Wholeness in Creation (Psalm 104: 24-30; Ezekiel 34: 1-4, 18-19)

John Muir once wrote:  “How little note is taken of the deeds of Nature! What paper publishes her reports? .... Who publishes the sheet-music of the winds, or the written music of water written in river-lines? Who reports the works and ways of the clouds, those wondrous creations coming into being every day like freshly upheaved mountains? And what record is kept of Nature's colors - - the clothes she wears - of her birds, her beasts - her live-stock?”

If people took so little notice of nature back in John Muir’s day, they take even less notice of nature today.  What phase is the moon in right now?  What constellations and planets are visible in the evening sky?  What type of tree grows in your front yard, what types of birds make their nests in it, and when do they migrate?

The only birds many people pay attention to today are angry birds, flappy birds, and those that tweet in 140 characters or less.

John Muir also wrote: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe.” 

That, my friends, is a true statement.  We are connected to everything else in creation.  Scientists know this is true:  everything in the universe began at the Big Bang, and the subsequent creation of stars.  As Neil DeGrasse Tyson says, we are made of stardust.

Scripture also affirms this.  Genesis 2 states that humanity was created from the dust of the ground.  We are made of earth.  We are one with the earth, and one with all that dwells upon it.

The Native Americans recognized this.  In 1854, Chief Seattle of the Suquamish tribe gave a speech in which he said this:  “All things are connected like the blood which unites one family.  All things are connected.  Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth.  Man did not weave the web of life; he is merely a strand in it….

“Our God is the same God… The earth is precious to him, and to harm the earth is to heap contempt upon its Creator.”

And then, going back to scripture, we have the words of the psalmist which we have already heard:  “O Lord, how manifold are your works!  In wisdom you have made them all; living things, both small and great; the earth is full of your creatures…. When you send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground.”

I have always had a deep, deep love for nature.  Some of my youngest, most vivid and happiest memories are of camping with my family in places like King Canyon and the Redwoods.  Places like these have become special to me.  Sacred.  Holy. 

Later, I learned how fragile they are, how sensitive they are to human activity.  As a boy scout I learned to “leave no trace” when visiting these sacred places, so that it would look the same after I left as it did before I came. 

I remember one time, hiking near a place called Vogelsang in Yosemite National Park, sitting by the side of the trail – just sitting, being still and quiet – and a squirrel came scurrying by.  I remained silent and still, and the squirrel, after sizing me up, determined that I wasn’t a threat, and went about its business.  It might sound crazy, but I felt a little connection to that squirrel.  I felt the oneness we shared.  I think he sensed it, too.

Another time, jogging along a dirt trail in Montana de Oro State Park, mountains disappearing into the fog to my left, the grey waters of the Pacific Ocean crashing on the rocks to my right… and then, a coyote, materializing out of the mist, and running alongside me for a while before disappearing back into the scrub and sage.  I admit, his appearance did make me just a little nervous at first, but then it seemed to me that all he wanted was companionship, the opportunity to help me recognize that we were one.

Another quote from John Muir:  “Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to pray in and play in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.”

It’s a shame that so many people think they can live without nature.  I’m not talking about wallpapers on their computer, I’m talking about real, actual experiences in nature. 

Of course, we experience nature every day.  We breathe air...but we don’t notice the air, or the fact that we’re breathing.  We might notice the weather… but only as something to deal with, not as something to take delight in.  Coyotes are pests, and squirrels, well, they just make our dogs bark.

The truth is, when we do notice nature, we treat it as if it is something separate from us.  And then, because it is separate, we have no problem viewing it as something to fight against, to conquer, to exploit.

But since we are one with all of creation, when we fight against, conquer, or exploit nature, we fight against, conquer, and exploit our very selves. 

We see no problem with habits that destroy nature, destroy creation, because we don’t see that those same habits are destroying ourselves.

We are so, so wasteful;  and being wasteful is a terrible way to treat our planet and our neighbors.

Let’s take one example:  Perhaps a man has enough money that he doesn’t have to worry about the cost of fuel.  It’s $4 a gallon, but even if it was $10 a gallon, he could afford it.

