One More Thing with Pastor Tim Burchill 6.4.2023

I Apologize For Such A Long Sermon on Communion Sunday

Still, there were actually a few things I left out…

          When trying to illustrate a point in my preaching, I try to find topics that are non-controversial or at least non-partisan.  This last week I used the idea of Gun Rights vs. Responsible restrictions on those rights to talk about the balance between Rights and Responsibilities.  I’m sure there are going to be folks who think I leaned too far one way or the other when describing the debate.  In any case, I kept trying to come up with an example that might highlight how those on the Left also want to defend certain rights and ignore responsibilities.  This is what I came up with but—with a sermon much longer than it should be—didn’t have space for.

         There are those who argue that it is the basic human right for future generations to live in a world that is spared the calamitous effects of climate change.  There is overwhelming scientific consensus that we have been terrible stewards of God’s creation, and that the current lifestyle of Western industrialized countries—the pace of consumption as well as the carbon emissions that go with it—is raising the temperature in many world-wide locations with potentially catastrophic results.  Our grand-children and those who live in non-industrial nations have a right to inhabit a livable world with a sustainable future.  The problem again, is that many of the loudest voices on climate change leave the largest carbon footprint.

         In other words, arguing for the right to live in a healthy environment would surely also call for the personal responsibility to do whatever is possible to limit global warming.

          Obviously, this is an existential threat that requires wholesale change implemented by governments and industry, but at the same time we cannot insist on the right to sustainable future without making wholesale change on a personal and local level.  Responsible stewardship of God’s creation means living without many of the conveniences we’ve come to rely on, it means consuming less and making what we already have last longer.  A responsible reaction to climate change has to begin with taking a look at the plank in your own eye before or while demanding the speck be removed from the eyes of world leaders.

          If I am a strong proponent of preventing further climate changes then I need to be more responsible in my personal lifestyle.

          Electric vehicles are expensive and may not be as convenient or fun to drive, but if my driving one helps, I should make that sacrifice.

          It can be a whole lot easier just to throw out various plastic products, rather than wash them out and sort them.  But I do have control of what I do with my waste, if I’m serious then I really don’t have a choice.

          Sometimes communities or businesses say that they are “going green,” but then we discover it is more about PR then it is about significant environmental choices.  Being informed, doing your homework, waiting your turn at a City Council meeting to address an issue—those all take time and effort.  Alas, time and effort are key components to being a responsible citizen of the world.

          With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.  The problem, it seems to me is that we underestimate the power we have as middle class to upper middle class suburban American Christians.  With God all things are possible.  And with God on our side, with all the advantages we have been given in our lives, it is time to start living up to higher standards in so many areas of our daily lives.  It’s what Jesus expects to find when he returns (see Luke 12:48).