A Feast For Everyone (Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 20-24)

“O come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving…”

So begins Psalm 95. Last March, when the pandemic began, it was hard to imagine that we’d be able to praise God eight months later while the pandemic raged on, or that we would come into God’s presence with thanksgiving in our own homes, worshiping online. 

Yet here we are… and though things still aren’t as we wish they were, we do find that, even now, we have much to be thankful for.

For one thing, we are thankful that Christ showed us the way of love. Christ showed us how to follow that ancient command, to love God with all one’s heart, soul, mind, and body, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself. No matter what gets taken away from us, no matter what sacrifices we have to make, we still have love.

And love is what compels us to worship in this way, maintaining physical distance from one another, even though our hearts long to be together.

Today is not only the Sunday before Thanksgiving; according to the church calendar, today is “Christ the King” Sunday. It is the last Sunday of the church year. Next week is the first Sunday of Advent, which marks the start of a new church year.

To some, “Christ the King” sounds too patriarchal, too misogynistic. So, instead, it is called “Reign of Christ” Sunday. To some, any “kingdom” language needs to be revised. Instead of “the kingdom of God,” they’ll talk about the “kin-dom of God,” or “the reign of God.” 

I tend to hold on to kingdom language, but I recognize that, like all metaphors, it has its limitations. And if I were to come up with my own alternative phrase, I’d call it the “household of God;” and sometimes, I do use the phrase Martin Luther King, Jr., used, and call it God’s beloved community.

But I hold on to kingdom language for several reasons. One: it’s the language scripture uses. Two: it reminds me that this isn’t just some spiritual realm we’re talking about, but a present, earthly reality. “King” and “kingdom” language is, after all, political. Early followers of Jesus called him “King” because that was a title used by Herod; and Caesar, in Rome, was the “king of kings.” But by calling Jesus “king,” early Christians were making a statement that Jesus - not Caesar, not Herod - ruled over their lives.

On this Christ the King Sunday - this “Reign of Christ” Sunday - the reading from Ezekiel gives us another alternative way to think about the kingdom of God, and that is the image of a shepherd and his flock. The Bible often uses shepherd imagery to talk about leaders - both human leaders, and divine leaders. When we read about shepherds leading their flock, shepherds leading their sheep beside still waters, shepherds searching for their sheep who are lost… we are reading about the kingdom of God.

Ezekiel presents a picture of God-as-shepherd who takes over the shepherding job from leaders on earth who have done a poor job. They haven’t done what a shepherd is supposed to do. They haven’t led their people the way a leader should lead. They haven’t been the kings and leaders that God desires.

So God says, “I myself will be the shepherd. And I myself will go seek out my sheep that are lost. I’ll go to where they are and rescue them from whatever trouble they are in. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them with justice.”

The “fat and the strong” are those leaders, those shepherds, who care only about their own welfare. The “fat and the strong” are those sheep who are bullies to all the other sheep.

And when God says “I will feed them with justice,” we get a glimpse of just what is going on. Some are feasting, while others are starving. 

Feeding them with justice means taking from those who have so much, and giving it to those who have so little. It is a redistribution of wealth. God will strengthen the weak, but the fat and the strong, God will destroy.

Yes, this is a story about God’s judgment. But here, and elsewhere, God’s judgment is favorable to those who are poor, oppressed, and vulnerable. God’s judgment is only unfavorable to those who have neglected to show love and care for others.

The kings of Israel chose not to feed the hungry, quench the thirst of the thirsty, heal the sick, or bind up the injured. So they are judged. 

In a part of Ezekiel 34 that wasn’t included in today’s reading, the prophet asks:

“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?”

The fat, overfed sheep are judged. The shepherds who have not fed the hungry sheep are judged.

Today, there are fat sheep who are hoarding all the food, and leaving none for the rest of the flock. Today, there are shepherds who are neglecting sheep they should be caring for. 

What Ezekiel describes is what is happening today. If you examine the tax code and the distribution of wealth in our society, you see that the amount of taxes paid by the wealthy has dropped over the decades. Not just a little, but dramatically. And the burden placed on the backs of the poor has grown heavier. 

The federal minimum wage has not been raised in over 11 years… it has remained at $7.25 since 2009. Yet last year, the average CEO’s pay increased by 14%. 14% in just one year! The fat sheep are getting fatter, and the lean sheep are starving to death.

