Sermon for Sunday 5 September 2021 | Kitty Price, Cathedral Reader

Exodus 14:5-end Matthew 6:1-18 | Kitty Price

In the name of God, creator, redeemer, and sustainer. Amen.

There are some films I cannot watch again because they are too sad. Often it is when animals die. Considering our first reading, I wonder how many of you thought how unfair that the horses pulling the chariots of the Egyptians died? In the wild, horses still drown, but there is something about being used for the benefit of humans that causes their death that doesn’t sit right.

Our second reading includes attitudes towards giving alms, prayer and fasting. Jesus talks about the virtues we should show – don’t draw attention to yourself, just get on, be humble and do it. In the Lord’s Prayer, we say “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Surely God does not will us to contribute to the destruction of the planet but to protect and preserve his precious creation? This is explored in the superb reflection by Katrina Rowland, with the first verse focusing on the good that God has done in creation, and the second verse exploring how we have destroyed it. Surely God does not will us to contribute to the destruction of the planet but to protect and preserve his precious creation?

It’s climate change Sunday. This year, the theme is “A home for all, renewing our oikos of God.” This Greek word oikos means ‘home’ or ‘family’ and is the root of words that start with eco, such as ecology and economics. The Church of England’s website says “The last year has been a wake-up call to the need to restore our relationships with God, creation and each other.” The extraordinary floods around the world, including in Europe, and record-breaking temperatures are a couple of examples.

I don’t need to reel off even more of the damning statistics that we hear in the media. We know that the planet is in trouble, and that most of that has been caused by humans. We know what actions we need to take. This evening I would like to explore what our outlook and attitude should be.

In case you don’t know, I am a teacher of religious studies. One of the reasons for switching examination boards at A level was because OCR had removed the unit on environmental ethics. Why do that at this particular moment in time, when it could not be more relevant and necessary? Thus, we moved to AQA. As part of the A level syllabus, students are expected to apply ethical theories – how do we make moral decisions? – to certain issues, such as human and non-human life and death, and other environmental issues.

The most familiar approaches are judging your actions by your intentions or by the consequences. However, my personal favourite is called Virtue ethics, where your character is judged rather than your conduct; you are always trying to hone virtuous character traits and avoid vices, improving ourselves. Good habits take practice, and we don’t always get things right. Virtue ethics acknowledges this. It is our task to find the right amount of virtues needed to lead a life of personal and communal flourishing. When considering issues of the environment, such as climate change, we consider which virtues we should pursue – and therefore which vices we should avoid – in order to be an environmentally aware person. To keep my subject knowledge up to date, I have been reading a book by an American professor and writer Steven Bouma-Prediger called “Earthkeeping and character, Exploring a Christian Ecological Virtue Ethic.”

He suggests that it is more helpful to speak of ecology rather than environment, because ecology points to the notion of being part of God’s wider creation, and that it is our home, our oikos. He reminds us that the Bible starts and ends with rivers and trees, not us. If we frame our thinking in terms of ecology, we see that the planet is not for our entertainment and use – it has intrinsic value, not extrinsic.

In order to be good earthkeepers, the virtues that he thinks we need to display are wonder, humility, self-control, wisdom, justice, love, courage, and hope.

Wonder and humility – these help to remind us that we are created by a God, that we should be humbled by this, and amazed at the whole of his creation.

Self-control and wisdom – in terms of consumption of the earth’s resources, self-control is crucial. Having the wisdom to know that ultimately possessions are just stuff, is something I know I need to remember. I am in awe of the tiny house movement, that people live off grid, convert old buses into houses etc. etc.

Justice and love – In Portsmouth we have the Package free larder, and other shops where you can buy refills rather than use yet more plastic. We can’t solve climate change by ourselves, but we are still called to do our bit. We have to make things fair.

Pope Francis wrote that “When we hurt the earth, we hurt the poor”, so if we are following the fundamental Christian teaching of helping those less fortunate than ourselves, of loving them, looking after the earth is of paramount importance.

Courage and hope – These two virtues help us to keep going amid the increased anxiety. Bouma-Prediger says “The courageous are not without fear, they simply are not overcome by their fear.” Whereas it might be tempting to give up, to be apathetic, this is not a Christian response.

Towards the end of his book, the American writer, activist and farmer, Wendell Berry, is quoted. “The Bible leaves no doubt at all about the sanctity of the act of world-making…We are holy creatures living among other holy creatures in a world that is holy.” It is because of this that Bouma-Prediger, says that earthkeeping is central to the Christian faith.

If, after creation, “God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” – let’s be good. Your homework – and mine – is to practise the virtues of:

• wonder, because the planet is awe-inspiring,

• humility, because it’s not just about us, we are not demi-gods,

• self-control, because this makes for a healthier and happier planet and all who live on it,

• wisdom, because it is better to be wise than expedient

• justice, because if it isn’t fair for everyone, then it isn’t fair,

• love, because, in the words of Bishop Michael Curry, “if it isn’t about love it isn’t about God”,

• courage, because someone has got to act, and lastly,

• hope, because hope does not disappoint us.

Amen.