have begun meeting face to face with those who call DCC home to help them connect relationally. Some have said, "How long is it going to take to do this?" Others have suggested email, web-based sign-ups, etc. The response from the team has been to point out that every person is valuable, and at the very least deserves another person spending time with them to remind them they are cared for. How inefficient is that? Could they not put his time, energy, and effort into something else?

The Church is about relationships, and these may be the most inefficient of all things. Relationships do not cooperate with our best-laid plans. Spiritual formation is not something we can track, rather it is only something to be observed over a long period of time. Healing and wholeness are a life-long pursuit. Walking with a friend who is hurting, depressed, or disillusioned is not something on which we put a mission statement. Living as the embodiment of Jesus for the healing of our world defies the one, three and five year plan.

All of these things are inefficient. When we make efficiency the goal, we are left with a well-oiled machine, but no soul. And as one prophet once said, “The goal is soul.” Systems, structure, policies, procedures, hierarchies, and everything else too often become the focus, and we lose sight of what ultimately matters. So let’s be more efficiently inefficient, and may healing, wholeness, and hope come with it.

more than a day

Every year, God’s faithful celebrate Easter. The day the Church observes in remembrance of the moment that God exerted his power, raising Jesus from the dead. We celebrate that the stone has been moved, the grave is now a groove, and all debts are removed.

There is a lot of build up to this day. The journey to the empty tomb begins weeks before Easter on Ash Wednesday. Then for forty days, during the Lenten Season, we dig into the muck and mire of our own souls. In prayers and practices of repentance, accompanied by fasting, we are reminded of our own depravity and our need for God. We remind ourselves that we are incapable of finding our own redemption.

During Lent, the dark season of the church calendar, we anticipate the celebration of Easter. We know inside, that our story does not end in ashes, but in the hope of the resurrection.

Through Good Friday (which is a curious name) and Holy Saturday, we wait until we wake up on Sunday. It is Easter. We celebrate, some even dress up for their church’s gathering, and we eat large meals with friends. As well we should, it is a great day. It celebrates the moment on which those of us of Christian faith place our hope. But then it ends.

Monday comes and we move on with our routines. We look ahead toward summer and hope that Spring is drawing closer. For the most part however, Easter is over toward next year. Why do we spend so much time building up toward Easter, but then experience such an abrupt halt after the day?

This year I have begun to question this. If we spend at least forty days preparing, shouldn't we spend minimally forty days after celebrating? (This is the beauty of the Liturgical Calendar keeping the resurrection as a part of our celebration until Ascension Sunday.) If we removed Christmas from the Bible we would lose a couple of chapters from Gospel of Matthew and a few from the Gospel of Luke. If we removed Easter from the Bible we would lose the majority of the New Testament. Yet Easter is a blip on the radar in our yearly calendar.

While some celebrate Lent, and spend forty days preparing for Easter, fewer spend anytime after. Beyond that Lent is a dark time that precedes the resurrection; shouldn’t we spend more time celebrating the resurrection – at least more than one Sunday when we dress up? The Church is a community based on the resurrection. The Church is called to be a people who live as a resurrection community – that is a community of hope.

Luke tells an interesting story in his Gospel. After Jesus has risen two of his followers are walking to a town called Emmaus. They are in intense discussion as they walk along the road, and they are joined by a stranger, who is Jesus, but they do not recognize him.

The stranger asks them what is going on, and they reply “Are you not from Jerusalem, don’t you know what has happened here in the last few days?” They simply are confused as to why Jesus was killed, and why his tomb is empty. The stranger then tells them about what was really going on. Luke says, “Beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.”

Jesus reframes the story of the Hebrew Scriptures. He shifts their common paradigm. The resurrection sheds a whole new light on the Scriptures. It is a whole new story. A story that gives these disciples a new way of living, thinking, and seeing.

This is what Easter does. It reframes our story. It shifts the world in which we live. It gives those who follow Jesus, not just something to believe in, but an entirely new creation. This is something certainly worth celebrating, but not just for one day.

If Easter reframes our story that means everyday we are living in light of its hope in the front of our minds. We ought to remember, proclaim, live out, and celebrate Easter all year long as a resurrection community.

bread: a sermon

The ONE Campaign recently posted a teaching I did at Denver Community Church. You can listen by clicking here.