Stocks are doing well, which is more good news for the wealthy. But the gospel is not about the stock market. The stock market doesn't matter to God if the poor are not being fed. In fact, a rising stock market is offensive to God if the poor are not being fed, if the poor are not benefiting from the rise in wealth. 

While the wealthiest Americans have seen their wealth rise by huge amounts, so many others have lost their jobs, lost their health insurance, lost the small businesses they started. Right now, 12 million Americans are set to lose their unemployment benefits on the day after Christmas, despite the fact that the number of COVID-19 cases is surging. This will send many of them into poverty.

One wonders if Congress and the current administration's disastrous mismanagement of the pandemic was intentional… because while the poor are suffering - and especially poor people of color - white billionaires have been doing quite well. 

The fat sheep have gotten fatter, but a huge and growing number of sheep are hungry and lost. 

This is not the kingdom of God.

Most distressing to me is that many religious leaders - many Christian leaders - are staunch defenders of our current economic situation. I don’t know where in scripture they see justification for our current immoral economics, but they do. And these Christian leaders, these corrupt shepherds, use religion not to help, not to heal, but to hurt and destroy. 

According to scripture, this is why God comes to judge. God judges between the fat sheep and the weak sheep. God judges between the abusers and the abused. And God sides with those who are hungry. God sides with those who need healing. God sides with those who have been denied justice.

Always.

And I get so angry with those who deny justice, those who insist on feeding only the sheep who are already fat, those preachers who insist that an economy which is booming for billionaires but penalizes the poor is one that God favors. I don’t know how they can say that. The witness of scripture is clearly against them! What they preach is not Jesus, not gospel, but what Cherise Scott calls a "weaponized mockery of Jesus." It’s what Jonathon Wilson-Hartgrove calls "slaveholder religion." It’s nothing but a tool of the master to maintain control over his slaves.

God is NOT in favor of an economy that benefits the wealthy but penalizes the poor. I know this sounds like a radical idea to some, but you see it on page after page of scripture.

God feeds the sheep who are hungry, but destroys the sheep who are fat and strong. 

God judges between the fat sheep and the lean sheep, and those sheep who have exploited and stolen from all the rest, those that have pushed with flank and shoulder and butted at all the weak, hungry sheep - God judges against them.

Jesus repeats this same message in Matthew 25. He even uses Ezekiel’s sheep imagery. Jesus describes a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats… and then says to the sheep, “I was hungry and you fed me; thirsty and you gave me a drink; naked, and you clothed me…so my judgment upon you is favorable…” 

But then Jesus says to the goats: “I was hungry and you did not feed me; thirsty and you gave me no water; naked, and you left me there… so my judgment is against you.”

In another week or two, when we get into Advent, we’ll see that the joy that many had at the coming of Jesus was joy that he would overturn the unjust economics of their day. Mary, the mother of Jesus - when she found out that she was pregnant - she praised God, saying: “God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.”

I’m getting ahead of myself. That’s an Advent scripture. But like today’s scripture, it shows what the kingdom of God is like. 

In the kingdom of God, there is a great Thanksgiving feast. The table is spread with an abundance of food. Turkey. Ham. Fish. Potatoes. Stuffing. Plenty of vegetarian options… in fact, all the abundance the earth provides is present on that great thanksgiving table. 

And everyone is invited to take their place at the table. Everyone is welcome. Everyone is able to eat their fill, as much as they want… because no one hoards all the pie for themself. No one comes along and steals the yams off of anyone’s plate. No one fills up their to-go bags before others have even had a bite. 

I give thanks to God that, in God’s kingdom, all are welcome, and all are fed. 

I give thanks to God that, in God’s kingdom, no one is left out. The poor are brought in, and cared for, and given a place of honor. People of color are given power and a voice. Gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people are affirmed just as they are. Immigrants and refugees are shown hospitality.

And together, they all share in the blessings that God has given.

Sermon: "Spiritual Boot Camp: Hitting the Wall" (Ezekiel 37: 1-14)

This is the last sermon I’ll be preaching during our Spiritual Boot Camp. The Spiritual Boot Camp does continue next week, on Palm Sunday, with a very special musical celebration.

I do hope you have been following along at home, praying ten minutes each day, and doing the other exercises. If you have, your faith has grown and deepened during this season of Lent. I am sure of that. If you haven’t, it’s never too late to start.

