We know we can’t survive without adequate sources of both food to eat and water to drink – things that God provided in abudence in Creation, and called us to be stewards of.  However, we have done a great amount of damage to both the waters that sustain us, and the fields and animals and food system that keep us fed.

This weekend, the New York Times had an article about the neglecting of Clean Water laws, and the impacts that is having on our nations waters. The Times found that the Clean Water Act has been consistently violated across the country, resulting in polluted water that can’t be used to shower in, much less drink. The Times noted, “one in 10 Americans have been exposed to drinking water that contains dangerous chemicals or fails to meet a federal health benchmark in other ways.”

We also know our food system is broken – as factory farms and over processed foods have caused us to be less healthy as a nation. We no longer connect with the land and animals that provide us with the food we eat.  More than 30 percent of children eating school meals are obese, and farmers make up less than 2 percent of our population – just for two examples of a system that is badly broken.

The great part is that there are things we can do about both of these!  The Clean Water Restoration Act is making its way through Congress – currently in the Senate, and soon to be introduced in the House – to close loopholes in the Clean Water Act and restore its orignial intent. Keep an eye here for chances to take action as that moves through Congress.  And last week I had the chance to attend a reception with the Institute of Agriculture and Trade Policies Food and Society Fellows – who are thinking of innovative ways to correct our course and how we interact with our food.  Fred Bahnson is encouraging every church to have a community garden.  There is a movement called One Tray, seeking to change the food kids eat in school one tray at a time.  And Curt Ellis, director of King Corn, is coming out with a new documentary looking at how the chemicals we use for our food get into our water supply.  And those are just three of the ideas that are coming from this collection of 23 fellows.

So, we have problems.  We have not been stewards of the food and water resources God created. But we have the chance to change.  Look for ways you can get involved in reconnecting with the food you eat and the water you drink.

Recently the FDA released their long awaited findings after testing major brand names for lead in lipstick. They actually found higher lead levels in lipstick than the report released by the Campaign for  Safe Cosmetics found in 2007.  The FDA found blood lead levels ranging from .09 parts per million to 3.06ppm. The FDA’s average level of 1.7 ppm is ten times higher than lead levels they allow in candy. On an interesting note, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention says there is no safe level of lead. We also know that lead accumulates in the body over a lifetime and is linked to neurological and motor functioning. Lead has also been linked to miscarriages and infertility. And YET, the FDA  says that it is safe for women and children to ingest small amounts of lead daily! Maybe the FDA should take a cue from the CDC.

Another troubling aspect of this report is the lack of public access to the findings. Even though it was funded with U.S. tax dollars, it was not freely released to the public. Instead it was quietly placed in the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists that cost $35. The FDA also did not release the brand names of the lipsticks they tested and the lead levels for each brand.

As people of faith, we know that we were “fearfully and wonderfully made” with careful design beginning in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-17). We were made perfect and beautiful in God’s reflection (Genesis 1:26). Wearing lipstick and other makeup is a choice. The Bible speaks a lot to the value of wisdom. At the minimum need companies and our governemt to equip us with all the information so that we can make wise choices for our health when browsing the cosmetics aisle of the supermarket. Ideally, our products would be fully tested and regulated to reflect the precautionary principle.

New Healthy Spa Toolkit

In place of tighter regulations from the FDA and industry, the National Council of Churches just released Made In the Image of God Healthy Spa Workshop Guide and Toolkit for Congregations. It discusses our mandate to care about this issue as people of faith, provides safe cosmetics recipes to make at home or at church, and online resources for additional action and witness.

Scripture passages for this journey are:

Isaiah 11: 1-9
Isaiah 65: 17-25
Joel 2:18-27
Revelation 21: 1-5
Revelation 22: 1-5

This passage is the conclusion of the Green Bible Hiking through Scripture series.  This hike will take us through passages that describe God’s promise to restore and renew the entire creation, filling us with hope and inspiring us to offer our lives in service to the reconciling work of God.

“I’m creating a new heavens and a new earth.  All the earlier troubles, chaos and pain are things of the past, to be forgotten. Look ahead with joy.  Anticipate what I’m creating… No more sounds of weeping in the city, no cries of anguish; no more babies dying in the cradle, or old people who don’t enjoy a full lifetime…For they themselves are plantings blessed by God, with their children and grandchildren likewise God-blessed… Neither animal nor human will hurt or kill anywhere on my Holy Mountain,” says God. – Isaiah 65: 17-25, The Message.

