Sermon Notes October 8

Earth, Sea, and Sky

Psalm 8

"The Natural World" from the United Methodist Book of Discipline

All creation is the Lord’s, and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life, and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God’s creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation. We should meet these stewardship duties through acts of loving care and respect. Economic, political, social, and technological developments have increased our human numbers, and lengthened and enriched our lives. However, these developments have led to regional defoliation, dramatic extinction of species, massive human suffering, overpopulation, and misuse and overconsumption of natural and nonrenewable resources, particularly by industrialized societies. This continued course of action jeopardizes the natural heritage that God has entrusted to all generations. Therefore, let us recognize the responsibility of the church and its members to place a high priority on changes in economic, political, social, and technological lifestyles to support a more ecologically equitable and sustainable world leading to a higher quality of life for all of God’s creation.
2004 Book of Discipline, Social Principles ¶160

A few years ago I went on a mission trip with the Bishop and other clergy from the PNW to Mexico. We spent a few days in Mexico City. The city is one of the largest in the world with an estimated population of about 17 million people and it is generally regarded as one of the most polluted cities in the world as well. The city is surrounded by mountain range’s that trap the air around it. The congestion of cars and people can be overwhelming. What became abundantly clear to me is that Mexico (and the world) needs the United States to create solutions for many of our environmental problems. We have the scientific and economic resources. We have the ability, but do we have the will?

The writer of the Psalm knew that our health our life depended upon worship and our spiritual health. We are called to live in balance and recognition that all that we have belongs first to God.

Our failure to live in harmony with our environment is a spiritual problem.

One Factor of this spiritual problem is our devotion to individualism, personal freedom and in the church an emphasis on personal salvation. We have taken individualism to extraordinary heights. We don’t attend concerts to listen to music, we download music on “ipods.” You can’t travel in our population areas without a car. Can you imagine being a tourist in Los Angeles without a car? You couldn’t get anywhere. There is no subway to Disneyland, no one WALKS in LA.

Many churches have shifted the emphasis of the great commission to “Make disciples of all nations,” and we have turned it into a commission of “Make disciples of some people.” We must be more than a collection of individuals who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. We must be about the creating of that helpful phrase that Rev. Dan Gerhard brought to our attention a few weeks ago, “The Blessed Community.” We must recognize that our salvation is the discovery that God’s Kingdom is not a place where we live in isolation. God’s Kingdom is a place of community.

This community needs our recognition that all that we have is ours for just a little while. Yet, while we are here for just a little while the impact we have on creation lasts for generations. I have some possesions that I have inherited from my grandfather and I appreciate having that continued connection with him. I have some ties that are his and some books for my own research. I really love running across notes that he made in a Bible commentary or little papers he stuck in the pages. That connection means a great deal to me. I hope that Brianna will have the same appreciation of connection to her past. Through that connection we may come to realize the truth of living in community with others. Our impact on the environment is physical as well as spiritual.

Our worship is not isolated to the hour (or more) we spend together at Longview UMC on Sunday mornings. Our worship is our life. The Psalmist knew that our worship is connected to our recognition that our life is dependent upon God and the wholeness of the creation we live in.

Continue the Sermon

Read Psalm 24: What does this Psalm call the faithful to do?

Take a walk, what do you notice about the environment around you?
Walk at least once this week on a journey that you would normally have driven in your car to do.

Connect with someone you haven’t connected with in a while. Write a note, make a phone call, make a visit. What is valuable to you in connecting with this person?

Spend some time in your yard or your neighbor’s yard. Consider and pray for all that lives in that ecosystem, the plants, the insects, and the pets.