Hurting the earth, hurting God

Looking for a new way to reflect on Jesus’ passion? Two years ago Earth Day fell on Good Friday, and Good Shepherd connected the traditional fourteen stations of the cross to fourteen ways humans hurt the environment, and fourteen ways we can work with God to repair it. A small group of people off all ages walked up Palisade Avenue to Martha Washington Way, left onto Bridge Plaza South, south on Lemoine to Main Street, and back to the church on Palisade Avenue. We carried prayers and readings, a big banner, a trash can (which we filled twice), a recycling bin (filled once), and a desire to repent of our sins and bring attention to the need to care for the earth.

We’re going to try it again tomorrow, on Good Friday, meeting at the church at noon. Good Shepherd also offers a traditional church liturgy so Christians can contemplate the meaning of Jesus’ death in their lives and the life of the world, Friday evening at 7:30. The Stations of the Earth however makes me see both the town and the story of Jesus passion differently.

I often take the town for granted, not attending to the people or the buildings but rushing about my business. Picking up trash prayerfully first reminds me of dirt, sin, mess, carelessness represented by litter, pollution, and other environmental hazards. After a while however I notice ways nature is reclaiming human rubbish. I wonder what’s going to happen next with all the new buildings going up—cranes, bulldozers, cement smoothers. Prayers and readings sanctify ordinary actions, and help set my daily life into the context of God’s work of “mending the world” (to borrow a term from Jewish practice, tikkun olan).

The same shift in attention happens as I hear the story of Jesus’ last hours. A bloody, mean, and difficult story, one that has in turn engendered violence against Jews and others, at first offends me. Then I recognize how little has changed in 2000 years—the violence, hatred, indifference, and self-absorption are still present. Of course I focus first on the effects of others’ actions and judge them—who threw that cup out. Why are there so many plastic bottles? In time the actions of picking up litter and connecting broken electrical wires with Jesus’ broken body show me how I too am implicated in hurting others, God and the earth, but how my actions can make a difference for good if I choose to persevere.

Anyone seeking a new way to understand relationships between God, ourselves, each other, the world, and all of creation is welcome to come for part or all of this witness. Peace!