Morning Prayer 11-29-10

Of all the readings for this morning, the one from Isaiah fits so well with an environmental theme that it almost seems written with that intent. In it, God rails against the hypocricy of acting out religious observances when one lives out treachery. It might lead us to question why people Isaiah was addressing persisted in their religious practices when they were insincere. Was it ignorance? Were the people merely following rituals because they were customary? Had they simply not listened to the teachings about what God expected of them? Or was it cynicism? Could they have been participating in rituals they didn't believe in in order to maintain social status/power?


Regardless of the reason, God viewed their participation in sacrifices and solemn assemblies duplicitous. Isaiah states that their hands are "full of blood." Of just what does he accuse them? We can tell by how he urges them to act instead: "seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow." In other words, look out for the powerless, and struggle for justice against that which oppresses them.

As a consequence of the way they live, their prayers are empty. And God warns of the consequences of their continuation: disruption of their fruitful relationship with the land, and war.

Can this passage be read through an environmental lens? Ccan we identify acts of policies that are environmentally unjust? Whom do they oppress? Most of us are aware of at least the most egregious environmental exploitive practices, and we know that they are practiced most by the richest countries. We also know that as other nations imitate us, they also follow a similar path. In addition, we know that the people most affected by environmental sin are the poor--both in our country and worldwide.


Why do we persist in such practices? For the most part, our environmental sin is systemic; it is part of how our cutlure and economy functions. We feel helpless; for this reason we might wish to close our eyes to the consequences of our actions. Nevertheless, we also know that we do have choices. Even if we are not activists, we have a degree of control over the details of how we live. And we could exercise it, if we thought it really mattered.


Interestingly, the consequences of hypocricy in the time of Isaiah seem parallel to the dangers we are being warned of right now: the destruction of our fruitful relationship with the land, and resource wars. It has been said that resource depletion may represent the highest risk security for nations worldwide.