Preaching to Heal the Earth and to Heal Each Other
Teach us love, compassion, and honor,
That we may heal the earth
And heal each other.
(from an Ojibway prayer)
HUMAN presence on Earth has set in motion an ecological disaster. Our sheer numbers over six billion now – are overwhelming the beautiful and delicate balance between animal and plant species, habitats and natural resources which have sustained this planet for longer than we can imagine. Our technology, our political and economic systems, and the sin and greed of our over-consumption, are disturbing the well-being of our planet to the extent that there is a concern our biosphere will fail. Every day plant and animal species disappear from the face of the earth, presumably forever. Experts have been telling us that there is still a chance for us to escape this devastation, but the window of opportunity won’t be open for long.
Outside of certain scientific and activist circles, the environment is not a popular issue, and our response to the crisis is slow and even non-existent. One can sum it up, so far, as “too little too late.” There are many reasons why humanity, including the church, is hesitating to respond to the earth’s sickness. We are being confronted by something outside our collective experience, and so it is difficult for us to see and comprehend what is happening. Our fear of suffering, for ourselves and our children, causes us to join in widespread denial. Denial surfaces as disbelief, and as guilt over doubting that God will save us from what we have done.
Christianity has a poor track record when it comes to the environment. The Bible seems to justify the attitude that nonhuman nature is less important than the needs and interests of humankind: God’s injunction to Adam and Eve, “Be fertile and increase, fill the earth and master it; and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and all the living things that creep on earth” (Gen 1:28) and God’s blessing upon Noah and his sons when God surveys the earth and says, “I give you everything” (Gen 9:3).
One critic of Christianity’s attitude toward the nonhuman world, Lynn White, Jr., writes, “Especially in its western form, Christianity is the most anthropocentric religion the world has seen…Man shares, in great measure, God’s transcendence of nature. Christianity, in absolute contrast to ancient paganism and Asia’s religions…not only established a dualism of man and nature but also insisted that it is God’s will that man exploit nature for his proper ends” (“The Historical Roots of Our Environmental Crisis”).
Preaching about the environment is a challenge many of us in the church have shied away from. My own denomination has been especially slow to make it a priority. There is the brief mention of the creation in the Prayers of the People for “the good earth God has given us and for the wisdom and will to conserve it,” but little more. For months I have been searching for articles about the environment in my denomination’s periodicals, but have not found any. The church’s attention seems to be on other matters; and yet, we need to wake people up so that we can heal the earth and heal ourselves.
Here are some suggestions, based on my own experience, for taking on this challenge in preaching:
- Refer to the earth and the natural world often in your preaching. One doesn’t need to make the environment the topic for the Sunday sermon. The preacher can make references to the earth and the environmental crisis while preaching on another subject. For instance, in a sermon about baptism, the preacher can mention the precious gift of water upon which all life depends; in a sermon about loving one’s neighbor the preacher can include Earth as neighbor. The preacher can tell stories about animals and show others that he/she takes them seriously for their own sake, not just because they fit into the human agenda. The stories, examples, and references have a cumulative effect. If you, the preacher, care about the earth and let others know that you are concerned for its well being, you are encouraging others to care, too.
- Use lively, memorable images. Recently I included the following in a sermon about Epiphany: “Last week I was watching a program on television about gorillas in which it was mentioned that there are only 650 of them still living in the wild. 650 mountain gorillas left! Such a small number! They could fit in this room. It is enough to make one weep.” The response I had to this sermon was mostly about the gorillas. One man said he almost laughed out loud at the thought of gorillas clambering in the cathedral. Months from now if anyone remembers this sermon, it will be because of the gorillas.
- Be personal. Talk about your feelings, especially your grief about what is happening to our earth. Underneath the fear and denial, there is grief. The Harvard economist Juliet Schor points out in her book The Overworked American that, even though weare living in a period of unprecedented wealth and economic well-being, we are less happy than we were 20 years ago and are more depressed. Certain eco-psychologists today recognize that we cannot restore our own health unless we restore the health of the planet.
- Take advantage of special opportunities in the church year to speak about the nonhuman world and our part in it: Rogation Days, Thanksgiving, Easter, saints days. St. Francis’ feast day in October is an excellent opportunity to affirm that Earth and its creatures have intrinsic value and worth apart from humankind. St. Francis recognized his kinship with all of God’s creatures and had affection for plants and animals as his “brothers and sisters.” He went out ofhis way to protect and befriend them, and they in tum trusted him. One anecdote tells of St. Francis singing a duet with a nightingale. The preacher can tell stories about St. Francis and his animal friends or read his “Canticle of the Sun.”
- Finally,and most importantly, present the environmental crisis with hope. God is with us, even though we have failed in our task to care for the earth. God wants to work with us to heal the earth. God wants our cooperation and participation. Believe in the One who believes in you. With God’s help we can make changes and become more responsible. With God’s help we can find ways to live on our planet joyfully and in peace, caring for “this fragile Earth, our island home.” With God’s help we can “heal the earth and heal each other.”
