Your Emissions DO Affect the Environment
It is completely understandable, and right, that environmental concerns are part of our society’s dialogue - we see in Genesis one of God’s earliest commands to humanity was to take care of the world that has been divinely created. There is simply no arguing that humanity has the divine mandate to do all that is responsibly possible to make our environment a safe one that brings honor and glory to the one who created everything out of nothing. Additionally, one of the greatest ways we can impact the environment is to be very conscious of how we live in and interact with creation in our immediate sphere of influence.
All that is well and good, but it is not the point of today’s message.
I will say, though, that getting into this, conversations about our environment cannot reasonably expect to be moved forward without acknowledging that we live in a very toxic environment, and that we all must own our complicity in allowing the toxicity to ferment.
Before we get too much further into all this, let’s take a moment to look at a couple of verses from Matthew 15 to help frame this conversation. Matthew 15:10-11 read as follows:
Then he called the crowd to him and said to them, “Listen and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but it is what comes out of the mouth that defiles.”
That’s right - the toxic environment of which I speak is the toxic environment of rhetoric. I used to get so angry when I would see folks of the Christian tradition spewing hateful venom in whatever form. Now, though, I am simply heartbroken. I’m heartbroken because as people of the faith, people who have chosen to taken on the mantle of being a beloved disciple of Christ, we allow our emotions to get so charged that we either write or share things that we know do not reflect the gracious love that Christ offers to all.
In these two brief verses - which come as part of a longer passage wherein Jesus is referring to people’s rhetoric - Jesus puts everyone on notice that what comes out of our mouths has consequences with respect to our faith.
Let’s break this down into two distinct examples while understanding there are far more ways to unfold this concept:
Take a look at the last conversation you had with someone about an issue on which you disagreed strongly. (This could be in-person or online.) As you reflect on what came out of your mouth, would you want to present that rhetoric to Christ as an example of how his grace is transforming you?
For those of us on social media, think about the last thing you posted or ‘shared.’ What does it say about your being responsive to the grace of God in Christ? How does it help edify another? How does it bring glory to God? How does it help someone be interested in discovering Christ because it is obvious how God’s grace has transformed you?
Look, Lord knows there are myriad controversies and situations facing everyone. In this same vein, let us concede that we have a voice to bring God’s peace to others through our conduct and attitudes. Let us also be mindful, though, that we are indeed responsible for what comes out of our mouths - physically or in other forms. While we cannot control what others may say about people or issues about which we feel passionately, we sure can take time to reflect on the reality, straight from Jesus, that what comes out of our mouths has the ability to harm not only others, but ourselves.
In other words, when it comes to the environment in which we do have strong influence, our emissions DO matter. Let us take this understanding and be about transforming - if not everyone - at least those with whom we interact by bearing witness to the grace of God, not the hateful rhetoric of evil that merely defiles us and does nothing at all to advance the work of the kingdom.
Grace & Peace,
Lamar