Like so many other things in life, spiritual growth does not occur along a straight line. It’s not a smooth, steady progression. The path meanders, there are hills and valleys… and there may come a time when you feel like you’ve hit a wall.

For those working for better physical fitness, hitting the wall means that, for whatever reason, you’ve stopped making progress. Maybe you’re on a diet, and you’ve lost three pounds each week for the past five weeks. But now, in week six: nothing. And the week after that, you even gain a pound. You’ve hit the wall.

Or maybe you are training for a marathon. I have no experience in this, but I’ve heard from those who have: in a long race, it may happen that you are going along wonderfully, but at some point during the race you hit the wall. You’ve run so long, you’ve depleted your body’s store of energy in the form of glycogen. All of a sudden, you can’t even walk, let alone finish the race. You’re done. It’s over. There’s nothing left.

Like a marathon, a spiritual journey is a long-distance event. And we see in the Bible that, so often, there comes a point when sojourners on the journey hit the wall. And when they do, it all comes crashing down. Everything seems to have come to an end. There appears to be no way they could go on.

This happened to the people of Israel. The people of Israel had hit the wall. At one time they were a great, mighty nation, but no longer. Their life was gone.

They said, “We are nothing but dry bones. Our hope has perished. We are completely finished.”

Ezekiel, like many prophets, spent much time challenging, confronting, and condemning. But now, with Israel having hit the wall and losing all hope, was the time to provide hope and comfort.

God showed Ezekiel a valley of bones. Dry bones. Bones with no life on them. Bones which had had no life for a very long time.

Just like Israel.

God said to Ezekiel: “Can these bones live?”

Ezekiel didn’t see how. It looked to him and to everyone else that the end had come for Israel. But who was he to tell God no? He replied, “Only you know, God.”

God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the bones: “Speak your word of prophecy to these dusty, dry, lifeless bones! Speak to the wind! Prophesy to the Spirit!”

Ezekiel did as God commanded. Could life come back to these dry, lifeless bones? Look! They’re rising up! The bones are coming together! Muscle tissue is stretching over them! Organs are appearing! flesh is covering it all up! They are rising, they are standing, a massive army of living, breathing human beings!

And God said: “THIS that you see is the house of Israel! I will put my breath in you and YOU will live again!”

Even when it seemed that Israel had hit the wall, that all progress was lost, that no amount of work was going to make the future any better, God intervened to say, “I will restore you! I will bring you back to life! A new day is coming, and I will work anew in you.”

Israel may have hit the wall, but God has the power to break through that wall, so that you can keep going.

There are many stories like this in scripture: Abraham and Sarah thinking they will never have children; Joseph being thrown in jail in Egypt; Moses and the Hebrews caught between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s approaching army. Time and again, God’s people have hit the wall, reached a dead end, seeing no way forward, yet God makes a way.

In the gospel of John, there is a story about a certain man named Lazarus, who was ill. He was lifted up in the joys and concerns, but the illness kept getting worse. Mary and Martha, his sisters, sent word to Jesus. Perhaps Jesus could do something, come and say a prayer over Lazarus, and help him get well.

When word reached Jesus that Lazarus was ill, Jesus delayed going. “The illness isn’t fatal,” Jesus said. Lazarus won’t die.

Several days later, Lazarus died.

“But Jesus, you said…”

“I know what I said. Come on, Let’s go see Lazarus…”

By the time they got there, Lazarus was not only dead; he had been in the tomb for four days! Martha went out to meet Jesus as he arrived. She said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died!”

This is a wall that certainly seemed insurmountable. But perhaps Martha had heard stories, like the one about the valley of dry bones, and knew that nothing was impossible, because she then said to Jesus: “Even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

Jesus told her, “Your brother will rise again.”

Martha replied, “I know that he will rise in the resurrection on the last day.”

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me will live, even though they die. Everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, God’s Son, the one who is coming into the world.”

This is a remarkable statement of faith, and it comes at a moment when faith must have been hard, a moment when faith had hit the wall. In the Disciples of Christ church, we place a great emphasis on Peter’s confession of faith, when Jesus asked “who do you say that I am,” and Peter responded, “You are the Christ.” Why don’t we give equal attention to Martha’s confession of faith, given here, in a most difficult moment?

