In Honor of Earth Day 2007 (ritual, mission, preacher, spiritual)

[Green Gaia]

http://www.uua.org/news/newssubmissions/22429.shtml

April 12, 2007
Friends,

In this season of rebirth and renewal, I find my gratitude more intense and my anxiety more pervasive than in previous years. My spirit, perhaps like yours, was much in need of spring. But climate change and global warming seem to call into question even the predictability of the seasons. We know that changes are taking place in our environment with astonishing speed: glaciers receding, ice sheets thinning, species in trouble. Another "active" hurricane season is predicted to start soon in the warming Atlantic. What we cannot know is what these changes will ultimately mean for us, nor do we know yet whether we can gather the will to make a difference.

Since the days of Emerson and Thoreau, our faith has claimed nature as a primary source of religious inspiration. We affirm our part in the interdependent web of existence. Now we are called to put our faith into action, to help insure that spring comes again. What can we do? The UU Ministry for Earth offers ideas, inspiration and practical support, and The Earth Day Network offers timely resources that can help you and your congregation to get started right now. I urge you to explore these materials and to circulate them in your congregations.

As we prepare to celebrate Earth Day this April 22nd, let me also share with you a short piece by Rev. Tracey Robinson-Harris, the UUA's Director for Congregational Services, which helped me remember both the gratitude and the anxiety of this particular spring season.

In faith,
Rev. William G. Sinkford

[lilithu]

Hope everyone had a happy Earth Day. We had a fantastic service, with guest preacher Rabbi Schwarz who was awesome. And we sang one of my favorite hymns, "Blue green hills of earth."

Our congregation is applying for green sanctuary status this year. We've gone to zero trash every week for lunch (meaning no disposable plates or cutlery) and we're looking into composting. Plus we're replacing all of our light-bulbs with compact fluorescents.

After service today, we had a presentation on the racial dimensions of environmental justice. It is the poor and people of color who are impacted most by the effects of global climate change and pollution.

And for some reason, they asked me to give some theological reflection on this. If you're interested, you can read it here:
http://www.wizdum.net/?q=confessions

Which is also a way for me to tell you guys that I've resurrected my blog.