the oil spill and us (pt 2)

Earlier last week I shared some reflections from colleagues in the creation care community on the Gulf oil spill, and how it relates to all of us more than we might have thought. 

But aside from reconsidering some of our consumption habits going forward, as some of them challenged (and which the recent West Virginia coal mine disaster also prompted), what in the world can we do about the catastrophic effects of the spill here and now?  I've heard more than a few friends, all of whom care deeply for creation and its creatures, tell me this is one of the most overwhelming tragedies they could take in.

Jim Jewell and Flourish shared a post rich with ideas on how Christians and churches all over the country can help respond, including learning more about the spill's background and impact, giving financially to active response teams in the Gulf, and perhaps even volunteering.  I posted on the spill's staggering implications for countless wildlife over at not one sparrow (a Christian voice for animals) a couple of weeks back, and a much-needed organized rescue and response effort has since gotten underway, which you can find out more about at the Humane Society of the United States and Tri-State Bird Rescue & Research.

image courtesy Oil Spill PrayerBut more than anything, we can and must pray.  Some of us will only be able to do that much, and though it may feel like a drop in the ocean, I'm grateful to two friends who have faithfully reminded me that it's so much more than that. 

Scott Williams of Creation Hope began an initiative called Oil Spill Prayer to rally Christians around the disaster in prayer, and I hope you'll add your own commitment.  Scott posted a prayer of his own, which is a wonderful petition to our Creator on behalf of those who died on the rig, the ecosystems and creatures affected, and our own consciences.  Robin Bradley Hansel of Labyrinth Wellness also has formed a wonderful community of prayer around OceanPrayer. 

Ken Sehested, co-pastor of Circle of Mercy Congregation, shared an incredibly poignant prayer on Sojourners today as well, in which he remembers landmark bodies of water in Scripture, and mourns for what has become of our own.  It's titled "Poisoned Sea, Impoverished Soul: A Litany of Lament Over a Despoiled Ocean," and here's just a part:

In the beginning, darkness covered the face of the deep.

Then the Breath of Heaven swept across the waters, blessing the sea with all manner of creatures. ...

But now, on our border, the sea has been poisoned. The deeps, made for praise, now drowning, voice hushed.

(video courtesy NASA)