[Propertalk] Fwd: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Trinity Sunday

[Joe Parrish]

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-----Original Message-----
From: Judy <judy_boli at ecunet.org>
To: Propertalk <propertalk.topic at ecunet.org>
Sent: Sat, Jun 18, 2011 11:12 pm
Subject: [propertalk.topic] Sermon for Trinity Sunday


Dear Friends,

Tomorrow’s sermon is entitled “Get Your Hands Off My Dirt!” and deals
with the Old Testament lesson (Genesis 1:1-2:4a). Here it is:

Today is Trinity Sunday, the day in the church year when we honor God-
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Since we heard the story of creation
from Genesis (1:1- 2:4a) as our Old Testament lesson, we’re going to
do that this morning by focusing on the mind-blowing creation that our
God has created and our responsibility in caring for it.  So- you know
I’m a retired schoolteacher- test time: how are you doing in accepting
that responsibility and caring for God’s creation?

FIRST THE FACTS: did you notice when God created humans, he gave us
authority over the whole planet, especially the living things?  Now,
some people assume that authority means we can do whatever we want
with God’s beautiful creation.  You can easily identify these kinds of
people- they throw litter out of their car windows, drop candy or gum
wrappers as they unwrap the goodies, spread pesticide over their yards
without checking the directions on the container.  If they own a
factory, they pollute the air and increase the incidence of asthma,
lung cancer, and God-only knows what else.  That’s not how God intends
for us to exercise authority over his Earth.  Think how God expects us
to exercise authority over the children he has loaned us.  We are to
exercise authority over the Earth exactly as we exercise authority
over our children.  With our children- we love and nurture them, keep
them clean, watch over them, and provide for their every need.  God
expects us to care for his Earth, nurture it, keep it clean, watch
over it, and provide for its needs so it will be healthy, fruitful,
and beautiful for our children and grandchildren.  How do we do this?

NOW TO DERIVE THE WISDOM FROM THE FACTS: Do you know where to start to
test yourself?  Look at your yard.  Does it look like you care about
it, or is it full of junk, litter, overgrown grass, and bare spots
where flowers or grass should be growing?  I can just hear you now-
“It’s not my lawn!  It’s not my back yard!  I rent, and I’m not doing
anything for that cheap landlord!”  Or- if you own your own home, it’s
easy to say- “This land is mine.  I can do with it as I choose!”  Wait
a minute.  Did your landlord create that front yard?  If you own your
own home, did you create your back yard?  I think not.  Your landlord
doesn’t own that land; you don’t own that land; God owns that land and
we’re the managers taking care of it for God.  Can people look at your
front yard, your back yard, the roads you travel- and tell you love
God by how carefully you care for his art work?  If not, you’re
flunking one of your spiritual tests- so far.  What to do?  When you
get home, take a hard look at where you live, especially the outside
area.  What’s ugly?  Fix it.  Put some grass and flower seeds down,
pick up the junk, teach our children to care for God’s earth- starting
with their own yard.  And for those of us who still have a good back
and a little bit of time- look around at your neighbors’ property.
Are any of your neighbors too old or sickly to keep up with the yard
work?  Help them.  Do you see junk on the sidewalk or in the parking
lot?  Pick it up.  I know you didn’t throw it down, I know people will
look at you as if you’re crazy- but love God enough to take care of
his stuff, his creation.

Do you recall the story of the scientists who challenged God to a
person-making contest?  One day a group of scientists got together and
decided that human beings had come a long way and no longer needed
God. They picked one scientist to go and tell God that they were done
with Him. The scientist walked up to God and said, “God, we've decided
that we no longer need you. We're to the point that we can clone
people and do many miraculous things, so why don't you just go on and
get lost.” God listened patiently and kindly to the man and after the
scientist was done talking, God said, “Very well! How about this?
Let's have a man-making contest.”   To which the man replied, “OK,
great!”   But God added, “Now we're going to do this just like I did
back in the old days with Adam.”   The scientist said, “Sure, no
problem,” and bent down and grabbed himself a handful of dirt.  God
just looked at him and said, “No, no, no! Get your hands off my dirt!”
It’s not your back yard; it’s not my front yard; this beautiful planet
doesn’t belong to us.  It’s God’s world on loan to us.

ONCE AGAIN, FIRST THE FACTS: I’d like to call your attention to one
more way we flunk our spiritual test.  Look at the first lesson again,
Genesis 1: 29-30 (p.4).  What did God give us to eat when we were
first created?  (Take answers.)  Sure- plants- fruits, grain, greens.
At that time, did God give humans permission to eat animals?  No.
After the fall, God expected Adam and Eve to kill animals to cover
their nakedness. Humankind was expected to sacrifice a lamb or other
animal so its blood could cover their sins. However, it was only after
the flood that we were given permission to take animal life for our
own food.  Relax- I’m not trying to turn us all into vegetarians.  If
we want to, we can all go home after church today and picnic and eat
our barbecue!  After all- we constantly heard of Jesus eating fish and
performing miracles with them; and many of his disciples were
fisherman.  But there is a message, a principle for us in this.  The
Israelites respected all forms of life.  Their practices were very
much like those of the American Indians.  Any animal life they killed,
especially domesticated animals, was considered a sacrifice.  The
blood was drained (like orthodox Jews do today and then mark the meat
as “kosher”), and what they considered the best part- the fat- was
offered to God at the altar.  That’s why we read in the Bible of a
“sweet-smelling sacrifice”- a smell like the outside of McDonalds or
Kentucky Fried Chicken wafting up to God.  Only the rich gorged
themselves day after day on huge amounts of animal meat- and the
prophets scorned them in God’s name as being wasteful.  The common
people ate meat sparingly- a little meat and a lot of fruits,
vegetables, and grains.  What amazes me is this- doctors have
discovered that is the healthiest way to eat- it’s the way our
digestive tract must have been designed by our Master Creator.

ONCE AGAIN, NOW TO DERIVE THE WISDOM FROM THE FACTS: What about you?
Do you respect all animal life like God taught the Israelites?  Do you
buy more meat than you can possible use and then let it spoil, or do
you give away what you cannot use?  Do you gorge yourself day after
day on meat?  When your meal includes meat or fish, do you remember to
thank God for the animal life that was sacrificed so you can have
health and energy yourself?  If you hunt or fish, do you kill as
quickly and painlessly as possible and then only kill what you can
eat?  Have you ever seen someone purposely aim their car to hit a
squirrel, a cat, or another of God’s creatures?  If so, do you speak
up- even if it costs you a friend or makes you look stupid in
someone’s eyes?  Do you speak up against cruelty in all its forms?  If
you own a pet, do you care for it well even if doing so is
inconvenient?  Do you let your dog run wild to run in traffic and
possibly attack children or animals?  Do you speak up against dog and
rooster fights?

I know you’re about to say- Rev. Judy, you’re expecting a lot.  No,
I’m not- GOD is expecting a lot.  Did you notice the thought for the
week on the back page of the bulletin…“People may doubt what you say,
but they will believe what you do” (Anonymous).  So don’t just talk
about loving and honoring God. Start today to grow a little more
spiritually by obeying God.  Check out your yard.  Plant some
flowers.  Pick up some paper.  Take care of all of God’s creatures.
May God- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless us all as we nourish and
care for God’s beautiful planet Earth.

For anyone who is interested, this sermon and updated African-American
wisdom statements are posted on our parish web site. The address is:
http://www.stpaulsepisag.com .

Blessed preaching.
Judy Boli
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Saginaw, Michigan

 
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