An environmental communion first used at Vaux.
The earth is one, though it is made of many parts;
And though its parts are many, they form one earth.
So it is with Christ.
We were all born to one earth, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free, and were all given the one earth to use.
Now the earth is not made up of one part, but many.
If the valleys should say, "Because I am not a mountain, I do not belong to the earth." it would not for that reason cease to be part of the earth.
And if the soil should say, "Because I am not stone, I do not belong to the earth." it would not for that reason cease to be part of the earth.
If the whole earth were stone, how would plants grow? And if the whole earth were soil, where would solidity be?
But in fact, God has arranged the parts of the earth just as they were meant to be. If they were all one part, where would the earth be? As it is, there are many parts, but one earth.
Humanity cannot say to the forests, "I don't need you." And the city cannot say to the ocean, "I don't need you."
On the contrary, those parts of the earth that are dirt, are indispensable, and those that are alien, we should respect.
God has summed the parts to make a greater whole,
so that there should be no selfish abuse,
no extinction,
no polluting,
no exhaustion of resources
no genetic modification
no contamination
no food mountain
no battery meat
no vivisection
no enforced relocation
no germ warfare
no Agent Orange
The earth is one,
though it is made up of many parts;
So it is with Christ.
As we are part of the earth, we are part of the body of Christ.
If we crucify the earth, We re-crucify Christ.
We share the body of Christ
Committing to turn outside ourselves for strength.
Acknowledging our interdependence with the earth.
We share the blood of Christ
Committing to share in Christ's sacrificial nature.
Acknowledging our hand in destroying our environment.
Originally archived at http://www.vaux.net
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