“Wisdom and Sustainability”

Dr Richard Smith 03/10/2021

Readings -

Proverbs 1:20-33  - Wisdom’s Rebuke

Matthew 6: 24-34 – Jesus on serving the right Master

Wisdom calls, but will we heed her call?

According to Winston Churchill “Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.”  

When Neil Armstrong was asked why the mission to the Moon was important, he drew on Wisdom with:

… it will enlighten the human race and help us all to comprehend that we are an important part of a much bigger universe than we can normally see from the front porch.

50 years ago, the Earth was seen for the first time in its entirety, revealed as the only planet in the vastness of Space. Oceans of sparkling blue waters covering its surface – earned its image the name “Blue Marble”. 

Within these waters, billions of years ago, simple forms of life evolved. Then more complex and beautiful forms of life came into existence as they captured the suns energy using photosynthesis to boost the oxygen content of the air and store the excess carbon in the soil. We big brained humans had to wait until the oxygen content of the air reached 21%, before we inherited the Garden of Eden. But it came with a proviso. We were instructed not to consume all the fruit from the tree of life, but to leave enough for other forms of life and future generations.

In Greek, this garden called “Oikos” for our home, gives us two words: Economy: where we create the science and laws and Ecology:  a product of God’s laws of science.

In Economics the environment is treated as an externality. The only thing that matters is the bottom line. As a result the dominance of  Economy over Ecology is progressively cooking our planet, bringing disasters of extreme weather to all corners of the world. The results is an increasingly unsustainable world as Economy is based on ever expanding growth within a finite world – which Jesus warned against in our Gospel reading.  In case this sounds strange to you - the nightly News always includes a report on the Economy’s financials, followed by Ecology’s weather report, but nothing about the conflict between the two causing well documented climate change which has already increase average global temperature by over 1 degree Centigrade.

Wisdom is calling out in the streets and market places, says our Proverbs reading. To heed knowledge, otherwise calamity and disaster will follow. We are to take knowledge, (that is science), seriously. Our gospel reading has Jesus teaching his disciples to follow the wisdom found in nature, not go chasing after never-ending wealth, offered by Economy – the cause of endless conflict and wars and his own premature death from a rapacious Roman Empire and Temple clients. 

In the Arch of Titus in Rome - built to celebrate Titus’ conquest of Jerusalem within 30 years of Jesus’ death, we see a stone frieze of the wealth of the Temple plus slaves being taken to Rome to fund the building of the Coliseum. The Empire was not sustainable and ultimately collapsed.

In the last 30 years, Wisdom’s concept of Sustainability has burst into prominence. Alerting us to focus our minds on improving the management of our environmental, social and economic needs, so the needs of future generations can be met.

Water is a key to understanding Sustainability. Water in the atmosphere keeps our planet warm, without it we would be shivering to death in an uninhabitable -15°C. We experience this cooling in the mornings when we have clear blue skies. However, for every 1°C rise we cause in atmospheric temperature, the air takes up 7% more water, from the oceans and land. This additional water increases temperatures further, creating rivers of water in the atmosphere. When a cold air mass hits, it comes crashing back to earth, causing severe flooding and disruption across the globe.

Jesus of Nazareth lived and spoke the Wisdom of God. His living message was that human salvation will not be found through our material consumption, oppressive power or domination of our planet.  Rather, the life that matters is found through our relationships based on compassion, generosity, peace and respect for nature. Our salvation happens when our relationships embrace the earth with its goodness, wisdom, and one to another. Here there is a twist.

For as we pursue material security for the sake of ourselves alone, we lose our lives. But if we are prepared to give up that selfish pursuit to give space for others and the planet, we will actually receive the life that matters.

Wisdom calls. Her message is already written on our hearts. We may ponder the state of the world, but proverbs verse 33 says, “whoever listens to me will have security. He will be safe, with no reason to be afraid”.       

Amen