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June 28,
2010 Sisters
and brothers in Christ, The oil
spill in the Gulf of Mexico is both heartbreaking and infuriating. It causes
deep sorrow, both for the initial loss of human life and for the deep and
lasting damage to an ecology that provides life and livelihoods for so many
of God's creatures. At the same time we grieve that the natural beauty of
this region, a sign of God's marvelous creativity, has been defiled. Moving to
indignation and anger over the neglect and carelessness that led to this
disaster, both in private industry and in government regulation, is
understandable. However, to do so without recognizing the responsibility we
all share -- as consumers of petroleum products, as investors in an
economy that makes intensive and insistent energy demands, and as citizens
responsible for the care of creation -- lacks credibility and integrity.
An honest accounting of what happened (and what failed to happen) must
include our own repentance. Nonetheless,
God remains faithful in restoring the creation and human community. Among the
voices that despair and condemn, we have a witness of hope to proclaim. First,
God, who made the creation and made it good, has not abandoned it. Day after
day God sustains life in this world, and the powerful vitality of God's
creation, though defiled, is not destroyed. The life-giving power of God's
creative goodness remains at work, even in the Gulf of Mexico. The Spirit
will continue to renew the face of the earth (Psalm 104:30, as we just sang
at Pentecost). All who care for the earth and work for the restoration of its
vitality can be confident that they are not pursuing a lost cause. They serve
in concert with God's own creative and renewing power. Moreover,
the human family need not drown in a flood of suspicion and recrimination
that is more toxic and more lasting than the oil that floods the Gulf can
ever be. The cleansing waters of baptism in Christ -- who died not for
the righteous, but for the unrighteous -- bring forgiveness and
reconciliation with God. In this reconciled life with God we have the freedom
to move beyond mutual condemnations and hostility to give a powerful witness
of a reconciled community that lives in service of the creation and the
neighbor. By refusing to surrender to the toxicity of recrimination, we can
convince others that they can join us safely in the life and service of this
community. Responding
to a challenge of this size and complexity will call upon countless insights
and skills, embodied in hundreds of occupations and trades, and upon the
collective strength and will of us all. God's Holy Spirit has abundantly
blessed the human community with the gifts needed to do this work. We can do
it with sober confidence, good will and even joy. There are
times for mourning and for repentance, as well as for reconciliation and
commitment to the creation's care. They come at different moments for
different people. As you serve in your communities, I commend to you
resources for worship, study and action that express the hope of Christians who see God's
creative goodness, Jesus' forgiving reconciliation and the Spirit's abundant
gifts for service. This is a moment when the human community needs to hear a
word of true hope, and we have one to speak. The
Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. In God's grace, The Rev.
Mark S. Hanson |
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© Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America, 8765 W Higgins Rd, Chicago, IL 800/638-3522 |