So he buys his luxury, high performance car that guzzles gas but performs beautifully.  And he drives it everywhere.  It’s his baby, and his baby needs to be fed, and he can feed it, because he has the wealth.

Now we know that gas guzzlers are worse for the environment.  They create pollution, which in turn causes health problems in people and contributes to climate change, which, by the way, is very real.  Today there is virtually no disagreement among scientists that climate change is happening, and that human activity is a contributing factor.

Earlier this month, James Powell, former head of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles – a man who was appointed to the National Science Board by presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush – published the results of a survey he conducted.  That survey revealed  that out of 10,885 peer-reviewed scientific articles published in 2013 on the topic of climate change, only two papers argued that climate change was not being caused by human activity.

Two out of 10,885.  Percentage-wise, that’s less than 0.02%.  That means that over 99.98% of scientists agree that our habits are contributing to climate change.  To ignore or deny this fact is to ignore or deny science; but science – as Neil DeGrasse Tyson points out – is true whether you believe it or not.

So our gas-guzzling friend is, without a doubt, contributing to climate change; and we’ve already seen, in recent years, how climate change leads to rising sea levels, shrinking glaciers, retreating sea ice, ocean acidification, and changing wildlife patterns. Our planet is changing.  We better get used to it … and find ways to slow down the rate of change.

Our gas-guzzling friend is also making life harder for his neighbors in other ways.  Because he and others like him have not cut back on their use of fuel, costs of fuel continue to rise, and while that may not be a problem for him, it is for his neighbor down the street who can barely afford to feed his family and pay for the fuel they need just to get by.  Mr. Gas-Guzzler’s excessive consumption raises prices for everyone, which is really a terrible way to treat your fellow human. 

Just because you can afford to waste, doesn’t mean it’s right for you to do so when it makes it harder for others. One could tell the same story about water, or food, or anything else that is used wastefully.

This kind of lifestyle is exactly the lifestyle that Ezekiel prophesies against.  “Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, but you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture?  When you drink of clear water, must you foul the rest with your feet?  And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have fouled with your feet?”

Climate change is a justice issue.  Allowing all people responsible access to the earth’s resources is a justice issue.  Healing and Wholeness for creation is a justice issue. 

Ezekiel got worked up over how one rich man’s actions polluted the water that a poor man downstream relied on.   Imagine if Ezekiel were around today.  Imagine if any of the other ancient prophets were around today, to see how we are treating our neighbors, to see how our habits and patterns of living are changing the earth in ways that have drastic consequences, especially for those who are poor, those who lack the means to adapt to these changes.

It’s always the poor who suffer most in these situations.

It’s time for people of faith to work to restore wholeness to creation.

It’s time to stop our endlessly excessive levels of consumption.  What’s wrong with repairing old things?  Why do we always have to buy something new?

It’s time to think locally when it comes to purchases.  Your local supermarket has produce from all over the world, so that nothing is ever out of season.  But what affect does it have on the environment, to always be shipping food back and forth across the planet?  Your farmer’s market has food in season, grown locally, and yeah, you might not be able to get summer squash in winter, but the food you do get is fresher, tastes so much better, and didn’t require the use of fossil fuels to be transported thousands of miles from where it was grown.

It’s time to take shorter showers, to use re-usable shopping bags and re-usable mugs, to avoid anything that is used once and thrown away.  I will actually choose one restaurant over another simply because it serves food on a real plate rather than in a throwaway Styrofoam container.

It’s time to get our politicians to lead us in sustainable, environmentally-friendly policies and practices.  Renewable energy.  Public transportation that works.  Stricter guidelines and harsher penalties for corporations that pollute.  The changes we need to make at this level are drastic, and the challenges are great.  It won’t be easy. 

Yet justice demands it.  Our God demands it. 

Genesis declares that God put humans on the earth to care for the earth, to be good stewards of the world God made, to bring wholeness and healing to the earth and all who dwell in it:  all living things both small and great.  It’s our calling, to bring wholeness to creation, for we and creation are one.