It was a dangerous confession to make. Just days before, after Lazarus had fallen ill but before Jesus had made his way to him, Thomas - one of Jesus’s disciples - said that if Jesus was going to Bethany to be with Lazarus, that he and the other disciples should go to, to die with Jesus there. Bethany, for whatever reason, was a dangerous place for Jesus to be - and a dangerous place for anyone to confess him as the Christ, as God’s son.

Her brother was already dead. Jesus could have saved him if he had arrived earlier, but he didn’t. Yet even now, Martha confesses her faith in him, and places her trust in him.

“Whatever you ask of God, God will give you.”

She wasn’t going to let no wall stand in the way of her faith. Not even death would keep her from believing in power of God to give life. What remarkable faith! What remarkable courage!

Martha went and spoke privately to her sister Mary, “The teacher is here and he’s calling for you.” When Mary heard this, she got up quickly and went to Jesus. He hadn’t entered the village but was still in the place where Martha had met him. When the Jews who were comforting Mary in the house saw her get up quickly and leave, they followed her. They assumed she was going to mourn at the tomb.

When Mary arrived where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died.” The same words that Martha had spoken to him.

When Jesus saw her crying and the Jews who had come with her crying also, he was deeply disturbed and troubled. He asked, “Where have you laid him?”

They replied, “Lord, come and see.”

Jesus began to cry. He was human, after all… and filled with passionate love for all. Bystanders said, “See how much he loved him!” But others couldn’t see past the wall, and said, “He healed the eyes of the man born blind. Couldn’t he have kept Lazarus from dying?”

Jesus was deeply disturbed when he came to the tomb. It wasn’t that he couldn’t see past the wall. It’s just that this was a very emotional moment, for him, and for people he cared about deeply. Death, life, and love were all coming together in this moment in a powerful way.

The tomb was in a cave, and a stone covered the entrance. Jesus said, “Remove the stone.”

Martha said, “Lord, the smell will be awful! He’s been dead four days.” Was she now doubting? She believed that anything was possible, that whatever Jesus asked of God, God would grant. I suppose it’s easy to say, in a general sort of way, “anything is possible,” but a lot harder to say that “this is possible.” It’s one thing to say “any obstacle can be overcome;” it’s something else to believe that “this particular obstacle can be overcome.”

Jesus reminded her of her own courageous faith, and the promise he made to her. He said: “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe, you will see God’s glory?” So they removed the stone. Jesus looked up and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me. I know you always hear me. I say this for the benefit of the crowd standing here so that they will believe that you sent me.”

Having said this, Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his feet bound and his hands tied, and his face covered with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.”

There will always be obstacles to overcome in life. Whether it’s dieting, or working out, or pursuing a deeper faith.

There will be times when it feels that you’ve hit the wall. You’ve pushed and pushed, tried and tried, and you’ve got nothing left to give. The wall won’t budge.

According to buildingmuscle.com, there are several things you should remember when you hit the wall:

1. Put things in perspective. Remember how far you’ve already come! Remember what you’ve already accomplished that, at one time, seemed impossible. Jesus had to remind Martha of the faith she already possessed when he said, “Didn’t I already tell you?” And when we read stories like the raising of Lazarus, or the valley of dry bones, it helps us remember that God’s power can help us break through any wall or obstacle in our path.
2. Identify what it is that is causing you stress. Many of the things that cause us stress are distractions from what we really need to focus on. How often do we get worried and worked up over the wrong things! Time spent in quiet prayer and meditation will help us sort out such things.
3. Don’t forget to rest your muscles. Maybe you’re trying too hard! Muscles actually grow in the rest after a workout, not during the workout itself. When it comes to faith, there is a reason why God commands the Sabbath. Our minds need a time of rest from all the worry and work that keeps us preoccupied.
4. Maybe you’re trying to do too much too fast? Having the love of Jesus, or the faith of Martha, may be too big a step from where you are now. But if you can take baby steps, and work on being just a little more loving, a little more faithful, each day, you’ll see progress.
5. Learn from your mistakes. Some people look forward to their mistakes, because they see every mistake as an opportunity to learn something new! The Disney movie Meet the Robinsons makes this point very well. They celebrate each mistake made as a wonderful thing, because from their mistakes they learn a better way to move toward their goal.

So even when you hit the wall, and it seems you can’t go any further: don’t stop! Trust in God, trust in yourself, and keep going.

The Christmas List (Matthew 25:31-46)

Doomsday is coming.

That appears to be Ezekiel’s message.

