The one thing that the coronavirus has taught us is that sometimes the most dangerous things are those we cannot see. Those droplets are almost invisible, and so is another killer – particulate matter. The dust that blows off from power plants also affects minority neighborhoods disproportionately.
And, just as we can help stop the spread of the virus by masking and intelligently behaving in public, we have the power to significantly reduce the use of fossil fuels. Wind power and solar power are just two ways to reduce fossil fuel particulate matter that kills 8.7 million globally and a significant number in the United States.
As Christians are we not called to be good stewards of the world God created? As the wise steward did, we must invest in the future, not sticking our heads in the sand as the ostrich.
Prayer for the Day
We come to you, O God, acknowledging you as Creator,
And we see the glory of your creation even in a grain of sand.
Even the wolf and the bear, the lynx and the cougar call to you
And the tortoise and the butterfly look to you in silence.
Come, O God, and remind us that we are not the owners
of your earth and your creation, but caretakers.
In the name of him who walked among grass and lilies,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
There are some four million plants and animals in the world. Four million solutions to the problem of staying alive.
David Attenborough, British naturalist
Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of earth’s greenings. Now, think. hat delight God gives to humankind with all these things. . . .
All nature is at the disposal of humankind. We are to work with it. For without we cannot survive.
Hildegard of Bingen, mystic, nun, poet (1098-1179)
Shout out to God, all the earth. Sing to the Lord the glory of the earth,
Say to God: “How awesome are your deeds. Before your great strength your enemies quail.”
All the earth bows down to you, and they hymn to you, hymn your name.
Come and see the acts of God, awesome in works over humankind.
Psalm 66: 1-5 (Tr. Robert Alter)