CHRISTIANITY CONFRONTS CULTURE:
THE ENVIRONMENT
Couple of Favorite "Environmental Jokes"
Judge: young man, it says here you shot and killed a California Condor. How do you plead? Defendant: Guilty your honor. Judge: GUILTY!? Don't you know how endangered these condors are? There are hardly any left at all. Defendant: Yes sir, I know, but I had to feed my family, we're so poor. Judge: That's no excuse. I fine you 30 days in jail. By the way, what does California Condor taste like? Defendant: It's real good, kinda like a cross between Bald Eagle and Whooping Crane!
About to bag the groceries, the young clerk asks the customer:
"Do you want to destroy a tree by using a paper bag, or endanger the environment with plastic?"
SCRIPTURE READING
Lev 25:23 (GNB)
(23) Your land must not be sold on a permanent basis, because you do not own it; it belongs to God, and you are like foreigners who are allowed to make use of it.
INTRO:
I'm going to deal with a subject that, most likely, you have never heard a sermon about
Our Stewardship Of The Environment
Environmentalism is a major issue of discussion in many circles
Just not within conservative, evangelical churches
We have allowed it to become so thoroughly identified with the more liberal elements of our society
We have come to view as an economic, or political issue, instead of spiritual
It seems to me the message of stewardship of the environment has been co-opted by liberal groups in America
Same people who speak so angrily and derisively about issues that are bedrock and important to those of us with traditional values- God, church, family, country
Are the same ones who are at forefront of environmental concerns
Popular "flavour of the month" of public issues with many
SCRIPTURAL BASES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
The scriptures reveal that God is very concerned about nature and the environment. As His children and His representatives, we should too.
God has made a Covenant with every living Creature
Genesis 9:8-9. Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you - the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you - every living Creature on the earth."
Large & Small Creatures Of The Sea
*Psalms 104:25,30. In wisdom you made them all, the earth is full of your creatures. There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number - living things both large and small... When you send your Spirit, they are created and you renew the earth.
Trees Of The Forest
*Psalm 96:10-13. The Lord reigns... Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad, let the seas resound and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy, they will sing before the Lord for he comes, he comes to judge the earth.
Wild Animals
*Isaiah 43:20-21. The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
Clouds & Lightning
*Job 37:14-18. Listen to this, Job. Stop and consider God's wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?
Skies
Psalm 19:1. The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.
An Important Christian Distinction
God is not Nature. He is separate from nature. He is the creator and sustainer of our natural world. I can understand how one can speak figuratively in saying "God is in the sun, moon, and stars. God is in a beautiful sunset, or the rolling tide, or a gentle breeze." In the same way that an artist is in a painting, or a parent is in a child. But God is distinct from nature. We do not worship the creation; we worship the Creator.
That is why I consider it suspect for the Good Ole Boy to say, "I don't need to go to church to worship God. I worship Him best when I'm sitting in the deer stand, and when I'm out on the lake fishing." Now I know one can experience a fine connection with God while out with nature.
Perhaps my favourite place to take my daily walk is McDaniel Farm Park. It is located off Old Norcross Road, really not far from Gwinnett Mall. But when you get back in there, it seems you are a hundred miles away from that busy mall and this crowded county. It's one of the newest of what I have discovered to be a great park system here in Gwinnett County. I don't think this particular park has been discovered by the masses, so it is still relatively isolated. I like to go there early in the morning, around 6 a.m., or late in the evening around 8:00. The trails make a wide and meandering loop of about 3 miles. And except for the isolated jogger, I'll pretty well have it to myself. Oh, there are a couple of Korean families who like to walk together. We will meet along the way. I'll try to give a courteous bow, and they will greet me with a big smile and a bow. Otherwise, I've seen lots of squirrels, rabbits, and some really big deer. There is a stream or two. And there is the Lord out there. And as I go along and enjoy the beauty of God's nature, I also enjoy God's presence. Often I sense a great closeness to God as we take this walk together. We discuss many things. Sometimes you are the subject. And then sometimes there are no words. Just friends. And you know, that can be the sweetest hour of prayer. Just enjoying God, and God enjoying me.