I read through the whole book of Ezekiel this month, and most of it – the first 32 chapters – talk about the impending cataclysm.

It sounds like a prediction of the future. “The doom is coming.” The truth is that the doom had already come. The nations were in exile. Ezekiel himself was in exile. And Jerusalem had been ransacked.

That’s one thing you should understand about prophecy: it’s not so much predicting the future, as it is speaking truth. A prophet sees things as God sees things, and provides an interpretation for what is going on in the present.

For 32 chapters, Ezekiel describes the current situation, and how it is caused by the unfaithfulness of God’s people. At times Ezekiel describes fantastical visions of beasts and wheels spinning within wheels, to get his point across. At other times he uses vivid metaphors, comparing Israel and Judah to prostitutes, describing in, uh, great detail how they have been unfaithful.

Finally, in chapters 33 and 34, the mood starts to change.

A little.

First, Ezekiel says that God’s anger won’t last forever, that it’s never too late to turn back to God.

Hints of restoration start to appear.

But at the same time, Ezekiel reminds the people what got them into this mess in the first place:

He speaks to the shepherds – the leaders – of Israel. He says that their job is to care for the sheep, but they have only been caring for themselves. “You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak. You have not healed the sick. You have not bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strayed. You have not sought the lost.”

The metaphor then shifts slightly as Ezekiel describes God’s judgment: “As for you, my flock, the Lord God proclaims: I will judge between the rams and the bucks among the sheep and the goats. Is feeding in good pasture or drinking clear water such a trivial thing that you should trample and muddy what is left with your feet? But now my flock must feed on what your feet have trampled and drink water that your feet have muddied.”

Now maybe I didn’t read those first 32 chapters carefully enough, but here, finally, it seems clear what Israel has done wrong. Here, in chapter 34, it is very clear.

The people of Israel have only been concerned about what they could get for themselves. Especially those at the top; the people in charge, the leaders. They’ve only cared about their own interests, and not the interests of the people.

And because they have all the power, they have arranged the social and economic systems so that they could prosper.

So what if everyone else is suffering.

The poor masses: they shouldn’t rely on the leaders, anyway. They shouldn’t rely on the government. They should get a job.

Well, actually, most of them do have jobs. They’re working as hard as they can. And they are struggling.

In fact, they’re dying.

Perhaps Ezekiel was an inspiration for Jesus, because in the scripture we heard a few moments ago, Jesus sure sounds a lot like Ezekiel. In separating the sheep and the goats, Jesus shows how essential it is to care for everyone, to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, visit those in prison, and welcome the stranger. The point can’t be any clearer than it is in that passage. We are to think of others and their needs, to care for others, and to share the wonderful abundance that God has given us. We are to make sure that those at the bottom are able to share in the abundance of creation.

Now, how do we do that?

Well, there are the obvious ways: give the hungry person a sandwich! Give the naked person some pants!

And through the church, we are doing just that. In the past year, we’ve collected shoes and blankets, we’ve cooked food for the homeless and handed out sack lunches, we’ve collected money to support Week of Compassion and other organizations and ministries that help those in need around the world.

We also need to call upon our leaders in government, and hold them accountable for how they treat those who are the most poor and vulnerable. That is exactly what Ezekiel did, speaking to the leaders, those in positions of power, the shepherds of the people.

But we also need to be held accountable ourselves. And perhaps, this week, the place to start is with our own Christmas lists.

The shopping season is upon us.

It begins (“officially”) even before the turkey and the pumpkin pie have settled into our stomachs, although I have heard reports of people who have already been camping out for weeks in front of a Best Buy just to be first in line when it opens on Black Friday…

Which really makes me think that Ezekiel and Jesus are asking us this question:

“What’s on your Christmas list?”

Christmas is a time of good news. “Behold, I bring you glad tidings of good news.” But who is the good news for? Who benefits from your Christmas list?

The biggest store chain in America is WalMart. Much of America’s Christmas shopping is done at WalMart. As a result, the Walton family is the richest family in America.

Alice Walton, daughter of Walmart founder Sam Walton, has coordinated the building of a beautiful art museum in the Ozarks of Arkansas, two miles down the road from WalMart headquarters. The New York Times quoted her as saying, “For years I’ve been thinking about what we could do as a family that could really make a difference.”

