SERMON FOR THE SIXTEENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

TEXT: Jeremiah 4: 11-12, 22-28

At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem: A hot wind comes from me out of the bare heights in the desert toward my poor people, not to winnow or cleanse— a wind too strong for that. Now it is I who speak in judgment against them.

“For my people are foolish, they do not know me; they are stupid children, they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but do not know how to do good.” I looked on the earth, and lo, it was waste and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light. I looked on the mountains, and lo, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and lo, there was no one at all, and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and lo, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger. For thus says the Lord: The whole land shall be a desolation; yet I will not make a full end. Because of this the earth shall mourn, and the heavens above grow black; for I have spoken, I have purposed; I have not relented nor will I turn back.

TITLE: It is about more than just changing a light bulb!

Preached by: The Rev. Caroline B. Edge, September 16, 2007 at Carter memorial United Methodist Church, Needham, Massachusetts

In the seventh century before the Common Era, life for the Jerusalem intelligentsia was coming to an end as they knew it. Jeremiah, called by God, to warn these people minced no words. He rightly saw Babylon as the growing political power that would overrun the weakened state of Judah and would destroy Jerusalem – the Holy City with its Temple where Yahweh – God - was worshipped. Our text today is intricate poetic prophecy which proclaims the collapse of creation – a return to the chaos with which Genesis began. Jeremiah lived in a time as pivotal and as dire as our own.

Last weekend on Vermont Public Radio I heard a scientist say, "it is about more than just changing a light bulb." Last Sunday from the pulpit I encouraged you to replace this (light bulb) with this one (compact fluorescent bulb) in your homes. From conversation at lunch downstairs afterwards, I know that a number of you took me seriously and probably went out and bought some of these this week to replace these. I know I changed a few more bulbs at the parsonage this week.

The scientist I heard on the radio last weekend prophesied that we have at the most a ten-year window for turning around Global Warming. Our action must be radical.

By saying, "It is about more than just changing a light bulb," he wanted the listeners to hear what more we must do if we are going to go through that window of opportunity to reverse global warming. He said we must use our political power as citizens in this democracy to pressure change in our laws that currently allow the emissions of many more greenhouse gases than are safe.

Environmentalist Bill McKibben, a scholar in residence at Middlebury College in Vermont and an active United Methodist, notes "the average Western European uses half as much energy as the average American. Half as much!" "Why?" he asks. "Largely because they situate themselves a little differently on the spectrum between individual and community. They’ve been willing to pay the freight to make really good cities that attract people in instead of spinning them out into suburbs. They’re willing not only to subsidize mass-transit trains and buses with their tax money. They’re willing to get on and ride them. They accept there are moments when you don’t always go exactly where you want to go at exactly the moment you want to go there – that you can rearrange your life by ten minutes here and there to be apart of something larger." I would add the European willingness to have large gas taxes stimulates them to conserve and to demand vehicles with high gas mileages. My cousin just here from Ireland was telling me that her friend only turns on the hot water heater for a couple of hours in the morning. She had to change her expectations of hot water on demand and adjust her life to showers and dish washing during that time in the morning.

Europeans have also become very conscious of their carbon footprint. What is your carbon footprint? "Your carbon footprint is the direct effect your actions and lifestyle have on the environment in terms of carbon dioxide emissions. Probably the biggest contributors to your footprint are your travel needs, and your electricity demands at home. However, all your actions have a direct or indirect impact, including your diet, and the clothes you wear." There are websites where you can calculate your carbon footprint, and you can contribute to planting trees which use carbon dioxide to compensate for the emissions you produce. When Queen Elizabeth flew to America for the 400^th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, she contributed a large number of British Pounds Sterling to environmentally-friendly projects such as tree-planting to compensate for the carbon emissions of her airplane.

One might imagine that the CEO of the world’s second-largest oil company could care less about energy conservation in his own life as a very rich man or in his business. Jeroen van der Veer, CEO of Royal Dutch Shell, told U.S. News and World Report reporter Alex Markels in July that "the world can meet its demand for energy and control greenhouse gases over the next half-century while still relying on fossil fuels to supply 70 percent of the world’s energy needs." How is that possible? Van der Veer says the first priority must be conservation "because more than half of the energy we generate today is wasted. Take the average car, which uses 20 percent of the gas to move it forward; the rest is lost to heat. We (meaning the oil companies) can help by making better, cleaner-burning fuels, and the car companies can help by making more fuel-efficient cars." The interviewer got personal and asked Van der Veer what he was doing to conserve energy himself. He replied, "Well, you won’t see me in an SUV. And I’ve just installed solar electricity panels on my roof, although I’d have to live a long time to get payback." Then Markels asked Van der Veer if the government would increase the gas tax and we all buy hybrid cars, could we get where we need to be through conservation alone? Van der Veer replies "That it is extremely important but conservation isn’t enough. The biggest reason is that energy demand is accelerating; even with conservation, it will double by the year 2050." Which is just about the time some of the major world’s oil fields will be going into decline. Then Van der Veer discusses some newer technologies, carbon – capture and bio fuels (which he acknowledges will push up food prices so is not the answer), and hydrogen fuel which is a long way from development. Finally the interviewer asks "what is the long, long-run solution?" Van der Veer sounds like a prophet as he replies, "In order to become a society that produces less CO2, there has to be a new mind-set."

In America we citizens must adopt this "new mind-set" and raise our voices to encourage legislation that will move us to a more energy efficient country. It is about more than just changing a light bulb.

A piece of legislation called H.R. 6: Renewable Fuels, Consumer Protection, and Energy Efficiency Act of 2007 has passed both houses and is now in conference committee to work out the differences. Then it will go to the President to sign. This is an Act to move the United States toward greater energy independence and security, to increase the production of clean renewable fuels, to protect consumers from price gouging, to increase the energy efficiency of products, buildings, and vehicles, to promote research on and deploy greenhouse gas capture and storage options, and to improve the energy performance of the Federal Government. One of its features is requiring vehicles to have a gas efficiency of 35 miles per gallon by 2020. My car already gets more miles per gallon than that, so it is already doable.

I do not know the political issues in the conference committee or the President’s intentions regarding signing this legislation. As citizens, this is a place we can do more than just change a light bulb. We can let these politicians and especially the President know how we feel about these issues.

Another bill that Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont introduced this year is S. 309 a bill to amend the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide. It is called the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act. This act would transform a largely voluntary effort against global warming into a mandatory emissions reductions scheme across all sectors of the economy. Needless to say, it will be a more challenging bill to pass. It is now in the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. If we believe God calls us to take care of our environment not only by personal habits but by political action, we can write our senators regarding this bill. Senator Kennedy is already a co-sponsor. Molly McCleary sent me an electronic article this week that steered me to a website where electronic letters can be sent to one’s senators. It couldn’t be easier. And it couldn’t be more necessary.

Jeremiah saw the handwriting on the wall and encouraged the political leaders of Judah to engage in friendly talks with Babylon that might lessen the impending destruction of Jerusalem – their Holy city. The rulers ignored Jeremiah and ended up captives in Babylon. Their society as they knew it was destroyed, and although they eventually returned from exile, life was never the same for that nation. Its days of glory were gone. Can a seventh century BCE prophet speak loud enough for us to hear in this 21st century AD?

I have provided some relevant websites in your bulletin. Do your homework for the sake of creation! As you change your light bulbs, let your politicians know how much you care about what we are doing to the environment and that you are willing to support laws that will lessen our carbon footprint. Amen.