Ok, so I don't get very excited for Earth Day. Personally, I'm not a big "earthy" person.
- I don't like camping
- I hate bugs
- I prefer to stay inside if at all possible
- I have minor allergies
- I've been hideously un-athletic (read: big fat guy) for nearly my entire life
- It sucks outside
Nature. Disgusting isn't it?
Earth Day is one of those contentious issues for many Christians. Mostly because Earth Day is understood to be celebrated by hippies....and if there is anything Christians hate, it's hippies. But hippies aside, I think Earth Day is something that we as believers in Jesus should actually care about.
And yes, it's because I think we actually should give a flying rip about our planet. Yes, it's eventually going to end...but you know, it's probably not going to end in our or our grandchildren's lifetime, so maybe we should try to make it better for them instead of worse.
You can look at it as "being good stewards of God's creation," or how about "just attempting to be a decent person & have some common sense." Either way is fine in my head, really.
So why should we care? Why should we try to be good stewards of God's creation? Why does that have to sound so churchy?
For me, a lot of it has to do with what Jesus said when he was asked about the most important commandment. I'm sure you know what he responded with.
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." -Mark 12:30
Yeah, that's cute and all...but that's not all Jesus said. That's the 2nd half of the greatest commandment. Here's the 1st half:
"'The most important one,' answered Jesus, 'is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one..." -Mark 12:29
The oneness of God
I think that far too often we rush to overlook the oneness of God.
The oneness of God is far more than a statement about monotheism. It is a statement declaring that God cannot be compartmentalized. All other beliefs really hinge and rest upon the concept of God being one and being lord over every aspect of existence.
There is no god of the church, and a god of the earth, and a god of recycling, and a god of rock music, and a god of red t-shirts.
There is just God.
One.
The same God who came to earth to die on a cross is the same God over every aspect of life. He is that which "by and for and through him all things were created." You couldn't take God out of red t-shirts or recycling if you tried to.
Because he's one. There is no other god to put in his place over those issues. Or anything else for that matter.
Jesus, the same Jesus who we worship on the weekends in church, is the same lord over Earth Day...and groundhog day...and Thursday.
Do I mean that God is the earth? That God actually is recycling? That God actually is red t-shirts?
Of course not.
But if God is one, and lord over everything, than everything we do is a reflection of our relationship to and with him.
So wouldn't it make sense to play that out environmentally as well?