Meanwhile, a Bloomberg magazine article points out that Walmart employees make $8 an hour, most without benefits. Many of them rely on food stamps. Some employees, even though they work, find that the pay isn’t enough to afford housing, so they live in their cars in Walmart parking lots.

This raises an important question: if Alice Walton really wanted to do something with her family’s fortune that “makes a difference,” perhaps she could have used some of that money to provide better pay or benefits to her employees.

To the rich and powerful, the prophet says: “You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings, but you do not feed the sheep. You have not strengthened the weak. You have not healed the sick. You have not bound up the injured. You have not brought back the strayed. You have not sought the lost.”

To his followers, Jesus says: “I was hungry and you didn’t give me food to eat. I was thirsty and you didn’t give me anything to drink.  I was a stranger and you didn’t welcome me. I was naked and you didn’t give me clothes to wear. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’”

OK. It’s easy to criticize and complain, isn’t it? We can trash talk people like Alice Walton all we want, but it’s probably not going to change a thing, is it?

So what can we do?

A friend of mine recently posted on facebook some thoughts that turn this issue around, and place the responsibility back with each of us. Darrell McGowan is a Disciples pastor who recently retired from being pastor at First Christian Church in Fullerton. He wrote:

“If you’re living in the U.S. and you think things need to change, mind your money. In a capitalistic culture, the consumer drives everything. If we all made sure our expenditures reflected our values, we’d be amazed at how much our world improved!”

Darrell is right on.

He also added that “If you complain about corporations that treat their people poorly and you still shop there, you’re a hypocrite.”

The responsibility doesn’t belong solely to people like Alice Walton. Yes, we need to hold our leaders and our billionaires accountable. But the responsibility also belongs to each and every one of us. After all, the Walton family fortune was made possible by every decision of every person who chooses to shop there.

Which brings me to an important point: How you spend your money, and where you spend your money, is always a moral decision.

Every time you spend your money at Walmart, you are choosing to support Alice Walton and her family’s decisions on what America needs and how we should or should not “make a difference” in the world.

Remember, Christmas is about good news of great joy for all people. How you spend your money at Christmas has the power to bring good news to many, or good news to a few; it has the power to bring good news to those who already have a disproportionate amount of the earth’s wealth, or good news to those who desperately need some good news in their life.

I’m not saying that every dollar you spend between now and Christmas needs to be given away to charity. There are many ways you can take a step away from feeding the already fat sheep with your money, and take a step toward making the world a better place with your purchases.

1. Learn which companies treat their employees well. Winco and Costco both treat their employees well, and their prices are comparable to Walmart’s. In-n-Out treats their employees better than McDonald’s. Those are easy decisions to make.

2. Shop locally-owned small businesses. When you shop locally, your money goes into the pockets of your neighbors, people who live in the same community as you, who send their kids to the same schools your kids go to. The local economy is supported, and the community is healthier, when you shop locally. That’s much better than shopping at a giant corporate store, where much of your money just contributes to a CEO’s personal fortune.

3. Consider which gifts have the most meaning. I have found that while a new sweater may be nice, having a friend treat me out to dinner, or even host me for a homemade dinner in his or her home, is much more meaningful.

4. You can, of course, make a contribution to a charitable organization on someone’s behalf. Just make sure it is an organization that is dear to the recipient’s heart.

5. Finally: be thankful. Thanksgiving is one of my absolute favorite holidays, but it really irks me that so many spend the day of giving thanks by planning and plotting their shopping strategy. Be sure to truly give thanks, before you start worrying about all the stuff you want that you don’t currently have. Don’t let your thanksgiving prayer be, “God, thank you for everything, but I gotta cut this prayer short because there’s a whole bunch of stuff that I really want and the stores have everything on sale.”

No, no, no. Be thankful. Be truly grateful. For one day at least, let all your thoughts be thoughts of gratitude for what you have. For one day at least, stop focusing on what you don’t have.

If there is any good news to be found in this crazy circus that Christmas has become, that’s where it will come from. The Christmas ads have been running for a month now, and people complain that they start too early. Well, the way to fight back is to be grateful for what you have.

Gratitude is a truly revolutionary attitude these days. The advertisers don’t want you to be grateful. They want you to be dissatisfied with what you have, so that you’ll buy more.

So be thankful. Truly thankful. Consider how good life is. I’m not saying that life is perfect or without struggle. But life is good. God is good. All the time. All the time, God is good. 

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.