24 September 2023 Season of Creation 4
God tells Noah that he promises never to again destroy the earth by water, and the writer of our Psalm cites many examples of how water and the Spirit sustain creation. We know that the risen Christ is sustaining and restoring creation – and we can join in too. We can be part of the sustaining process of restoring and sustaining creation. All it takes is for us to consider and evaluate our daily practices. Do I take ‘vege’ bags with me when I shop or do I just use the provided plastic bags, then throw them out. And even if we are only using ‘compostable’ plastic bags, they still take more than my lifetime to decompose. Do I look for alternatives to ‘pre-packaged’ vegetables and meats; do I consider the packaging of my household cleaning products and buy ‘refillable’ containers and then refill them when they run out rather than buying a new container. Do I take my own containers to the butcher and deli and ask them to put my purchases in my containers, so I do not end up with more plastic bags which just have to be thrown into land-fill. Saving water is something that most of us have in our minds, at least some of the time. But being ‘water smart’ is about more than just saving water, it is also being aware of what we put into our waterways. For those here on the mountain with septic and grey water systems you may already be conscious of what you put down the sinks of your homes, but what about what goes into the storm water system, into our streams, our rivers and oceans. Rubbish on the street often ends up being washed or blown into the stormwater drains and it then ends up in our oceans.
It is said that there is more plastic in our waterways than can be readily seen and very soon we will not be able to catch any seafood which does not contain at least some micro-plastics. That, is a very scary thought, and it is difficult to know how we can reverse this, but by becoming aware of our actions, and maybe even picking up the litter we see on our streets and disposing of it thoughtfully when we are out walking, we can at least stop it from getting worse.
Our reading from Revelation tells us that when creation is restored, a river will flow directly from God with trees of life growing on either side to bring healing to all nations on Earth. Jesus’ resurrection is also celebrated by creation. The earthquake that accompanies the arrival of the angel and the rolling away of the stone was no ‘small’ event. The Earth celebrated with loud trembling, as it had done in the past in Old Testament times at significant events and times. And having risen from the dead, Jesus later rises into a cloud and enters the cosmos. Christ is in creation, bringing hope and healing to all things in anticipation of the renewed creation.
Today, we baptise Kylen. He will be baptised with water, the symbol of life; he will be marked with the sign of the cross, a life-long sign that he belongs to Christ; he has new life through his baptism and the resurrection of Christ. God calls us all to a new creation, let us join in the party.