(Preached on Sunday, August 22, 2010)
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; … -Romans 8:19
The frogs are disappearing! Actually, frogs and all amphibians around the world are in dire straits, with nearly one third of the world’s 6,317 species on the brink of extinction. I first heard about this phenomenon in 1991 when scientists in Australia sounded the alarm that the frogs of that continent were rapidly disappearing. What especially concerned them was the loss of some species in habitats that did not seem affected by any known human behavior: no swamp reclamation, no forests being logged out, no run-off laden with insecticides or herbicides, no pollution of any measurable quantity, all involved in the loss of other frogs. Nevertheless, there were species of frogs disappearing from apparently healthy environments. And apparently they are still disappearing around the world. Since the early 90’s scientists have identified a deadly fungus decimating some frog populations. This fungus infects the amphibians’ skin and interferes with their ability to absorb water and oxygen. This is only one more blow to their survival prospects, as all the human affected threats to frogs continue to have a negative affect; including climate change and over-harvesting for the pet and food trades.
Now I know we are thinking together about the impact of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico today and you probably did not expect to hear about the frogs. But the point is the impact of human beings on the natural world has been going on for a long time. Certainly an argument can be made that there has been an acceleration of negative influence by human activity on the environment and the world around us in recent decades, but it is not a new problem. The ancient Hebrews understood this fact as illustrated by the statement from the creation story in Genesis that because of the selfish, sinful actions of human beings the ground was cursed.
This was not the way God intended creation. The first two chapters of Genesis illustrate God’s intent was for human beings, animals and the entire natural world to live together in harmony and mutuality. The pain and disharmony described in Chapter 3 of Genesis was not part of God’s desire for the Creation, but rather entered the world when human creatures disregarded God’s word and guidelines. A big part of the suffering of creation is due to our pride and arrogance as a species. Our pride and arrogance have damaged our relationship to God and as a result has also damaged our relationship with the rest of the created world. There is a New Yorker cartoon depicting Adam and Eve being banished from the Garden of Eden by the hand of God reaching down from the clouds and pointing them away. Two angels are floating nearby watching and one says to the other: “Frankly, I think we’ll regret introducing these organisms into the environment.”
But just as the Bible suggests that the suffering of creation is due to the behavior, or misbehavior, of human beings, even so the Bible also suggests that the hope of creation also lies with human beings. That is what the apostle Paul understood: that all the parts of creation are interdependent. What happens to one part of creation has an impact on all of creation. Just as the misbehavior of human beings led to the suffering of creation, even so the redemption of human beings will also be the redemption of all creation. I like the beautiful images the Living Bible paraphrase uses in translating this passage: “For all creation is waiting patiently and hopefully for that future day when God will resurrect his children. For on that day thorns and thistles, sin, death, and decay – the things that overcame the world against its will at God’s command – will all disappear, and the world around us will share in the glorious freedom from sin which God’s children enjoy.”
Thus the hope of creation, the hope for a reversal of the horrible devastation of our world, is the redemption, the maturing, of the human species. The redemption of our attitudes and understandings is the necessary first step. One of those attitudes that need redeeming is our understanding of the word “dominion.” Yes, the Genesis story states that God created human beings and gave them “dominion over the fish of the seas and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” But the biblical understanding of dominion is not the same as the way the wider world understands dominion. Dominion does not imply a license to devastate, to use and abuse as one sees fit, to plunder for one’s own selfish benefit. The biblical understanding of dominion is of a responsibility for the welfare of that over which one holds dominion. It carries with it an expectation to seek the welfare and health of the natural world.
Jesus further refined the biblical understanding of dominion not as a role of absolute power, but rather a role of service. He told his disciples that they were not to behave as the rulers of the gentiles did, lording it over one another, but were instead to follow his example, taking the role of a servant, ready and willing to wash one another’s feet. That brings a totally different feel to that command to hold dominion over all the other creatures to think about our role as human beings to be servants to the rest of the natural world. Imagine what it might look like if we took our role as servants seriously in the way we related to the other creatures – the birds, fish, animals, and plants. One way we might carry out the implications of this understanding of dominion as servant hood would be to reflect on a saying of the Native American people. Native Americans teach that the ultimate norm for morality is the impact our choices have on persons living seven generations from now. If the results of our current decisions and actions appear good for them, then our choices are moral. If not, then they are immoral. Just think what profound changes would occur in our civilization today if we agreed on that guideline?
The choices we make that can lead to changes in the world are certainly important. William Jennings Bryan said, “Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.” Far too often we let life happen to us rather than consciously experience it. Many times we just go through the motions without a lot of thought about how our actions both individually and collectively are creating and destroying the world. How we spend our money, how we consume news and information, how we treat each other and the earth – all of these impact our communities, our families, and ourselves. For instance, did you know that our food (the growing, processing, packaging, and transportation) is second only to personal automobiles in consumption of fossil fuels? And it is a close second at that. We consume nearly as much fossil fuels through our food as we do in our cars. Our lives are so complex that to make a difference in the future health of the world is not just a matter of driving less, walking more, using less electricity, and whether our power comes from the sun, wind, waves, or fossil fuels. The choices and changes in behavior are many.
And they can appear overwhelming. This is why it is also important for us to engage in continual prayer for the world and for our choices. For while the hope of creation is our redemption, redemption is not something we effect by our own efforts, but rather it comes to us from beyond us, from God. Theologian Matthew Fox reminds us that “if the initiative does not come from the spirit, from the depths of us, it surely will not come from above, i.e. from our institutions of government and media, education and politics, economics and religion.” And sociologist Robert Bellah underscores the intimate connection between a cultural and spiritual renaissance when he states that “no one has changed a great nation without appealing to its soul.”
To be in constant prayer for all of creation means more than just verbalizing our concerns for the welfare of creation. It also means taking time to meditate upon the beauty and power, the majesty and awesomeness, which is the created world. It means taking time to contemplate creation, to con-temple, that is, “be with” creation, and rebuild our intimate connections with that natural world. Sports writer Kenny Moore wrote of such an experience he had when working on a story in Hawaii. He spent time working with researchers under a National Marine Fisheries Service permit, studying the majestic humpback whales. He wrote of his encounter under the sea with a whale named Daisy: “From Daisy’s eye shines the whale’s enduring, dooming, unwarranted benignity. There is no redemption for us in that eye, only vast innocence. Whales have no say in their survival. They simply watch to see what will happen next. They watch us. If we cannot save the whales, we cannot save anything. If that sentence is true, then it is a fearful truth, for it binds the fate of men and whales.”
Our destiny and the destiny of creation as a whole are intimately connected. But it is not a cause for despair. We are a people of faith. This means we are a people of hope. Our hope and the hope of the wider creation rest in God. There are specific things we can and need to do. Our choices do make a difference, and can lead to change. But most importantly, cultivating our prayer lives, growing in our spiritual lives, so that we deepen our sense of interconnectedness with the wider world and with God, this is the true power, the true hope for creation.