Mission Perspective: Why Observe Earth Day?

By Robin G. Jordan

Good Friday and Earth Day fall by coincidence upon the same day this year—April 22. The Episcopal Church has on its Earth Day 2011 web site suggested a number of ways that Episcopal parishes and churches might want to observe Earth Day. While observing Earth Day is in itself not a bad idea, the Episcopal Church’s suggestions for the observance of Earth Day cater to the tendency to make Earth Day a quasi-religious holiday, marking the day with rituals drawn from Native American Spirituality and Neo-Paganism. The original purpose of Earth Day was to raise awareness about environmental issues. Since its inception a number of the so-called “earth religions” have vested Earth Day with religious significance. This, however, is not a reason for dismissing the observance of Earth Day altogether.

A number of Christians do not have a good understanding of what the Scriptures teach about humankind’s relationship to the rest of creation. Earth Day can be used to help Christians and non-Christians better understand the Bible’s teaching in this area. For example:

--God created Adam to care for and tend the Garden of Eden.

--While God gave humankind dominion over the other creatures on the earth, it is a limited dominion, subject to God’s sovereignty. God is the Lord of heaven and earth and all therein, not humankind.

-- Subduing the earth and despoiling it is not the same thing.

--The Bible foretells the coming of the peaceable kingdom when all creatures will live in harmony with each other.

--Creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God because creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will enjoy the glorious liberty of God’s children.

They can be introduced to the traditions in Christianity that value and cherish God’s creation. A major distinguishing characteristic of the ancient Celtic Church was its love of God’s creation. This love of God’s creation is reflected in the twentieth century hymn, “Morning Has Broken,” written by Eleanor Farjeon, and set to the traditional Gaelic melody, Bunessan.

Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for the springing fresh from the word

Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God's recreation of the new day.

They can also be introduced to major statements of the Anglican Church on the environment. The Global Anglican Future Conference in the Jerusalem Statement identifies as one of the tenets of orthodoxy that underpin our Anglican identity the good stewardship of God’s creation.

They can be shown how in working to protect the environment, they are ministering to future generations. They are leaving behind them a positive legacy through which God may draw these generations to himself.

Churches can use the observance of Earth Day to build bridges between their community and themselves. They can overcome the widespread perception that Christians are indifferent to environmental issues or that they are advocates of the unrestrained exploitation of the earth’s natural resources.

I am sojourning with a church that meets on a university campus and is targeted primarily at university students and young adults. From talking with the director of the Baptist Campus Ministry who is also a member of the church, I learned how the BCM had not been making any headway in reaching one group of students—those who had a passion for environmental issues—until it took an interest in what interested them and opened its doors to student environmental organizations, letting them use its facilities for their meetings and other activities.

Local churches can do the same thing. They can take an interest in environmental issues and open their doors to community environmental groups. They can undertake joint projects with these groups. Such projects are a great way for Christians and non-Christians to become better acquainted with each other. They provide opportunities for Christians to establish relationships with non-Christians.

The falling of Good Friday and Earth Day upon the same day this year does present something of a problem. For Christians Good Friday is a day of reflection upon our Lord’s death. Earth Day has become a day of celebration and festivity with colorful air socks, kites, and streamers, wind chimes, and strolling musicians, as well as information booths and educational activities. Yet they need not compete with each other.

A primary focus of a church observance of Earth Day should be to bring Christians and non-Christians together around a common interest and to encourage the formation of relationships. There should be food, music, and lots of fun things to do.

As Christians we are called to partner with God in His mission to the world. This means pursuing a policy of engagement, not avoidance in relation to non-Christians. God has placed us in a particular community to be missionaries to that community. Observing Earth Day, opening our church facilities to community environmental groups, joining these groups, undertaking joint projects with them are all ways of pursuing such a policy.

Jesus is our model and exemplar. He went where people gathered as well as spent time alone with God. As his followers we are called to do the same thing. Salt cannot give savor to a dish unless it is stirred into the dish. Leaven cannot cause dough to rise unless it is worked into the dough. We cannot be a light to the world if we are hidden under a basket. We cannot be bearers of good news if we stick to ourselves and never mingle with those who need to hear the good news the most.