April 23 I know Thomas (John 20:19-31

I know Thomas.  I see Thomas almost daily.  He is on Facebook, he is on twitter, he walks with the incarcerated, he ministers in Hospitals, he can be very loud in certain groups of marginalized people, and he sits in every pew of every congregation. Poor Thomas has been branded “doubting Thomas” because of one moment.  One moment spoken in grief and confusion.
We really do not know much about Thomas. He is listed as one of the 12 in Mathew, Mark, Luke.  But it is in John we see a bit more of Thomas though often we do not pay attention to him.  It is Thomas, who after learning that Lazarus has died and the apostles complain that heading back towards the city could be dangerous, and Jesus could be killed, makes the statement; “Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:6-16).
It is Thomas who is strong and zealous who is willing to go all the way with the Lord.  It is Thomas who asks; “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to Abba God except through me. If you had known me, you would have known Abba God also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:1-7)
Without Thomas’ Statements and Faith we never could have gotten to this day.  Thomas was devoted, loving follower of Jesus.  He was eager to learn and asked leading questions that gave us “I am the way”.  So is it any surprise that after Jesus’ Death he is broken, and like the others, afraid and confused and he just happened not to be in the room when Jesus appeared, so in his Grief, in his confusion and pain the statement arises.  Until I see for myself I will not believe it.
You know for the past two weeks we have a regular visitor to our front lawn and, from what I understand, the deer have been visiting for quite some time.  Yet when she is here, when someone notices and announces the deer is here we all are compelled to see it for ourselves. A deer on a lawn is a common event and yet we must see.  So who could blame Thomas in the midst of doubt fear and confusion, and remember the disciples really had yet to come to understand the scriptures and all Jesus had said, who could blame Thomas for a human response. Joseph Richardson writes:
The sense I get of Thomas, overall, is not the hard-nosed skeptic, but the passionate, devoted follower, deeply feeling, but like Peter, of so “little faith.” He was ready to follow Jesus to the ends of the earth, to give his all — but at Jesus’s death, he was shattered: all the hopes and dreams he had for the coming kingdom crushed. Dejected and depressed, he wandered away; he was not even hanging out with the other disciples when the resurrected Jesus first appeared. When he heard the news, he no doubt thought the companions delusional. His doubt was deeply rooted in disappointment and loss. How could he bring himself to believe again?

Thomas is human, Thomas is all of us.  To Doubt, to ask questions and seek answers strengthens faith.  IT is only through questioning and seeking that we can develop a strong faith. You see “In one sense, Thomas represents the burden of the intellectual: the doubt that comes from thinking and questioning; the demand of the rational mind for concrete, tangible proof.”  Unfortunately we see the results of blind faith too often.  No questions, no explorations lead to a world where slavery is biblically authorized.  Blind Faith leads to a place where women are unequal and diminished.  Blind faith leads to a place where hatred, cruelty and even murder can be justified.  We see it way too often in this world.  Extremist and literalist make it difficult for us to eliminate prejudice hatred and war.

Now I am not saying that we all need to think the same way and I don’t want to live in that world either but healthy exploration and questioning leads to a deeper faith where we can explore discuss and disagree in insightful ways. Which may challenge us in our own faith and allow us to continue to grow.

Ironically today is also earth day Sunday actual earth day was Saturday but we are recognizing it as a congregation today.  And it ties in well with doubting Thomas.  97% of climate scientists believe that Global warming is caused by humans and is a real thing and yet here, in America many still doubt.

A recent Gallup poll shows that “Forty-five percent of Americans now say they worry "a great deal" about global warming, up from 37% a year ago and well above the recent low point of 25% in 2011. The previous high was 41%, recorded in 2007. Another 21% currently say they worry "a fair amount" about global warming, while 18% worry "only a little" and 16% worry "not at all."  What is seems peculiar to me is that only 71% of Americans believe that most scientists believe in global warming.  We have statistical facts and yet we still refuse to believe.

I am not going to argue for nor against Global warming.  There is no point.  Today we celebrate care for the earth.  Bob, my husband, always signs his email with “If you fall in love with the Earth, you will fight to save the Earth.”  I always have on my emails

I know its subtle but there are so many ways we can care for the earth.  People often mistake Genesis verses as permission to do what we want with creation.  That the earth was a gift for us to use, abuse and throw away. However in the first creation story God says, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so. (Gen. 1:29-30)

In the first creation story, Human and other living creatures are equal and given plants for food. There is nothing about subduing or having dominion over anything. However, in Genesis 1:26 the ancient text proclaims, “Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." But what does it mean to have dominion and rule over something.?

For the longest of times ancient civilizations understood that with dominion and rule comes responsibility.  As chiefs of a tribe you are responsible for the wellbeing of your people and for their sources of sustenance.  This is where you see hunter and gatherer societies only took what they needed.  Then when they had to take a life they gave thanks for it and consumed all of it and used other parts for clothing etc. Anything that could be used was used and nothing went to waste.
It is sad to say that today we have lost much of our concept of conservation of using just what we need and replacing what we do use. Here is a sad fact, “roughly 50 percent of all produce in the United States is thrown away—some 60 million tons (or $160 billion) worth of produce annually, an amount constituting “one third of all foodstuffs.” Wasted food is also the single biggest occupant in American landfills, the Environmental Protection Agency has found.”   This fact is just sad and quite frankly shocking.  I believe we can do better.