I encourage you to take a walk, and spend some time with God. Don't complicate it. You don't need a notebook, or an ipod. Just God.
And I think that is a vital, almost essential experience of spiritual strengthening. But it is not meant to replace, supplant, corporate worship with fellow believers. When we get together, we do something special. We join together in worship. We join our hearts, voices, minds, prayers, ears, eyes to worship God together. We tie ourselves together and approach God in unison. And it becomes a sweet experience unique and necessary. Just as private worship is unique and necessary. One does not, cannot, replace the other. One alone does not suffice.
Further Consideratio n of Christian stewardship
*Luke 16:1-2,10,13
Luk 16:1 Now He was also saying to the disciples, "There was a certain rich man who had a steward, and this steward was reported to him as squandering his possessions.
Luk 16:2 "And he called him and said to him, 'What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.'
Luk 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
Luk 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other, or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon."
Stewardship implies:
I know the item does not belong to me.
I am the borrower. God is the lender.
I should use it for its proper, intended purpose.
I will one day need to return the item. I should want to return it in as good of shape, or even better shape, than when I borrowed it.
Should I squander, and ruin what has been entrusted to me, then I should expect to be accountable.
Time. Talent. Treasure. Health. Relationships. Spiritual gifts. Bible. Prayer Life.
Equally, I believe we have stewardship of the Environment.
Individually. Corporately.
A Few Practical examples of how we, as Christians, can be good stewards of our world
Some suggestions:
(1) Refusal to disperse trash into our environment.
(2) Use bio-degradable items as much as possible.
(3) Take used motor oil to reclamation centers.
(4) Make use of Recycling Centers. Plastics. Glass. Newspapers.
(5) Use rechargeable batteries.
(6) I think we in America, and indeed in the world, need to be working to reduce the use of fossil fuels and advancing alternative sources of energy. I think it is a spiritual issue.
(7)All of this clear-cutting and bulldozing of land in Atlanta can't be good. When do we say enough?
(8) Voluntary offsets
You know what, I'm just trying to survive.
I understand.
I can't afford to drive an electric car, or install solar panels on the roof of my home
Perhaps you have a business that clears land and builds houses.
Make a contribution to a service that plants trees and reclaims land. They're out there.
(9) Perhaps you drive an SUV because it's safe. Or maybe you thought it was a good investment at the time, but now you are stuck with the payments with seemingly no end in sight.
How to be a good steward? Keep it tuned up. Drive conservatively. Give somebody a ride to church. Donate it to your pastor (just kidding).
Would Jesus drive an SUV? Cadillac? Live in a mansion? I don't have a problem with those things. We all have different pathways of life to travel. Some have been blessed financially. If your financial and material gain has been the result of greed and the love of money, then repentance and change is in order. But a generous and loving person can practice good stewardship and still be blessed financially. I'm not too concerned with how much you have got. And, I don't think, neither is God. Much more important is where your priorities lie. If you are willing to compromise what you know to be right for the sake of personal gain, then there is a problem. That is true with your money, and equally true with the environment.
CONCLUSIONS:
*Live like a shepherd, not like a wolf. Remember, recycling is an act of worship!
*Stewardship of your life begins with understanding Who owns all things, including the world around and including one's own life
*Unwillingness to live responsibly and ethically in a perceived "small matter" like littering or environmental responsibility could reveal a more problematic issue of the heart:
Luk 16:10 "He who is faithful in a very little thing is faithful also in much; and he who is unrighteous in a very little thing is unrighteous also in much.
*Accepting God's rightful ownership of your life, and acknowledging to serve Him first in all areas of life, are essential ingredients of the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Your opportunity at this time is to make a conscious and public decision to commit your life to Him.
