Spring Cleaning

       I was walking to my office after a meeting on St. Patrick's Day when I saw worms on the sidewalk; live, wriggly worms!  Now maybe where you live, that wouldn't be a surprise, but up here, in the middle of March, that is an unusual sight.

       Now early thaws happen, and snow may not last all winter, but the appearance of worms is a sure sign that the frost is coming up our of the ground and Spring is on its way.  It may get cold again and snow may even make an appearance, but the new life of Spring is making itself known.  

       It's in the worms, and the robins doing their mating dance.  It is in the smell of the air after the first rain and the lengthening of the days.  It is in the greening of the grass, the pussy willows, and the leaves starting to bud on the trees.  Even though winter's hold on us was a bit softer this year, it is a relief to see it leaving.  

       Farmers are being anxious to get out into the fields and start working them up, preparing them to receive new crops.  And the avid gardeners I know are looking through their seed catalogues and making plans that will be set in motion once the threat of frost is past.  For although the geese and other critters may not be waiting before they mate, the people who work the land tend to be more cautious.  They know that if they plant too early, a hard frost might come and kill off the new growth, costing them time, money, and effort.

       This early Spring may already full of the promise of new life, but that life is still tender and tenuous at best.  Winter can still make another strong showing.  This is a time of year when it is the veneer of our control of our lives is very thin.  We have not caused the explosion of new life nor can we do anything to prevent killer cold, should the weather change.

        However, this early Spring is a reminder of the effects we can and to have on the world around us.  This last winter was one of the warmest on record in much of North America.  Whether or not anyone can prove that the weather patterns this winter are caused by global warming, we should take it as a warning to be aware of the way we live, the resources we consume, and the health of the ecology around us.

       We do not control the world, but we are responsible for our care of the creation that God has put into our hands.  When we are careless with the world and its' resources, we hurt not only the plants and animals, and the environment but we also hurt ourselves.  More than that, we disrespect the one who has given us all life.

       This time of year is a good time to do "Spring cleaning" not only of our homes, but also of our habits, and our collections of stuff.  Cleaning will be easier from now on if we take lighten our loads by donating and recycling all those things we are not using.  We can take small steps like replacing light bulbs with energy-saving CFL's (compact fluorescent lights). (If you are not sure which ones to use or why and how much you will save, check out energystar.gov)

       One small step is just to go through the house unplugging all the appliances that you aren't using or put them on power strips you can turn off or on.  Every transformer, or lighted on/off switch, or digital time display is using energy that costs you money and enlarges your energy footprint.  Pack your cloth grocery bags in your car or hang them next to the door so that you are reminded to use them when you shop.

       You can start small or challenge yourself to make bigger changes.  Just also remember to "ground" all this effort (excuse the pun!) in prayer.  Take the time also to give thanks to the one who creates, sustains, and gives us all life.  As you see the seasons change around you, take time to be amazed at the abundant love and grace of God.  Read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.

God's Soaring Cathedral

       Several years ago, I got the chance to be at Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and meet the oldest trees I've ever seen.  I learned so much.  There were western hemlocks, yews, and other trees.  The old growth forest there is part of what is left of the northwest pacific rainforest.  The oldest hemlocks are over one thousand years old.
       It was amazing to find myself standing among such large and ancient trees, some with trunks that would fill up my office or even larger.   They were so tall that my neck hurt from trying to look up to see the tops.  The forest floor was thick with grass, moss, fallen leaves, and other plants.  Because we were in a protected old growth forest, there were trees at all stages of life young and old.
       With all the growth (trees, vines, grasses, moss and other plants), the sunlight had a thick green quality to it.  The air was so vibrant; it seemed to almost taste alive.  The contrast was even stronger as I had come there from Kansas where trees are much smaller, the air much drier, and for much of the year, much less green.  These trees are literally giants.
       People will challenge me from time to time, saying that they find it easier to find God in the midst of nature rather than church.  Sometimes, it is said as a joke or as a half-hearted excuse by those who have been away golfing, or at the lake, or out in the field.  Other times, it is the beginning of a serious conversation about where and how we experience God.
       The day I spent amongst those trees was a day spent in an ancient cathedral.  I have to admit that it was easy to be amazed at the creation and the Creator in that place.
        I have been in ancient cathedrals and old churches in Europe.  We don't have buildings here of that age; we are too new.  But even including those, with their amazing stained glass windows and soaring buttresses, they can't compete.  There is no building to rival the beauty of that forest and the music of the wind and the birds of that place.
       The words of Psalm 96 could have been written for that place: "The Lord is King!... Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice;... Then shall all the three of the forest sing for joy before the Lord; for he is coming." (Psalm 96:10-13)
       But the trees are not the only things created to praise God, we are also to live our lives so that we are a reflection of God and God's faithfulness.
       While it's true that our faith may be strengthened by an experience like I had in the forest, I firmly believe that we grow best when we are connected to other people of faith in community.  It is not meeting in a building called a church that strengthens our faith, but what happens there and that we are gathered into the body of Christ that makes a difference.
       Alone, I may be overwhelmed by the troubles and questions of my own life but gathered together, I am comforted and upheld by those who pray with me.  I am encouraged by the witness of those who speak God's word.  I am fed and nourished when the bread of Christ is broken and shared, and I am washed clean again in my baptism when I receive forgiveness.
       I did not walk in that forest alone.  I was there with a group of rural chaplains from all over the country.  We were there to learn together about the forest but we were also gathered to share in faith and prayer.  Some people may find it easier to feel God's presence in a quiet sanctuary with lighted candles and organ music.  We also need to treasure God's creation and celebrate our creator together in the cathedral of God's forests.  But what we need the most is to remember to pray as God's gathered people, remembering that it is together in the body of Christ that we are empowered and given life.  Read Jeremiah 17:7-8