EpEN Newsletter Qtr 1, 2007

Lent is here. It arrived with unseasonable weather here along Lake Superior, comments of global climate change, and gray skies spilling rain, ice crystals and high winds..

My childhood tradition in the church dictated dietary and routine changes during Lent. I'm trying a return to some of these this year, and would like to hear of your own observances. In my own home, there will be no meat (and no fish or seafood, either) during Lent. This hardly seemed to be much of a loss or even simplification on the
kitchen table, but this year I decided to cut back to one light meal a day, whenever possible. Money that would've gone for more food, including meat will be given to ERD and Oxfam.

I'd like to reclaim the practice of fasting for a day, at least a few time over Lent as well. It's an Anglo-Catholic tradition, and one that can intensely sharpen the mind and all of the senses. It was explained to me as a process, wherein God works the fast within you, and you are granted insight and energy to pray and work in a more
focused manner. How about the rest of you? I'm in it, for Lent, who's with me?

In fasting we can discover the incredible beauty of a simple glass of cold water. In it, the realization that we can exist without money, but we cannot live without water. This is not some exercise in 'spiritual materialism' it is a chance to savor something life-giving, finite and which we need to protect, strive for and help others to access. Our own Upper Peninsula is being slated for sulfide-process mining which will degrade entire ecosystems and riparian zones. Since no sulfide mine has ever "succeeded" the fact that multinational mining interests want to extract metal deposits adjacent to Lake Superior is horrifying. Giving thanks and vowing to protect the resources of creation can be a daily practice we incorporate into Lent in our personal lives.

By eating no meat and preparing simple food during this time, we can re-focus on the need to treasure life and the fact that sharing can provide steps not only toward the millennium goals but help us turn from the excess "too much is not enough" toward the fellowship of preparing and consuming food that is shared and seen as sustenance rather than a benchmark of consumption. My four year old friend from up the road walked over to fix lunch with me, at my invitation. He was so excited to be involved in actual food preparation and talked incessantly about how we should prepare our simple meal. As we sat down to eat, he shouted out to the ceiling and later the sky, "Oh thank-you so much for our lunch and being here! I love fixing your food!" Are others of you using meal time as a chance for discussion of hunger, abundance, where food comes from? With children? Elders? Neighbors? Let's hear about it.

In our church's tradition of Lent being a season of opportunity for learning and growth, what are some of you reading? I'd like to recommend "Monocultures of the Mind" by Vandana Shiva, "Home Ground", edited by Barry Lopez and Debra Gwartney and in case you haven't grabbed a copy, our PB's , "A Wing and a Prayer". The last isn't a plug for in-house literature, because as soon as you start to read it, you'll see that water, land and life are all intertwined in Bishop Katherine's views of our world and what we can help bring about. ("Will you be water for those with no home to call their own?" and later, urging us to dream to bring about "a river of peace.")

C.S. Lewis spoke of the sin of gluttony being "when you have more than you need". Just how much do we need? We 'need' more than simple survival necessities, but at what level do we become the media's favorite term, "consumers" rather than 'individuals' or 'citizens'? I know I'm a consumer -of music, books, food, but that term doesn't conjure up anything more than Pac-Man sorts of busy noshing! How about the rest of you, out there? How do you identify in this society? What are your collective parish identities like?

We had an exciting week here in our parish. The bishop of our diocese (Northern Michigan) came to visit. Having a 'purple shirt' around, especially last week, was pretty cool. Reassuring. New ideas. Stuff to discuss. (I, personally, practiced saying "and also with you" for an entire day, instead of my recalcitrant and reflexive clinging to "and also with thy spirit." Old habits die hard. Not just verbal ones. Our bishop is very clear on where we, as a diocese come down on social justice issues. Personally, though, I'm sad about us being called names by those who just don't seem to want to be as accepting as Christ's words urge us to be. How are your dioceses dealing with the hatred, rudeness and psychological violence of the primates conference? There's a direct linkage between disrespectful animus and ecological violence, you know. Who can give voice to experiencing that?

In the north, I've always thought of the Incarnation as the season of magic. Northern lights, and the beauty of shared warmth away from storms. Of familiar phrases. "And all the bells on earth shall ring.." But Lent and Easter are truly magnificent maple syrup time. Rebirth and rescue from darkness and fear. Soon, the geese will fly
north and pull the mittens from my hands.

That's it, from here. I truly do want to connect over Lent with all of you, and my thanks for all of the e-mails and great messages.

Pray for our church. Pray for our world.

'And also with you..'

sue raker

The Episcopal Ecological Network (EpEN)

Caring for God's Creation: Called to be Stewards
part of The Episcopal Church, USA

EpEN Quarterly Electronic Newsletter

1st Quarter 2007: Environmental Activities
around the Episcopal Church

Sally Bingham

Wanda Copeland

Martha Gardner

Fletcher Harper

Peter Kreitler

Steve MacAusland

Chuck Morello

Sue Raker

Alice Speers

Skip Vilas

Joyce Wilding

Notes