Song of Solomon 2:10-13
The Thanksgiving Address of the Onondaga People
We are celebrating Earth Day today and our readings reflect that celebration. This year our Wednesday Kids have been using materials provided by the Jane Goodall Foundation to think about ways they care for the earth and all creatures. They have made toys and small blankets for cats and dogs at Circle of Friends Humane Society. They are planning for a small garden of indigenous plants which have healing properties. In the process they are learning that all creatures are interrelated and we have a responsibility for the health of this complex life system we call Earth.
The Thanksgiving address reminds us of the important ways Native peoples respect the Earth and the gifts we receive from her. We benefit from their wisdom. Their ancient practice of using the land for sustenance without owning land individually reflects the deep roots of the Judeo-Christian tradition. Our oldest spiritual ancestors were nomadic herders who traveled looking for pasture and didn’t own land of their own. When they were given land allotments, there were rules about allowing tilled land to lie fallow and rest every seven years, and about returning purchased land to its original owner every 70 years. Custom held that the land was meant to feed everyone, so those who grew crops left the edges of their fields unharvested so those without land could glean grain there and feed themselves.
In our time some people use the biblical creation stories to say God has given Earth and all her resources to humans and therefore we have the right to use all the land, water, oil, or minerals we want, regardless of long-term consequences. That’s not true to the Bible, to science, or to the good of all creatures. Humans were entrusted with the care of the first garden on earth, an origin story which promotes the truth that Earth can only care for us if we care for her.
This Earth Day we’re asked to think about the consequences of the growing use of plastics in our modern culture. It’s difficult to purchase food without also buying plastic packaging. Now we learn that microplastics are found in our water and soil, that we are consuming them daily without knowing it, and that the health of humans and all other species is being impacted by them. The rise of plastic packaging came with the explosion of the use of oil as one of the most basic resources for life. We often ignore the fact that fossil fuels are a finite resource and can be used up, just as we ignore the fact that their residue in chemicals and plastics may be with our descendants for countless generations.
So people of faith are asked to be responsible in our use of resources. That’s been a call in the background for almost all of my life, and still I manage to ignore it more than I pay attention. It’s easy to agree to the theories of caring for Earth and harder to put principles into action. I’m by no means an expert at that. So today, I want us to think together about what Earth Day and Earth Care can mean for us.
First, I’d like to know what you are already doing to preserve the Earth, her creatures and her resources…
Second, I’d like to know what one thing you are going to do next. As I’ve been thinking about this during the week, I’ve realized that I’m a lazy recycler. I don’t do a good job of rinsing the cans and containers I put in the recycle bin, and that means most of them end up in the landfill and aren’t recycled. So I’ve started rinsing before I toss things in the bin. What will you do this coming week in the effort to care for the Earth?
Earth Day is a good reminder of our responsibility to care for Earth. Like so many good ideas, one day a year isn’t nearly enough to get the job done. It’s not easy to use less, to reuse more, and to make the lifestyle changes that have a long-term impact on the health of Earth. But it’s important. Together we can encourage each other to do our best.