Today at St. Andrew’s we will begin a sermon series on the environment called “Earth, Wind, Fire and Water.” Our lesson today will be about “Fire” or the crisis of energy. Obviously, the Bible doesn’t directly address carbon footprints, but it does address the need for stewardship of the earth. In today’s sermon we look at the parable of the ten foolish virgins. “Virgins” were women who had left the culture to care for sacred temples. In their day, women needed to renounce sex to escape the cultural roles prepared for them. In our day it is consumerism that binds our souls
If we consider the earth to be a temple, the parable has much to say about our own calling break out of the culture and to be keepers of the flame.
I will make three suggestions:
That we leave the myth of eternal progress and move to one of “Sabbath” or earth care.
That we move from a sense of despair to a sense of sacred duty.
That we move from an identity of being mere consumers to being keepers of the flame.
Thanks to Bob Jensen for suggested readings on energy. There are also great environmental sites I’ll post from time to time.
Michael Klare
http://www.tomdispatch.com/authors/michaelklare
Richard Heinberg
http://www.postcarbon.org/person/36200-richard-heinberg