June 12, 2016 Susans last Sunday

Im sure many of you have seen the photo of Earth, blue and beautiful, floating against
the blackness of space, taken during the Apollo Mission 8 on Christmas Eve 1968. The photo
stunned the world. It was the first time anyone had seen the Earth floating in space, holding all
of human history and life. Bill Anders, the astronaut who took the photo, said, We came all
this way to explore the moon, and the most important thing is that we discovered the Earth.
The photo has become known as Earthrise, and it became an iconic reminder of our planets
splendid isolation and delicate fragility. Sir Fred Hoyle, the great British cosmologist, rightly
predicated in l948 that the first images of Earth from space would change forever our view of
our own planet.
There is a reason why our Bible begins with the story of God breathing across the void,
creating the heavens and the earth, breathing across the Earth, calling into life the night and
the day, plants and animals, breathing to life humankind imprinted with the image of the
Creator. Casting a loving eye on all that God had created, God saw that it was good, very
goodit was and is, earth, our fragile island home.
The Bible goes on to explain that we cannot be in right relationship with God unless we
are in right relationship with the land. In the Hebrew, the land means all that is: the ground,
the trees and plants, the rivers and seas, the animals and all other human beings, even the air
we breathe. All of it. God created an astonishing world of beauty and plenty for all of us; it is
Gods gift.
Ellen Davis, a professor of Old Testament, has said, One day, in the fullness of time, all
of creation will be given its voice and we will be called to sit down at table and listen, really
listen, and hear the pain we have caused. We will have to hear the sadness, the absolute
unrelenting sadness and pain we have caused by abusing the finest gift we have ever been
entrusted with: Earth.
I imagined the ocean clogged with billions of pounds of trash I had helped dump into it.
The air choked with pollution I had helped to pump put, I would hear trees being clear-cut and
mountains being reduced to sludge. I would have to hear the cries of animals dying. I would

hear the hunger of mothers and fathers and the thirst of small children, 5000 who die every day
for want of clean water while I let the tap run just so the water I drink will be colder.
I was completely overwhelmed. How could I do anything about this, I wondered? Was I
being asked to change my whole life? And anyway, what could one person like me really do that
would make any difference at all? But Ellen Davis statement was the beginning for me, the
first tiny ray of light urging me to wake up to the way I lived; to embrace what I did with
awareness and responsibility. It was a wake-up call and it is never easy to wake up.
Roger Peterson, the author of Field Guide to the Birds describes an experience that
changed his life. He called it a trigger. One Saturday when he was a boy, he was taking a walk
with a friend. They came upon a flicker in an oak tree. Thinking the bird was dead, he poked at
it, gingerly, the way you touch something you think is dead. But the bird was not dead; it was
just asleep, perhaps resting. When he touched it, its eyes flew upon, and it flew away. What
struck him was the contrast between what he thought was dead, but in actuality was very much
alive. He said, it was almost like resurrection. . .Ever since then birds seemed to me the most
vivid expression of life.
I have taught environmental ethics for over 25 years. A few years ago I read a book
entitled The Last Child in the Woods. Perhaps you have heard of the little boy who didnt want
to go outside because there was no place to plug his electronic devices. I asked my students
what had been their experience with the natural world. It was apparent that those who had
been camping with their families often continued to love being outside when they had children
of their own. And often the parents had left an area in the back yard unmowed to keep a bit of
wilderness.
Amazingly, when I was a little girl many people just threw trash out of the window of
the car. And later, in the late 80s, my parents were on a cruise and noticed that the ship was
throwing out huge black trash bags onto the sea. These bags will never biodegrade.
Fortunately, things have changed a lot. Many of us care very much about the Earth because
that is where our children and grandchildren will live out their lives. It can be overwhelming for
sure. None of us can take care of the whole of Gods creation, but we can try to take care of

what is right in front of us. We can change one thing at a time. In fact we read in Genesis that
we human beings were created to be gardeners of the earth.
We live in a challenging time. If by Gods grace we are awakened to the travail of the
Earth, we need to learn to trust these experiences. In these moments we are touched by the
beauty and the holiness of the Earth, and we find ourselves summoned to a work that will not
wait. Take a moment to go online and consider joining a group working to defend animals,
trees, rivers, or the ocean. You dont even need to go online, because we here in Humboldt
County live at one of the places that is most concerned about Gods creation. I often have to
reassure myself that there are many people in the world who do care. Sometimes I even have
to reassure myself that we humans have God working with us.
Everything in this world is capable of becoming a means of grace. We say that we
believe in God, Creator of Heaven and Earth. Yet we rarely make the connection that the God
to whom we pray is also the God of all that has life. God is the Lord of all Creation, every bird
and bush and whale. Gracious God, help us to treasure this beautiful Earth. Amen