The vision of this passage lies in stark contrast to the impacts of climate change we are currently experiencing and the impacts scientists predict we will experience unless we make significant reductions to our greenhouse gas emissions. When facing the scientific realities of drought, famine, sea level rise, and disease along with the political realities described by the Tyler, National Council of Churches Assistant Director for Climate and Energy, in her recent blog post, it can be difficult to imagine let alone believe the reality God promises us through Isaiah’s vision.

Yet, we do believe and look ahead with joy. Our belief is displayed through our actions, communal and personal. The impact of our faith through action (James 1:22-25) will help turn Isaiah’s vision into a reality.  It is through the persistent prayers, letters and phone calls of people who believe in the vision of Isaiah that the political climate will begin to change and some of the worst impacts of climate change will be avoided. September 20 to 27 is Climate Action Week, a global campaign to empower people from around the world to push world leaders to respond to the challenge of climate change. Click here to find out what you can do during this week to help make Isaiah’s vision a reality.

“Blind eyes will be opened, deaf ears unstopped, lame men and women will leap like deer, springs of water will burst out in the wilderness, streams flow in the desert. Hot sands will become a cool oasis, even lowly jackals will have water to drink, and barren grasslands flourish richly.”  Isaiah 35: 5-7, (The Message)

The book of revelation describes the reconciled Creation as a place where God dwells (21:3), where the tree of life offers healing to the nations, and where God’s people offer themselves up for service to God (22: 1-3). These passages send the lyrics of one of my favorite songs buzzing through my head.

“Leave behind your sorrows
Let this day be the last
Tomorrow there’ll be sunshine
And all this darkness past.

Big Wheels roll through the fields
Where the sunlight streams
Meet me in a land of hope and dreams
- Bruce Springsteen

Harry and Shelia Holt

In 2007, the United Church of Christ commissioned a report entitled Toxic Waste at 20, a follow up to their ground breaking Toxic Waste and Race report from 1987. The 2007 report highlighted a story about the Holt Family in Dickson, TN whose ground water was contaminated with a chemical called TCE. Many family members today suffer from cancer and other diseases associated with TCE.

Their story depicts how two communities, one white and one black, living next to each other received different treatment once the local government realized that the ground water was contaminated. For the last six years, Sheila Holt-Orsted has been fighting to have the Dickson County Landfill cleaned up and closed down.

The United Church of Christ is asking people of faith to do two things in solidarity with the Holt Family and other families living near the Dickson County Landfill.

1. Come down to Dickson (35 miles from Nashville) on September 5th for a rally in support of these communities and to call on the EPA to clean up the landfill.

2. Send a letter to the EPA Administrator Jackson asking for the clean up and closing of the landfill and the implementation of the Environmental Justice Executive  Order 12898 that President Clinton ordered in 1999.

Visit this link at the UCC website to send a letter and to learn more.

At the beginning of August, the media learned that in the lead up to the House vote on climate and energy, lobby shops working for oil and gas companies were sending fake letters to particular members around the country. In particular, these letters were claiming that groups, such as the NAACP, are opposed to climate and energy policy (this is a false statement as the NAACP has actually been quite engaged in various coalitions working to protect communities of color from the impacts of climate change).

As I was emailing with my colleague from VA about these letters, she opened with this comment . . .

. . . .Let the Games begin (as they say in politics)

and in relfecting on all that has happened in the last month, it looks like we are in for quite the sporting event.

The American Petroleum Institute (API) in conjunction with a number of other oil and energy companies has been hosting “town hall” events all over the country. Except there is a catch – you can’t get in unless you work for an energy company (and have proper ID). TV and radio ads have been launched all over the country with false information about the bill that was passed in the House and this is just the beginning.

It is clear that those in favor of addressing climate change in a just and effectivemanner will have to continue to speak up and call for action. Its going to take each and every one of us to ensure that we achieve a strong US and global agreement.

As people of faith, we are all too aware of the challenges in life, the misinformation, and the burden being placed on God’s Creation and God’s children from the impacts of climate change.

As my colleague from VA reflected on what we are up against and what lies ahead she was comforted by the keen vision and focus of the faith community, our ability to discern and our ability to recognize the need to “stick close and pull together in ranks”

It is clear, as it has been in the past, that our collective voices will and can make the difference.

