Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Reflection: Deepening the Connection Between Ecology and Faith

Rev. John Beverly Butcher
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Palo Alto, CA

Once upon a time I was rector of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Winslow, a railroad town in northeastern Arizona. I was reading the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels that motivated me to oppose the U.S. War on VietNam and organize Winslow Citizens for Peace. Some people became alarmed and got on the radio to say, “The Communists are right here in Winslow!” I was under a lot of pressure for my stand for Peace and essentially was run out of town in October 1969. My punishment was to pack up my family and all our worldly goods in a U-Haul truck and trailer and come to Menlo Park to become pastor of Holy Trinity Church.

I was in for many surprises. Among them was the day when our staff was discussing topics for the upcoming Lenten Series and another priest suggested, “Ecology.” I was startled. I hardly knew the word. And what did it have to do with the Gospel teachings of Jesus? Since then I have discovered that the Gospel has everything to do with ecology!

A few years after I arrived in Menlo Park, the garbage dump at the end of Marsh Road was closed and I wondered, “Now why did they do that?” I soon learned about the contamination of the Bay by the garbage and joined those who were applauding the conversion of a dump into a beautiful Bay Front Park where wildlife make their nests, migratory birds make a stopover, and human beings can take a walk or cycle and be more in touch with who they are as being part of nature.

A couple of years ago the dominating members of the Menlo Park City Council attempt to privatize the park and turn it over to a developer for a golf course! I joined people in town who organized and prevailed upon the developer to withdraw his proposal.

We thought Bayfront Park was saved, but next the dominant majority of three on the City Council proposed to put soccer fields on the park. We the people organized, defeated the ballot measure, and replaced the members of Council with people who have a Greener consciousness!

Meanwhile, I have been keeping in touch with friends in Winslow, a town that was downwind from the atomic testing in Nevada. People in Winslow have been dying of cancer caused by atomic radiation.

In one family I know first the father died of cancer; the government came through with a financial settlement for his family. One of the daughters died of cancer last year. The mother now has cancer. All caused by atomic testing.

A few weeks ago as I walked into the laundromat with two bags of laundry, I spotted on the floor a magazine with the cover showing the sun over an oil platform in the ocean and in bold letters: “OIL: will it ever Run out?” Inside were significant articles on ecological issues relating to oil and Energy. And this magazine was the November 8, 2003, issue of AWAKE, which perhaps you all know is the main publication of the Jehovah’s Witnesses!

So when a country priest from Arizona in 1969 and the Jehovah’s Witnesses of today have woken up to the issues of Ecology, then perhaps there is hope!

I find the positioning of the Sun on the cover of AWAKE magazine to be especially symbolic and reminds me that perhaps the ancient Egyptians were on the right track when they worshipped the Sun!

Perhaps they knew intuitively that All Energy on this planet is dependent upon this great Ball of Fire!

Science and Religion are converging — and it is about time. Moses experienced his inner transformation of his own Energy in his timely vision of the Burning Bush. I have often thought I would like to have a liturgical stole with the Burning Bush on one side and Einstein’s formula E=MC² on the other: two ways of expressing the same Reality!

I am Energy arranged in bodily form complete with circuits running current through my brain that I call thoughts. When I am turned on, I have soul. My Energy in this bodily form and your Energy, each and every one of you, in variety of interesting and intriguing bodily forms are all part of the One Energy Source! So whenever you feel your Energy lagging, just connect, turn on, and let the current flow!

I have finally woken up to the fact that ecology, power and energy are all issues of our faith. We need to do our part in addressing these issues as we honor our Father the Sun and our Mother the Earth!

 

Sermon: Deepening the Connection Between Ecology and Faith by Reverend Sally Grover Bingham