Stewardship of the Earth

Bishop Margaret Payne sent out her latest thoughts and I post them here for all to see. She is thinking about stewardship.

Practice Usufruct

By Bishop Margaret G. Payne, New England Synod, ELCA

Reprinted from the May 2007 issue of “The Lutheran Link,” the quarterly magazine of the New England Synod.

The next time you are tempted to grumble that the word “stewardship” is awkward to use in casual conversation, just be glad that I am not exhorting you to a more usufructary way of life. Author Wendell Berry likes to use the word “usufruct” which means: the right of enjoying the use and advantage of another’s property, short of the destruction or waste of its substance.

We enjoy the benefits of life on earth, God’s “property” and gift to us. In Genesis, we are reminded that God gave the dominion of earth and its creatures to man and woman. But the greedy edge of our relationship to the earth has caused us to fail in the caring stewardship that God intended. Now the earth is in danger of destruction.

At the other end of the bible, a careful reading of the book of Revelation gives a different slant than the “Left Behind” distortion of the day of judgment: “The nations raged, but your wrath has come, and the time for judging the dead, for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints and all who fear your name, both great and small, and for destroying those who destroy the earth.” (Revelation 11:18) We are not “saved” when we leave the earth behind. Instead, we find the wholeness that God intends in the midst of our life on earth, which includes the care of people, civil order and the environment.

Have you been actively involved in caring for the earth rather than destroying it? Fifteen years ago, the ELCA passed a social statement: “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice.” In that statement, as well as in the resolution passed last year by our synod assembly, each congregation is urged to be a center for study and caring for creation. Is there a Care for Creation Committee in your church? Have you done an energy audit for the building? Have you written a covenant to reduce energy consumption and engage in advocacy for the sake of the stewardship of the earth?

Here’s a deal: you don’t have to remember the word “usufruct” but you do need to get a copy of the ELCA’s social statement and form a group in your congregation to study it and act on it. It is prophetic and totally relevant to the present situation. It includes these prayers:

We pray, therefore, for the humility and wisdom to stand with and for creation, and the fortitude to support advocates whose efforts are made at personal risk.

We pray, therefore, for the strength to change our personal and public lives, to the end that there may be enough.

We pray, therefore, for the creativity and dedication to live more gently with the earth.

(Note: The ELCA’s social statement, “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope and Justice,” is available at http://www.elca.org/socialstatements/environment/ .)

The Lord is My Shepherd

I BELIEVE I NEED A SHEPHERD

I believe I need a shepherd.
Because I am sometimes timid and other times overconfident,
because I often don’t know the best path yet pretend I do,
because I rush into dead ends or lead others into hazardous places,
because my brightest ideas are seamed with darkness,
because the things I crave may not be what is good for me,
I need a shepherd.

I believe in Jesus, the best possible shepherd;
his wisdom leads me to the optimum opportunities,
his word comforts me when I’m anxious or afraid,
his arm steadies me when I feel weary and heavy-laden,
his wounded body displays the cost of my rescue,
I believe in Jesus, the best possible shepherd.

I believe that I do not find him but he finds me,
that I under his care by virtue of sheer grace,
the love he gives me is to be shared with others,
that he treasures my name and prepares a place for me,
that his fold transfixes earth and heaven.
I trust Jesus, the good shepherd.

3rd WEEK IN EASTER

JESUS IS COMING BACK!


A member of my parish sent me this article and I share it with you.


Why did Jesus fold the linen burial cloth after His resurrection?
The Gospel of John (20: 7) tells us that the napkin, which was placed over the face of Jesus, was not just thrown aside like the grave clothes. The Bible takes an entire verse to tell us that the napkin was neatly folded, and was placed at the head of that stony coffin.

Is that important? You'd better believe it!
Is that significant? Absolutely!
Is it really significant? Yes!

In order to understand the significance of the folded napkin, you have to understand a little bit about Hebrew tradition of that day. The folded napkin had to do with the Master and the Servant, and every Jewish boy knew this tradition.

When the servant set the dinner table for the master, he made sure that it was exactly the way the master wanted it. The table was furnished perfectly, then the servant would wait, just out of sight, until the master had finished eating. The servant would not dare touch the table, until the master was finished.

When the Master had finished eating, he would rise from the table, wipe his fingers, his mouth, clean his beard, and would wad up that napkin and toss it onto the table. The servant would then know to clear the table.

For in those days, the wadded napkin meant, "I'm done". But if the master got up from the table, and folded his napkin, and laid it beside his plate, the servant would not dare touch the table, because the servant knew that the folded napkin meant, "I'm not finished yet."

The folded napkin meant, "I'm coming back!"

He is Coming Back!!!!!!!!

ARTICLE FROM HOPE LUTHERAN CHURCH APRIL 2008