What is more sickening is the reason why the food goes to waste here! An article written for the Atlantic last year has some interesting points.

What causes this? A major reason is that food is cheaper in the United States than nearly anywhere else in the world, aided (controversially) by subsidies to corn, wheat, milk, and soybeans. But the great American squandering of produce appears to be a cultural dynamic as well, enabled in large part by a national obsession with the aesthetic quality of food. Fruits and vegetables, in addition to generally being healthful, have a tendency to bruise, brown, wilt, oxidize, ding, or discolor and that is apparently something American shoppers will not abide. For an American family of four, the average value of discarded produce is nearly $1,600 annually. (Globally, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that one-third of all food grown is lost or wasted, an amount valued at nearly $3 trillion.)

What is worse is much food doesn’t even reach our markets. “Quoting workers and experts at a variety of vantage points in the food system, The Guardian’s Suzanne Goldenberg also reports that, “Vast quantities of fresh produce grown in the U.S. are left in the field to rot, fed to livestock or hauled directly from the field to landfill, because of unrealistic and unyielding cosmetic standards.”  All this is because we over produce or it’s not pretty enough? We need to lower our standards!
There is much activity surrounding this earth day. IN KYP “Keeping you posted” a regular news feed of the United Church of Christ there is an article that tells us much about what is happening;
The focus on creation care will be very evident in many United Church of Christ congregations over the next few weeks, with Earth Day on Saturday, April 22, followed by Earth Day Sunday. The next weekend, on April 29, the People's Climate March in Washington, D.C. and Sister Marches around the country will be drawing environmental advocates from across the country, called to put their faith in action for the sake of our planet.

"Preserving God's creation is perhaps the greatest theological mandate of our time," said the Rev. Jim Antal, president and conference minister, Massachusetts Conference of the United Church of Christ. "As climate change worsens — as creation offers chaos in place of continuity — injustice in all its forms is multiplied. Together with our interfaith partners — as people of faith — as the church — this is our calling. It is neither partisan nor political. The earth is our home. Our responsibility is at the center of our covenant with God."

We are called to be good stewards to each other and this planet if you cannot understand it any other way look at it this way.  We are called to leave this place better than we found it!  If we look at the big picture it may seem overwhelming and yet each and every voice makes a difference one small gesture can lead to another that becomes much larger.


"I don't know what effect it will have but my hope and my faith tell me it's important for all of us to raise our voices," said Barbara Darling, chair of Environmental Ministries for the Massachusetts Conference UCC and one of the organizers of the climate march in the Boston area. Darling chairs the Church of the Covenant UCC Consumption and Justice Group.

There are many things we can do besides march.  Be conscience of our consumption.  Change the way we look at and how we care for the planet.  Change out your light bulbs to more energy efficient ones.  Walk, walk when you can or use mass transit if possible. Recycle and reuse as much as possible. Educate!  Educate! Educate!  Be well informed seek out resources learn what a difference you can make.

We can join and partner with organizations in this area.  One such organization I am sure someone here has had contact with at some point is Interfaith Power and Light.

The mission of California Interfaith Power and Light (CIPL) is to be faithful stewards of Creation by responding to global warming through the promotion of energy conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy. This ministry intends to protect the earth’s ecosystems, safeguard public health, and ensure sufficient, sustainable energy for all.

The united Church of Christ also has a program in place where we can declare ourselves a Creation Justice Church.  This what the UCC has to say about this program;

Whether it is taking on climate change or addressing the lead poisoning of children, environmental justice ministries could not have a higher purpose or calling than they do now. If the followers of Jesus today care about the air we breathe, the water we drink, or the world in which we live, then environmental justice ministry should undoubtedly be an integral strand in any church’s DNA. The UCC’s Creation Justice Church program aims to help you do just that. Here are some of the tremendous features and benefits of doing the program:

Congregations collectively discern their high calling to care for creation and seek justice for the oppressed.
Congregations make a commitment so serious and so sacred that it necessitates talking about God’s covenant with us and with all of creation.
Congregations not only become recognized as “green.” They become a part of a larger network of churches and a larger movement to change the world.
Congregations engage in critical thinking about the socioeconomic dimensions of environmental justice such as race, class, and global inequality.
Congregations foster a deeper sense of connection: connection to God, to each other, and to the world in which we live.
Congregations unleash their imagination and creativity as a sense of purpose propels them to make a difference.


I should tell you MCC/United Church of Christ in the Valley was the first Creation Justice Church.  They recycle, compost, changed out lights, and have solar power as well as rain barrels. We here can choose to do all of these things or none of these things it is up to you.  You can do all or some of these things at home or not! However, I will leave us with this quote; "We believe that it is our calling as people of faith to respond to the God who loves us, and who loves the earth and all its creatures, by protecting our planet and all its inhabitants — through political activism, marches, personal lifestyle choices, raising awareness in our church and beyond."  About this, there can be no doubt!