Love Your Neighbor

 In Rachel Maddow's book "Blowout", she talks about the oil industry and how, around the world, corporations give millions of dollars to dictators so that the flow of oil will not be stopped and there is very little regulation to keep the environment and the people healthy. She lifts up the country of Equatorial Guinea whose government official who is head of the forestry bought Michael Jackson's glove at an auction for over one million dollars while their citizens are being suppressed from free elections and living wages. We condemn that there are slaves mining lithium in Congo to make batteries for our electric cars, which is an evil system. Either way, the poor of the world suffer. In Louisiana, corporations are trying to use the overturning of the Chevron Act by the Supreme Court this summer to say the Environmental Protection Agency has no right to regulate their industries in Cancer Alley which would only further damage the human bodies and the environment surrounding the oil refineries and other chemical plants. 

"To Act and Hope with Creation" is this year's theme for the Season of Creation. In today's scripture readings, we can hear how even Jesus believed that there was only a certain amount of spiritual 'food' to go around and he shouldn't waste it on the dogs, i.e. foreigners. We have talked through this story at least once this year, so I won't spend too much time on it just to include that once Jesus and the disciples return to their 'homeland' a mute is brought to them and Jesus is able to heal him without any difficulty. The Letter of James could have been written in about any time period after Jesus' death and resurrection. It could have been a couple years after the resurrection or sometime late in the century. If it was actually written by James the Apostle, he was martyred in 62 CE so it would be the latest date. This letter is a seeming random series of admonitions and lifting up of the Way of Christ. Much has been made of the contention between Paul and this Letter of what 'saves' us. For we hear in no uncertain terms, that 'faith without works is dead.' Martin Luther wished that this could be taken out of the Bible because he based his theology that our salvation is based upon faith alone. He interprets Paul who talked about the belief in Christ's crucifixion and resurrection. James, if he is the author, was the head of the movement in Jerusalem. We can hear in this letter the Jewish roots and theology and linguistics. We hear James quoting Jesus' 'Sermon on the Mount.' 

However, in today's reading, we hear echoes of Paul, or maybe Paul is echoing him, that in Christ there is no male or female, rich or poor, Jew or Greek. The early movement is learning the all are created by in the image of God. We can't show favor between those who are wealthy and those who are poor. Well, if we have to show a little, then we have to show partiality to the poor, for isn't it the rich who oppress you. 

It should not matter if a worker or slave in today's world is mining lithium, drilling oil, picking fruits or vegetables, making iPhones, or sewing the latest fashion trends. It matters that they are human beings, children of God, and they deserve a living wage, they deserve a healthy community to live in, they deserve enough food and clean air and water. It matters not if they are in America (whether North, Central, or South), Asia, Africa, Europe, or Australia, their country deserves a climate that is not being heated up and polluted by CO2 or have plastic in their water, in their food, and invading the bodies of their citizens. 

It should not matter, it should not matter, it should not matter if our neighbor is a human, a deer, a blue whale, an elephant, an ostrich, a monkey, a butterfly, trees, or microbes that renew our planet and give us life. It should not matter if we see them as useful or valuable or important, for all life is important, all eco-systems are important, and the planet itself is important, not because we live here, but because it was created by God. In our first creation story, God saw all that God has made and blessed it and proclaimed it very good. Who are we to deny this? If we do, and as humanity has done, we denied the blessing of the people and the blessing of the planet, and our faith is dead when this happens. 

However, we hope and act now with all creation. We work on limiting our impact and repairing the damage we have done, not quickly enough, and not whole-heartedly enough, but it has started and it continues and grows. We work towards that vision of Isaiah, where all life gathers to God and the lion and the lamb lay down together and the child and the snake plays together. And, and there is Shalom, Peace, Harmony in all of creation. Amen? Amen.