Charlie West <mqtchaz@gmail.

com>
EarthWords for June 2, 2014
Charlie West <cwearthwords@gmail.com> Wed, May 28, 2014 at 12:07 PM
To: Charlie West <cwearthwords@gmail.com>
Bcc: mqtchaz@gmail.com
EarthWords - connecting Scripture and Creation
"Creation avored" thoughts on the lectionary texts
Date: June 2, 2014
(note corresponding EarthWords from 3 years ago and 6 years ago archived on the website)
And a link to this week's lessons - http://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts.php?id=46
Text: Psalm 68.1-10
Thoughts
God gives everyone/every creature "a home to dwell in" - not just a building, but an ecological
niche. If it were just a building, we could shut the doors and windows against invasive species,
and run the air conditioner full blast to counter the eects of global warming (ironically caused
in measure by our running the air conditioner at full blast!). When it's an environmental niche
things get a whole lot more complicated. And when you consider that our niche meshes with
the niches of all the other species, well, it gets beyond our comprehension or keeping track. We
might well sing to the one riding the clouds (seeding them to encourage rainfall?) but we are
never fully aware of the "collateral consequences."
The earth quaked, the rain came in abundance - In a dry land, or a dry era, abundant rain is a
symbol of blessing and well being. In other times and places, abundant rain leads to ooding
and suering. The earth quakes and "mudslides" down the hillside into the valley.
Text: Acts 1.6-14
Thoughts
"The times or seasons which the Father has xed" - How has God "xed" the times or seasons?
By certifying the table of latest spring and earliest fall frosts? By setting parameters for high
and low temperatures for each day of the year? Or by "building in" self-correcting processes
and feedback loops to keep the climate stable enough so that the niches (see above!) don't get
too disrupted? If that latter is the case, what does it say about the way we are disrupting
earth's processes? Is Mark Lynas (The God Species) right when he say we are like God
(running the planet) and we better get good at it and fast; or Thomas Berry (Dream of the
Earth) when he says we need to back away and let Earth processes bring Creation back into a
more healthy condition?
"He was lifted up and a cloud took him out of their sight" - Ok, from a religious perspective, it
says Jesus ascended into heaven. From an environmental perspective, could it be saying that
God has done what God is going to do for us and now it's up to us to discover as best we can
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how Creation works and shape our lives (again, as best we can) to help it be as healthy and
strong as it can be? And just a reminder that a healthy and strong Creation is one with lots of
biodiversity (with no one or two species overwhelming and crowding out all of the others), with
lively and fertile soil, with relatively stable temperatures and climate conditions. How is it
doing where you are?
"a sabbath day's journey" - not sure exactly how far that is. One of the books we read last year
(I think it was Gary Snyder, The Call of the Wild) told how some indigenous people would give
directions to a village or location by saying if you start singing this song as you depart, when
you nish the song you will be there! Dierent songs for dierent locations. I guess we'd say
"start the e-book when you get on the interstate, and exit at the end of Capt 4"!
"All these with one accord" - planetary health requires a universal,
coordinated eort. If one country continues to pollute the air/water/soil, that
aects us all. If the rich, or the few powerful folks who control the
corporations (the "Inclusive Capitalism Initiative"?) make harmful decisions,
the rest of us suer. I guess if they make wise decisions, we benet. I have
to say I'm skeptical!
Text: John 17.1-11
Thoughts
"This is eternal life" - what is? Is it that we continue our individualistic existence in some way,
or is it that the life force continues and thrives in some form or another? How do you think
about it?
"I am not praying for the world, but for those whom thou hast given me" -
How do you think about this? That Jesus prayed for the world at other times
but just not right now? That Jesus thought humans, or at least his followers,
were "in the world" but not "of the world"? The whole "in the world", "out of
the world", "of the world" is somewhat problematic, especially in the Gospel
of John. How would the world be dierent without humans in it and of it?
Prayer
God in and of and beyond Creation,
our faith and tradition lead us to think of you
involved and designing each new day;
our reason and science leads us to think more of Earth being "on it's own".
Help us meld these two stands into one understanding
of your great interest in, and even aection for, this world.
And may that understanding engender in us
a matching interest and aection.
One Thing to Do This Week
Choose one activity this week to deepen your aection for Creation - go on a
picnic, read "I wondered lonely as a cloud...", spend an afternoon outside and
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write your own poem about it!
EarthWords is produced by Charlie West Ink
permission given to copy, share, use, delete, forward, distribute, disagree
EarthWords is on the web at www.EarthWords.org
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