Yesterday, the Greek Orthdox Church in America announced that September 1st marked the beginning of the ecclisastical new year.  In addition to that, however, it is the Day for the Protection of Our Natural Environment.  Archbishop Demetrios notes, “For Orthodox Christians, September 1 begins a new liturgical year in which we participate in the life of the Holy Church through Her divine services.  September 1 is also the date that has been designated by our Holy Ecumenical Patriarchate as the Day for the Protection of our Natural Environment.  For more than one reason, the joining of our observance of this Day with the beginning of the Ecclesiastical New Year, is significant, as it guides us in understanding the important relationship between our world created by God and our Orthodox Christian faith.”

Our Orthdox Brothers and Sisters remind us often of the not only uniquely Christian call to care for our environment, but how grounded that call is in the history of our faith – stretching back to the early church Fathers – and that the sacramental nature of our faith is directly connected to our natural world.  Archbishop Demetrios continues, “Second, through the liturgical life of the Church we are not only strenghthened in our journey of life but we also become aware of the great spiritual significance of our natural environment.  This happens through the usage of purely material elements, as the bread and the wine, in the most holy Mystery of the Divine Eucharist which as the Body and Blood of Christ unites us with God Himself.  Here, the spiritual and physical relationship is significant.  We are both physical and spiritual beings, created for life, and blessed with the ability, unique only to human beings, to worship our Creator within a natural environment that not only provides for our basic physical needs, but also enables us to exprerience perfect communion with God.”

These messages are messages for the environmental age in which we find ourselves. Elizabeth Theokritoff, in her new book, Living in God’s Creation: Orthodox Perspectives on Ecology, writes, “For many Orthodox Christians, the environmental challenge to some of our attitidues and ways of life associated with the modern secular West is a welcome wake up call. It is a call to recover the world view implicit in the Christian tradition, and indeed reflected in certain aspects of traditional Christian cultures. This is not to suggest a golden age of Orthodox culture.  It is, however, to suggest that environmental responsibility begins with living our faith in the most mundane details of everyday life.”

This is a message that extends beyond Orthodox Christianity, to all of us.  So take some time this September 1st, and everyday, to remember this call, and see the environmental responsibility, the call to care for Creation, in everything that we do.

Scripture passages for this journey are:

Genesis 3: 14-19
Hosea 4: 1-3
Ezekiel 34: 17-22
Numbers 35:33-34
Romans 8: 18-25

These passages tell us what happens when we reject God’s call to do justice by choosing to destroy rather than repair, restore and reconcile broken relationships and covenants. According to Isaiah 24:5 and 13, “Earth is polluted by its very own people, who have broken its laws disrupted its order, violated the sacred and eternal covenant.” For this reason, “This is the fate of all nations: An olive tree shaken clean of its olives, a grapevine pick clean of its grapes” (the Message). The metaphor of fruit (or lack of fruit) has important connotations for Christians. Isaiah 24 may help us to see God’s commandment in Genesis 1:28, a passage many have used to suggest humans could use Creation without regard for the health of the earth in a new light.  For, in order for us to “be fruitful” the Earth must be healthy. In addition, in John 15: 4, Christ bids us “Abide in me as I abide in you.  Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me.” Life in Christ means continuing Christ’s work of justice and reconciliation rather than participating in the work of destruction.

The pollution of the Earth by its people is a symptom of a broken or incomplete relationship with the Creator and each other. In short, environmental problems are human problems. This idea is further explained in Ezekiel 34:17-22.

“And as for you my dear flock, I’m stepping in and judging between one sheep and another, between rams and goats.  Aren’t you satisfied to feed in good pasture without taking over the whole place?  Can’t you be satisfied to drink from the clear stream without muddying the water with your feet? Why do the rest of my sheep have to make do with grass that’s trampled down and water that’s been muddied?  Therefore, God, the Master, says: I myself am stepping in and making things right between the plump sheep and the skinny sheep.”  – The Message

When we pollute the earth, not only do we destroy what God has created and called good, we hurt our brothers and sisters downstream.  And we are all to blame.  Not just the plump sheep who are living the high life, but the moderately comfortable sheep as well.

“The world is being destroyed, no doubt about it, by the greed of the rich and powerful. It is also being destroyed by popular demand.  There are not enough rich and powerful people to consume the whole world; for that, the rich and powerful need the help of countless ordinary people. We acquiesce in the wastefulness of destructiveness of the national and global economics by acquiescing in the wastefulness and destructiveness of our own households and communities.  If conservation is to have a hope of succeeding, then conservationists, while continuing their effort to change public life, are going to have to begin the effort to change private life as well.” – Wendell Berry.

