Scripture: Isaiah 24:4 – “The earth dries up and withers, the world languishes and withers; the heavens languish together with the earth.” (NRSV)
We are in the middle of a terrible drought, and I think it is my fault. I have a decent sized backyard and need a ride-on lawn mower to get things done. My property also tends to flood, especially in the spring. I call it “Lake Baker” or, if it is really bad, “The moat around Castle Baker.” So, by the time spring ends, the grass is usually tall and lush, and as I mow it, I have to empty the bagger regularly. Over time, the plastic surrounding the hinge broke, even though the rest of the large device was intact. So, I had to replace the entire thing. Once I spent all that money for the replacement, it got so dry that I did not need to mow my lawn again.
Now clearly me spending a bit of money did make it so hot and dry that everything turned brown. But weather has definitely been more extreme in recent years. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were nine separate natural disasters that did at least a billion dollars of damage through June, including hail and lightning storms in the Midwest, tornadoes in the South, and severe drought in the West. And that does not count the horrific floods in Kentucky in recent weeks. Not only do we have burnt lawns and annoying neighbors saying, “Is it hot enough for ya?”, but we have to cry as people are truly suffer, losing their livelihoods, their homes, and even their lives.
Now for decades that has been a huge debate over the causes of extreme weather, “global warming,” or “climate change.” The scientific community has concluded that human patterns of energy usage and production are the primary reason for this. Others take it as a badge of honor that the earth is just going through a normal shift. But whether man-made or not, the disasters are real and not only are there disruptions now, but things are likely to get much worse as whole populations shift and attempt to move into new areas as environmental refugees. I shudder to think of how these people will suffer in both their travels and their reception.
As I sit sweltering in my house, I read Isaiah chapter 24, in which the prophet describes all the ways in which the world is being destroyed in his time. The crops are drying out, the earth shakes, and no one is spared. To Isaiah’s eyes, the people are to blame. They are more interested in getting drunk and otherwise living lives of ignorant celebration, and the degradation of the land is God’s judgment on their selfishness. It is hard to read a passage like Isaiah 24:4 and not think of our current predicament.
Like Isaiah, I think that our sinful behavior is at least partly to blame. I try to recycle and reduce my driving and electricity bills, but I still need to drive to work, I still need to use my computer, I still need to warm enough in the winter and cool enough in the summer to be comfortable enough to work and thrive. And I enjoy food and books and other goods from around the world and the advantages of international commerce and relationships. Even my maintenance of my lawn has a roll. All these things cost energy, and even if millions of people in the US went “off the grid”, it would not make enough difference to fix the problem.
In a crisis like this, it is very easy to point fingers or to connive to make sure that others suffer more than you. The problems in our world may because of our human selfishness, as they were in Isaiah’s time, or the impersonal vagaries of nature. But regardless, there is still a problem, and we are called as people of faith and as stewards of God given dominion over the beauties of creation to do whatever we can, in the personal, economic, and even political realms, to try to limit suffering and make sure that the joys of life are maintained for future generations. Because it ultimately does not matter whose fault it is. So, act. Don’t blame.
Prayer: God of all the universe, grant us mercy and safety in the troubles of life and grant us courage to own up to our responsibilities, small as they may seem, and to work towards justice for all. Amen.
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