Embracing Kingdom Hope for a Broken World
Posts tagged Brokenness
In Shock
Jun 22nd
The clean beaches we saw in Gulfport, MS on Thursday’s leg of our prayer journey were not to be found on Friday. As we crossed the state line over into Gulf Shores, AL, we went from a fear of what could happen to a realized fear.
Upon arrival, we noticed that the yellow flag was flying on the shore. This indicated the danger but allowed people to go in the water. And go in the water they did. The beach was a contrast of beach umbrellas and cleanup tents, people wearing bathing suits and workers wearing special protective boots and gloves, people playing in the sand and workers digging up the oil in the sand, people swimming in the water and people taking pictures of the oil and tars balls in the water.
The reports we had heard of tar balls found on the beaches there were most definitely true. 
They was scattered across the shore. Solid to the touch, those found in the sand were not as sticky as I might have thought. Perhaps it result of having been in the sun and covered in sand. As I crumbled one in my hand, however, it quickly became much more sticky and stuck to my hand. In fact, after washing it off in the ocean water and scraping it through the sand, my hand remained covered with a layer of oil. It was only after wiping down with several baby wipes that I started to make some progress.
Ben, bravely trekked into the ocean to see what he could see. There he saw what looked liked little flakes. When he reached out to touch them, they dissolved immediately on his hand revealing droplets of oil. Even with these moist drops he was only successful in partially removing it from his skin. He, too, was left with an oily layer that was only removed later with a more intentional effort and help.
Imagine what it might be like for an animal that happened to come into contact with it.
Meanwhile contracted workers continued to work just a few yards off the water’s edge. Every couple hundred yards or so there was another group of workers. The scary thing was that the oil was not just found in chunks on the surface. They had to dig down into the sand where they continued to find the contaminated spots. They filled bag after bag after bag with oiled sand. Every short while an excavator/tractor would come by to be filled with the many bags. They were then transported to the nearest collection of dumpsters that had been brought in just for that purpose.
Whereas access to the contaminated areas was extremely restricted in Louisiana, here people were not separated from the workers, oil, or water. It was bizarre to watch as people would step across tar balls to go swimming in the water. Or as people set up their towels, chairs, and umbrellas right near the cleanup tents. Or as tourists snapped picture after picture of the work, sometimes posing right next to the workers.
After a while we headed a little further on down the beach to Gulf Shores State Park. There workers in hazmat suits collected countless oil-stained booms. As I walked out on the pier there, a look down into the water revealed massive tar balls on the ocean floor. Even worse, fish were swimming and jumping in the area, surely unable to avoid contamination.
Next, we continued on to Orange Beach which is the next city to the east of Gulf Shores. Though we only traveled a short distance the picture drastically worsened. The flags had gone from yellow to red meaning: “DO NOT GO IN THE WATER.”
This was with good reason. As I walked toward the shore, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this was one of the more beautiful beaches I had seen. This pristine beach contained beautiful white sand, clean of any debris. But as I approached the water the picture completely changed. The last 10 or 15 feet to the water (at high tide) was completely stained with oil. It was from white to some sort of orange-brown. Walking barefoot, I immediately felt the grease of oil between my toes. An overpowering stench of oil filled my nostrils. I watched as each wave deposited a new line of oil on the sand. As the waves retreated back, they revealed the large amounts of oil in the water. 
Furthermore, both large globs and tiny droplets of oil were visible on the surface of the water. In contrast to our experience in both Louisiana and Gulf Shores, there were no workers, no security; just a few others watching this disaster unfold before them.
I was profoundly impacted at this point. I sat overwhelmed at the tragedy before me. It was like watching the scene of a car accident. Horror stood before me, but I could not bring myself to leave. After a couple hours locked into the disaster, a heavy storm rolled in. Thunder rumbling in the background, raindrops falling on my head, I just stood there. I was in shock, unable to even think. The damage we had caused to God’s creation was more than I could handle.
What had we done? How awful that my own consumption had been a factor in causing this! Why weren’t we doing more to fix it? How tragic that I could do nothing more.
Overwhelmed and shocked, all I could do was call upon our Lord.
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[I apologize for the delay on these latest posts. As you can imagine, this trip has been filled with long, challenging days. Our schedule has had us up early and working very late every day. Now that we have returned, I will be back on track.]
More on our prayer journey:
Eco Theology: Repair Needed
Apr 2nd
Eco Theology: a series which explores the theology of creation care in bite-size chunks
Repair Needed
I have previously talked about my involvement in a community garden that I set up at my church which benefits the needy in our community. When we began last fall we were overflowing with excitement for the great work that we were doing. Some initial success bolstered those feelings. One of the things that I was most excited about was the fava beans that we had planted in our plot. I had constructed a crude trellis from repurposed wood and was thrilled to see them shoot up toward heaven.
Early picture of fava beans under the trellis
But them something happened… a black spot showed up. Then another. And another. A closer look revealed these tiny black bugs had infested our beloved plant. Now you have to know that while passionate, I am still a rookie gardener. So I picked up some sort of organic bug spray and used that a couple times. Unfortunately, for some reason (too late, wrong thing to use, not often enough?) it didn’t work. Our bean plant was broken and dying. Before long the death sentence caught up with it and it died a sad death.
Weird black bugs destroying our bean plant
We have previously talked about how God made His creation good. In fact, we consistently try to affirm that here at Creation Hope and seek to appreciate God’s creation more and more, especially in our Beauty of Creation series. But the goodness of creation is only the first act of a much larger story.
Now we all know the story of Adam and Eve and the fall. However, we often think of the repercussions of their actions only with regard to humans. The reality though is that sin had an impact on all of creation.
We see in the judgment speech in Genesis 3:17 that the ground is cursed because of them. It had ceased to have the same level of productivity. Now it would bear thorns and thistles. In Redeeming Creation
The extension of this brokenness to the rest of creation is seen throughout the Bible. Consider Isaiah 24:5.
The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants; for they have transgressed laws, violated the statutes, broken the everlasting covenant.
The brokenness of the earth is inextricably linked to our sin. Here Isaiah connects the pollution of the land to the sin of Israel. You see, the earth is cursed because of their actions, because of our sin.
Now, you might be wondering how exactly it is broken. While now is not the time for an in-depth description of the degradation of creation, let me just list a few of the ways in which this is seen today:
- Rapid species loss – the rate at which creations are going extinct is alarming
- Deforestation – forests, which are so critical to the ecosystems of our world, are being eliminated at shocking rates
- Climate change – while some may be skeptical, if you believe the scientific data and analysis, the world climate is experiencing key shifts and is at risk for increasingly greater ones
- Water quality – much of the world does not have access to clean water
- Animal treatment – around the globe animals, creations that are precious to God, are brutalized for food, fur, and even sport
This same idea of a broken creation continues into the New Testament. The most prominent place we see this is in Romans 8:19-23 which we looked at a few weeks ago.
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
God’s creation is broken. This is not just in some abstract, static sense like when a piece of plastic is split in two. Rather, it is broken in such a way that it groans under the burden. Creation cries out in its brokenness and longs for the coming day of redemption when it can be restored and made whole.
Today is Good Friday. It is the day we remember the sacrifice that Christ made in order to bring redemption to all of creation. We, along with the rest of God’s creation, eagerly await the restoring work of Christ. Yes, we (along with creation) are broken. Yes, we (along with creation) are in bondage. Yes, we (along with creation) are groaning.
BUT…
My fava beans actually withered and died. But…
{to be continued}
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