But there is hope, and I see it every day when people of faith take action publically and privately to choose reconciliation instead of destruction. Over the past year, over 30,000 people of faith, through the NCC Eco-justice program alone, have taken public action asking their members of Congress and the President to take action to reduce our contributions to global climate change while protecting their neighbors both near and far who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change as well as the cost associated with responding to it. Many of these same people are taking it upon themselves to reduce their personal contributions to climate change by reducing the energy they use in their homes and churches.   Individuals and congregations have reduced 271,530.6 lbs of carbon through the Carbon Reduction Campaign just by changing their light bulbs, turning down their thermostats, weatherizing their buildings, using low flow water fixtures and making a conscious effort to conserve water and energy every day. It is through these individuals and congregations that we catch glimpses of the glory that all of Creation longs for, when Creation itself, and all of us with it will be set free from bondage to decay (Romans 8: 18-21).

What does it mean to be church?  What does it mean to make manifest the body of Christ in this world?  This may be the ultimate question facing us today numerous denominations and communions struggle with dwindling membership, staff cuts, and closing churches.  What does it mean for us to be church with one another? What would it mean for us to realize our unity in Christ?

These are questions that have followed me, and been a part of conversations I have been having over the past year with various groups of young adults. In the ecumenical world, a gathering of young adults before the 2008 General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service declared, “We understand that our present unity in Christ is not the end goal, but the beginning of engagement with the world. We have a deep commitment to conversations and relationships with our fellow Christians, including those with whom we most deeply disagree, and those who have not yet been part of our conversation[1].”   This is a group of people who understand the root of being church – of being in relationship with one another.  Who understand that our call to be in relationship with one another is not the end goal – but the gift of our unity with one another in Jesus Christ – and that our call as a church is to live out that reality.

In December of 2008, I was with a group of Church of the Brethren Young Adults in Surprise, Arizona, who said, “We understand that many of us are frustrated with the current state of leadership and/or organization within the church, but we find hope, light, and energy in the midst of that frustration. We recognize that the Body of Christ is in constant incarnational transformation. We hope for the transformation from “church” into a community of disciples and disciple-makers. We long for the church to be “Brethren” at its best, based in scripture, spiritual discernment, and social engagement. We acknowledge that even within this small group of young adults, there are many different ways of viewing scripture, spiritual discernment, and social engagement, but we are committed to seeking the mind of Christ together[2].”  This is what being the church with one another, in relationship, is all about. Transforming our current reality so that it is a better reflection of the Body of Christ. Of living together, walking together, and being a community of believers together.

Jurgen Moltmann, a German theologian,  writes, “”The church exists in contradictions and conflicts, and it must organize itself as the visible community of believers against the impeachments of this world of violence, so that it may show the world God’s alternatives[3].” As such, these young adults are not only about calling the church together in relationship, but also about showing that Godly alternative to the world. It’s a call for the entire church to be a part of.

And then, most recently, over the course of 2 and a half days, I spend time with 19 young adults gathered on Port Isabel Island in the Chesapeake Bay, hosted by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. We were joined by leaders Tyler Edgar of the National Council of Churches and John Hill of the United Methodist Church, as well as by theologian in residence Rev. Dr. Janet Parker.  The group spent the time together in community – sharing in the cooking and clean up of meals, worship time, theological reflection, and practical action planning.  More than that, they built relationships with one another in that place – splashing through the marsh, learning about the features of the island and the bay, along with the threats, and enjoying the beauty of that space.

Representing more than 6 communions and religious traditions, including the Christian Church Disciples of Christ,  the Presbyterian Church (USA), the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the United Church of Christ, the Roman Catholic Church, the Church of the Brethren, and the United Methodist Church, the group wrestled with the interrelated concepts of global poverty and climate change, focusing on the ways climate change will disproportionately affect those living in poverty both in the United States and around the world.  Beginning with theological reflection on the call of the church to care for God’s Creation – and through that the call to respond to climate change, there was consistent conversation around the need to further engage the whole church in this work.  After an introduction to the role of the church in the environmental movement, beginning with the first Earth Day and moving through the legislation currently moving through the Congress, and the upcoming Copenhagen summit, the conversation shifted to how the group could become more involved in the work from their own contexts – whether that be in seminary, preaching sermons in local churches, leading Sunday School classes, or being in touch with their legislators.  More theological reflection centered on the need to infuse this kind of thinking and belief in everything the church does.

