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April 22, 2020 - Join Pastor John for a Daily Devotional

April 22, 2020 by Rev. John Hartman

“Green-Shaded Glasses”

According to my Presbyterian calendar, today is “Earth Day.” Well, growing up in New Jersey, I used to hear a lot of jokes about air pollution, being so close to the metropolitan area. We used to say, “We wake up to the sound of the robins coughing.” Later on, only through the monologues of The Tonight Show did I realize that air pollution is also no stranger to southern California. Johnny Carson once said, “One day I stepped out on the front porch, took a deep breath, and chipped my tooth.” What isn’t so funny is that doctor’s waiting rooms are packed with people whose lungs, when x-rayed, look like the lungs of life-long smokers, despite the fact that they have never even taken one drag. Or, many people suffer terribly from allergies.

How did we get into such a mess? This is the question asked by the originators of Earth Day when they began all of this way back in 1970. They are still at it today. Our children march home from school, and grimly announce that in order for them to have any kind of future at all, dad is going to have to dispose of his aerosol shaving cream can. And mom, you’re just going have to get used to having bad hair days, because you have got to throw out your aerosol hair spray cans. And, we’re going to have to recycle. We are going to have to take only three minute showers. We hear things about endangered species, hazardous waste, and ozone depletion. Regardless of where you may be on the issue of climate change, there is remarkable unanimity among scientists that the actions of those now living may well determine the quality of life for people in the future.

For those of us who are Christians, who worship the Creator, that has to concern us, because what is around us is not simply the environment or Mother nature, -- but it is God’s creation. The Apostle Paul says in Colossians 3:15-16, “Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. In Him all things were created. All things were created through Him and for Him. And in Him all things hold together.” So you see, the God who holds the universe together, is the God who is also holding you. So plant some seeds to the glory of God. In the name of Jesus, don’t litter. Save some water, and shout, “Hallelujah.” A poet wrote once, “The God who made the firmament, who made the deepest sea, the God who put the stars in place is the God who cares for me.” And God says, “Love me, love my creation.”