This past Lent, I took on a relatively small practice – giving up disposable coffee cups – a fast for the earth.

This was a practice that I was already trying to do, but I could feel myself slipping.

Lent provided an opportunity to recommit myself to this small, symbolic, and yet significant habit in my life, just as we regularly reaffirm our baptismal promises, especially at Easter.

“Will you strive to safeguard the integrity of God’s creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth?
I will, with God’s help.”

Some Lent practices end at the end of Lent (once I gave up desserts…that definitely came to an end at the Feast of the Resurrection), while others continue on in one form or another (my varying levels of vegetarianism/pescatarianism for over 10 years is a result of a past Lenten practice).  

Regardless, our Lenten practices, whether maintained or not, are meant not to whither on the vine but to continue to bear fruit, a reorienting of our hearts and actions, a spiritual gift that continues to bless and transform us well into the Easter season and beyond (with God’s help).

This year, Earth Day falls within the first week of the Easter season.

What a beautiful alignment of festivals, feasts and days of significance.

Having just reaffirmed our baptismal covenant, to ‘respect, sustain and renew’ God’s good creation, and considering the 55th anniversary of the first Earth Day, I invite us to consider how we can answer this call, as followers of Jesus.

As we look around us, there is so much to be discouraged about – we are in many ways at one of the front lines, witnessing environmental disasters – longer and more intense wildfire seasons, increased extreme weather events, drought, and species under threat, like our sister and brother salmon and resident orcas.

There is a lot of work that needs to be done – big and small works. There are a lot of fasts for the Earth that can and should be made.

And.

Easter is for feasting. So, how might we also feast for the Earth this Easter?

One way is to celebrate and name what is good, to tell stories of hope and resurrection. Living on the shores of Átl’ḵa7tsem (Howe Sound), which was once so severely degraded, we can celebrate, among other things, that the herring and the whales have returned.  We can see this remarkable recovery and find and be filled with hope.

Resurrection! It is possible. Where there was death, new life has sprung forth. God is doing a new and good thing.
As we move into this Easter season, may our Lenten practices bear fruit in our lives. With God’s help, may they sustain us for all the fasting and feasting, work and celebration that sharing in Jesus's resurrected life calls us to.

Thanks be to God, alleluia!

 


CG+