Friends, these groups of young adults are wrestling with the questions of what it means to manifest our relationship with Christ to the world – with what it means to Be Church.  As we continue to move forward, consider our witness, and struggle together to fulfill the call of Christ, its an example to strive for, and seek.

Walter Brueggeman offers these words of prayer: “We are, on most days, a hard mix of true prophet and wayward voice, a mix of your call to justice and our hope for shalom. Here we are, as we are, mixed but faithful, compromised but committed, anxious but devoted to you. Use us and our gifts for your newness that pushes beyond all that we can say or imagine[4].”  Amen. As we struggle to figure out what it means today to be church, to live in relationship with our God and with each other, and what it looks like to live that out – let us continue to have those words as our present reality. Seeking a world we can’t imagine, and calling that world into being.

---

[1] http://www.faithconnectsus.org/fileadmin/templates/faithconnects/documents/new-fire-statement-2008.pdf

[2] http://alreadyandnotyet.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/forum-minute/

[3] Moltmann, Jurgen. The Way of Jesus Christ. Fortress Press, Minneapolis, MN. 1993. Pg. 55

[4] Brueggeman, Walter. Prayers for a Privileged People. Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN. 2008. Pg. 127-28.

“for the Creation waits with eager longing for the children of God; for the Creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole of Creation has been groaning in labor pains until now, and not only the Creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we await the redemption of our bodies.”

Romans 8:19-23

In this passage Paul teaches us that we are also part of Creation. When Creation suffers, we suffer. When we act as stewards of God’s Creation, we also renew our body and the whole body of Christ. This passage is fitting for thinking about mindful living and the toxics we are exposed to in our daily lives (to find other passages, read and endorse our Christian Principles for a Healthy Body and Spirit). There are over 82,000 industrial chemicals registered for use in the United States and yet only 200 have been tested for safety under the Toxic Substances Control Act. In the meantime, evidence has been mounting, linking some of these chemicals used in products that we have in our congregations, homes, and schools to health conditions that affect both our bodies and the rest of Creation. Children are the most vulnerable to toxic chemicals.

CHEJ safer school supplies

While August and the dog days of summer are only just upon us, children will soon be purchasing school supplies for the new year ahead. This is an opportunity to be mindful of the choices we make for the health of our children, the communities living near the manufacturing plants, and Creation. Some school supplies, such as some notebooks and lunch boxes, are made of poly-vinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. The Center for Health, Environment, and Justice- a coalition of environmental health, faith, and environmental justice communities- released today a Back to School Guide to PVC Products. This guide explains the problem of PVC, where it is found, and what affordable alternatives exist.

Why should we be concerned about PVC plastic? First, its production has caused an environmental injustice. A lot of cancer-causing chemicals are used to make PVC. There are more PVC manufacturing plants in Mossville, Louisiana than anywhere else in the nation. The citizens in Mossville, LA, a historic black community with deep faith roots, suffer from high rates of cancer, illnesses and ear, nose, and skin conditions.

PVC is also harmful because it contains additional harmful chemicals such as phthalates, lead, and cadmium that can harm children’s health who use the products. Lead has been linked to developmental delays and learning disabilities in kids, not to mention infertility in adults. Cadmium is identified as a known carcinogen by the EPA. Studies have linked phthalates to early childhood puberty in girls, prostate and breast cancer, and reproductive harm to baby boys.

What happens after we use PVC? Often times it is thrown into the trash and incinerated. This means cancer causing chemicals go back into the air we breathe. Again, it is often communities of color and low income communities that live near the trash incinerators. From cradle to grave, PVC is causing environmental injustices among the most vulnerable members of our society. Check out the CHEJ Back to School Guide for guide for PVC alternatives so that we can begin to address the groaning of the entire body of Christ –from Creation to vulnerable communities.

For more on the faith connections to environmental health, visit our Environmental Health webpage.

As I left the South Capitol METRO and started my trek up to work I thought about the similarities between Capitol Hill and Jerusalem.  That thought consumed my energy as I watched for the similarities and differences.  I love coming up to Capitol Hill and watching as different people scurry about handing their business, whether it is the business of the nation,  vacation, a learning experience, a biking trip, an artistic encounter or a personal sojourn, there is always something going on.  I also love going up to Jerusalem.  And I join those in scurrying around taking in as much of that experience as I can, whether learning or on personal sojourn; while the business of the nation, vacation, a religious encounter, or pilgrimage moves others to and fro.  On my first trip to the old city I recognized that Jerusalem is a city that never sleeps.   While in the evening the traffic appears to dies down on Capitol Hill, it too never sleeps with the closed meetings and other events.

