Approaching Creation Care with Caution

     This week I wrap up a three-week Sunday school module on "The Christian Response." We are asking the question, "Jesus is risen, so now what?"
    My response to this question has always been pretty simple. We respond to God's grace in our lives by witnessing to others and sharing our personal testimonies with those whom God places in our lives. In other words, we respond to Easter by living a joyful, Christian life, and trying to convince others to know the new life that we know.
    I'm still down with all these things, by the way.
    However, there are other ways to respond, ways that are not mutually exclusive of each other. One is the Micah 6:8 response, "to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God." By caring for the widow, the orphan, the poor, the immigrant, and other vulnerable groups in society, we testify to the Good News.
    I'm pretty sure I don't do enough of this.
    Another option, one I have never placed too much stock in before, has to do with creation care.
    Books like "For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian vision for Creation Care," by Steven Bouma-Prediger, have helped me to at least consider "stewardship of creation" as a legitimate Christian response.
    Bouma-Prediger offers a God-centered vision, rather than many of the other approaches that fall under the umbrella of "environmentalism." In other words, it's more about God than it is Al Gore.
    If God has created all things, and allowed us to have dominion over all things, then we should "rule" over creation with a loving, wise, God-like rule. If all creation is groaning in labor pains, as Paul says it is in Romans 8, then perhaps God has a redemptive purpose for all creation.
    It is something to think about. It has inspired me to at least consider creation care as a valid response to the Gospel, and not simply a cultural trend.
    There is something to it, for sure. But I continue to approach with caution.

The Worms Have Arrived

     The shipment of 2,000 red wiggler worms has arrived. The little squirmers are happily (I hope) in their new home, munching on some broccoli and watermelon rinds we had earlier this week. I also threw in some coffee grounds and banana peels. In 2-3 months, I have read, I will be ready to harvest the first batch of compost.
     Why am I messing around with vermi-composting?
     I was first inspired by a guy named Harland, the previous senior pastor I served with in Beaumont. He and his wife have had a worm-composting bin in their living room for several years now, to feed the thousand or so day lilies in their back yard.
     I am personally not an uber-green kind of guy. I am also not a major gardener or anything. I am trying my hand at composting with worms so that I can think more about the foods I eat. In short, I believe I can lead a healthier life if I eat less of the things that the worms can't eat (meats, cheeses, processed foods) and more of the things that they can eat (raw vegetables and fruits).
     If I accomplish only this goal, then it has been worth it.
     I also want to develop some type of deeper connection to creation. I have a dog and cat at home, and also a pet fish. We have a few plants, and hopefully some day will have a garden and some nice landscaping. But other than that, there is a whole lot of concrete ...
    Hopefully this whole composting thing will move me toward this deeper connection to the dirt.
    Lastly, I am working on helping families to cultivate new disciplines that can help them to think differently about living in a consumer culture. It could be composting, it could be recycling, it could be sponsoring a child through groups like World Vision. This is the focus of my final project for my doctor of ministry degree.
    So there you have it. I have 2,000 worms out in the garage hopefully doing there work. Away we go...
 

Easter reflections

     Holy Week and Easter Sunday have come and gone, and I am drained.

     We had an incredible week of worship, with a Maundy Thursday service, Good Friday Tenebrae service, overnight prayer vigil (that started with a prayer service on Saturday night), and of course the full slate of Easter Sunday services (including the sunrise service).

     It is a lot, but as I reflect on it, it was worth it.

     The Tenebrae service is always powerful, as we move from light to darkness and leave the sanctuary singing the refrain, "Jesus, Remember Me, When you come into your Kingdom." The highlight for me this year, though, was the Saturday night prayer vigil.

     About 10 of us gathered in the narthex at 7:30 Saturday night and prayed for each person who had signed up for a 30-minute slot for our overnight prayer vigil. People who signed up could pray in their homes, and we had at least two people committed to pray during every shift.

     I took the 2:30-3 AM shift, and I'll be honest, I wasn't sure if I could get myself up. But sure enough, when the 2:28 alarm went off in my iPhone, I headed out to the living room, sat Indian-style, and the prayers just flowed (with intermittent nods of sleep). 

     I prayed for our worship services the following morning, and the hundreds of people who would come walking through our doors. I prayed for people in our church. I prayed for my family. And yes, I prayed for myself.

     It was by far the most powerful 30 minutes of the Lenten and Easter season.

     It was so quiet in the house. The world seemed to be asleep. Jesus was still "in the tomb."

     I claim no credit for waking up, or for the prayers that rolled off my tongue over the course of 30 minutes. It was a Spirit-thing, through-and-through. In fact, next year, I am going to be quicker about signing up so I can find a time slot that is more agreeable to my sleep schedule!

     But for this year, I rejoice at these 30 minutes spent in prayer in the dead of night. I attribute it to the prayers of the 10 folks (perhaps more) who "prayed for the pray-ers" on Saturday night.

     I hope the other 25 people who joined in vigil had a similar experience.

     It is now Monday morning. I am caught up on my sleep. Christ is risen. A new year begins.