Friday, October 6, 2017

10/17 CCC: Faith Groups & St. Francis


October. 2017 Creation Corner Column

Faith Groups and Saint Francis
 
To follow last month's column re: religious leaders raising up climate justice concerns for the integrity of creation, one can glance at some examples from those in the "Keepers of the Faith" contingent at the April 29 People's Climate March in Washington D.C.

Presbyterians for Earth Care; United Methodists; United Church of Christ Environmental Justice Ministry and Creation Justice teams; state Inter-faith Power & Light offices; North Carolina Council of Churches; Unitarian-Universalists for Social Justice; American Jewish World Service; Adrian Dominican Sisters;  Sikh Environmental Day; Green Muslims; Indigenous Environmental Network Faith Leaders; and many others.

Other contingents were Protectors of Justice; Creators of Sanctuary; Builders of Democracy; Guardians of the Future; Defenders of Truth; Reshapers of Power; Many Struggles, One Home.

                                            "Rise  Up, O Saints of God!" hymn verses:

 "Speak out, O saints of God, Despair engulfs earth's frame...(v.2); Give heed, O saints of God! Creation cries in pain...(v.4); Redress sin's cruel consequence, Give justice larger place...(v.3).  Lutheran Book of Worship Hymn 383, Norman O. Forness (b. 1936), text.

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October 3 each year the church raises up St. Francis of Assisi Day.  Environmentalists often regard him as their patron saint.  Francis renounced materialism in living a life of humility, simplicity and dedicated his love to the whole divinely created world.

In his "sermon to the birds" he said "Your home is in the purity of the air."  Today, according to the United Nations Environmental Assembly each year roughly seven million people die prematurely because of poor air quality.

A slogan from the National Audubon Society is " Protect the birds and we protect the Earth."

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Note:  This begins the 21st year for this column by Michael Ochs, a Lutheran layman in Williamsport PA.  In addition to appearing in the monthly newsletter of the ecumenical United Churches of Lycoming County, PA, it may also be found, since March of 2011, as a companion blog to the web site of Lutherans Restoring Creation.