On a Hill

Both Capitol Hill and Jerusalem are set on hills.  Sometimes it gets tiring pulling the slow incline up Capitol Hill, but there is no other way, the nation’s business is handled on “the hill.”  Jerusalem sits on two hills, somewhat like a tooth.  Thank goodness that “the hill” is not a steep as Jerusalem.  That is a real climb.  I also decided on my first trip that Jesus and the disciples had to be physically fit to make those climbs from the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem and back.  Scripturally Jerusalem was and still remains a place to be, whether it is for business, celebration, or pilgrimage.  Jesus was brought as a child to Jerusalem.  “When the time came for their purification, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord” (Luke 2:22 NRSV).  During His life, Jesus joined others in many trips to Jerusalem.  “While Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. . . .” (Matt.  20:17 NRSV).  

Business

On Capitol Hill, bills are passed, laws are written, deals are struck, okay, sorry about that one, but you know it is true.  And in our nation petitions are filled, protests are made, causes are presented.  In one day alone, I participated in rallies for healthcare, (yes, everyone needs healthcare), strolled past elegantly created banners for one cause, and crudely made banners for another cause.  I witnessed a silent protest in front of the Supreme Court, and people handing out brochures on another.  It is all in a day’s work.

In Jerusalem laws are made, deals are struck and as we know, Jesus’ demise was hatched.  “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death. . . .” (Matt. 20:18, Mark 10:33 NRSV).   “See we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished” (Luke 18:31 NRSV).  “They were on the road, going up to Jerusalem. . . ” (Mark 10:32 NRSV).

Celebration

Around Capitol Hill there are many celebrations for many events, including the fireworks for the celebration of the nation.  There are festivals celebrating the diversity of cultures in America.  One of the largest celebration held was the inauguration of Barack Obama, yes, I was there, fortunately on the hill.

 

Scripturally, Jerusalem was the place to be for the festivals.  “The Passover of the Jews was at was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” (John  2:13 NRSV).    “After this there was a festival of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem” (John  5:1 NRSV).  Today many religions make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem just to say they have been there, just to witness the life of the historical Jesus, just to walk the places in scripture, just to be in that number.

Visitors

Visitors abound everywhere on the Hill whether trying to view a session or taking pictures of the historical sites or just sitting around trying to take it all in.  It is overwhelming and many weary visitors find themselves deciding whether to take one more tour or to get back to the hotel for the day.  I know, I have heard them. Tired, yet determined to see as much as they can, they leave with pictures, souvenirs, and memories of the nation’s capitol.

 

In Jerusalem, pretty much the same thing happens.  Tired, yet determined to take in as much as one can of this once in a lifetime (for many) chance to be a part of something so significant to their faith belief.  And they leave with pictures, souvenirs and memories.  On my first trip to Jerusalem I was told it would be a trip that I would forever be unpacking.  On my second trip I led a group there and I cried when I saw the walls of Jerusalem before me.  Every time I read scripture – memories.

Going Up

As I thought  about these two historically significant places I marveled at the “going up” and thought about another significant place where we “go up” – in prayer.  And in this place of commune with God, we have that image of “going up,” to meet God, in that secret place.  In that place we handle the business of prayer in giving thanks and placing our petitions, our anxieties before God and attempt to leave our worries and cares with God.  “Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made know to God.  And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6&7 NRSV).  In prayer, we celebrate God for who God is.  For each time we visit, we sojourn, we linger in that place of prayer, we learn more of the awesomeness of God and we leave that place at little more spiritually transformed.  That is cause for celebration in itself, to be more aware of our identity in God and to have spent more time with God.  And then to present ourselves as one who has been “up,” with God, not boasting but with love for one another and caring about the concerns of mankind that concern God.  If we take serious this time of going up in prayer then we return to do more of God’s work in our own way.  And this time will indeed influence how we treat one another and how we go about caring for all of God’s people.  We come down from that secret place and can better support the issues of justice for all.  It is in going up before God that we come down with concerns for the injustices, be they economical, environmental, health related, and abuses of all kinds. 

Whatever your cause, your concern, bathe it in prayer.  I close with a note from Paul, and my sentiments also.  “Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication.  To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.  Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak” (Eph. 6:18-20 NRSV).  Type to you later.