Introducing: Christ Lutheran's Care for Creation team

I know that you've heard of us--Christ Lutheran's Care for Creation team. At long last, I'm breaking the blogging silence and formally introducing ourselves to this medium of communication. The intent is not to preach, but to share what we are learning and talking about.

Truly, this doesn't just concern the members of our group (and everyone is encouraged to join us on the 2nd Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.); the more we get together and participate in a dialogue of Mother Earth, the more we realize how much these matters should concern us all. We are all affected, and we can each decide to live more consciously of the resources that God has blessed us with.

Our group has been going full-throttle for 2 years now, and it was amazing how quickly we learned from each other and found small ways to better use our church building. It may not seem like much, but for every Styrofoam cup that is no longer mindlessly discarded following the coffee break on any given Sunday morning, our Earth is that much healthier. (And for those of you who missed the "official" word about Styrofoam last week, check out this link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/styrofoam-chemical-styrene-added-possible-carcinogens-list/story?id=13815600.) Each seemingly innocent little cup that is absentmindedly used and then pitched in the trash out of habit or negligence takes 500 years to break down in a landfill (don't believe me? http://www.all-recycling-facts.com/recycling-statistics.html).

Consider this verse from Romans 1:19-20 - since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. I'm drawn to this verse in particular tonight because of the wording men are without excuse. God created our world and (allow me to ever so slightly alter the original verse) it is bursting with his invisible qualities, so much so that they are clearly seen. How can we spend our lives with our eyes selfishly, ignorantly, obstinantly, steadfastly shut to His divine creation? I wouldn't accept a handmade sweater from my Great Aunt Ruth knowing the time and care she put into the garment only to wear it out to change the oil in my car, knowing that I would ruin it with spills and stains and knowing that she was watching me ruin it with negligence. God gave us this Earth as a gift to his treasured beings. All arrogance aside, humans don't have singular control of this term; God has many treasured creatures. Let's share it with others (even squirrels).

We have good things happening in this church because we have people who care and are willing to learn. Let's continue to set ourselves apart for all of the right reasons in the greater Kokomo community!