“Greener than Oz”
“Greener than Oz”
That’s how someone described our parish after they had listened to a presentation on how we interact with the natural world. We had spent an evening talking about that subject, and, the next day, I received an email from a woman who had attended the event. She had been visiting the parish for a while, and, in her note, she said, “I’m looking for a community that’s environmentally friendly, but, gosh, you guys are greener than Oz!”
Of course, when most folks think Green, what immediately comes to mind are things like a commitment to solar power and an emphasis on recycling; in other words, most of us think in terms of things we do that are environmentally friendly. But our relationship with the natural world goes a lot deeper than that. Our bond with nature starts at the level of who we are—and, as Orthodox Christians, any consideration of who we are has to begin with how we pray.
For example, we begin our Liturgical Day at Vespers, the evening service. And that evening service always starts off with either reading or singing Psalm 103:
He sendeth forth springs in the valleys; between the mountains will the waters run.
They shall give drink to all the beasts of the field; the wild asses will wait to quench their thirst.
Beside them will the birds of the heaven lodge, from the midst of the rocks will they give voice.
He watereth the mountains from His chambers; the earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of Thy works.
That poem provides a magnificent panorama of all creation; it looks out over the heavens and the oceans and the mountain ranges; it mentions all sorts of animals—lions, rabbits, whales, storks and deer. But humans are at the very center of the psalm, both literally and thematically. So, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have brought this cosmos into existence for us, and, through our prayers, the Church reminds us of that amazing fact at the beginning of each day.
But the Church also reminds us of that fact at the climax of the Liturgical Day. On a normal weekday, we hit that high point at what is called The Praises. That is the name we’ve given to Psalms 148-150, and we always read or sing those poems during Orthros, the morning service:
Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons and all ye abysses,
Fire, hail, snow, ice, blast of tempest, which perform His word,
The mountains and all the hills, fruitful trees and all cedars,
The beasts and all the cattle, creeping things and winged birds.
Once again, we humans are at the very center of things, but what we’re doing there is leading worship; we’re leading every creature in praise of the Most Holy Trinity; we are, in fact, priests for the natural world.
In Holy Orthodoxy, the very structure of each and every Liturgical Day reminds of that identity, but the roots of that priestly relationship we have with nature go even deeper, because, when we are baptized, the entire cosmos shows up. Just look at this excerpt from the prayer that is offered before we go down into the font:
“The sun praiseth Thee, and the moon glorifieth Thee; the stars intercede with Thee. The light obeyeth Thee. The deeps shudder before Thee; the water-springs serve Thee. Thou hast spread out the heavens as a curtain. Thou hast established the earth upon the waters. With sand hast Thou walled in the sea. Thou hast poured forth the air for breathing. The angelic powers serve Thee. The choirs of archangels worship Thee. The many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged seraphim, as they stand round about and fly, cover themselves in fear before Thine unapproachable glory.”
What happens when we are baptized is that we are reborn as Priests of the Most High, and all of nature witnesses to that calling. Indeed, the natural world is depending on us to fulfill that calling, as St Paul writes in his Letter to the Romans:
For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. (8.19-21)
And that’s what why we are building a temple—to follow through on our calling as High Priests of the natural world. The connection between a new worship facility and the storks and the deer and the water-springs may not be especially clear at this point, but not to worry: we’re going to be focusing on this aspect of our project in a number of upcoming posts.
In the meantime, if you’re looking for a version of the Faith that is ‘greener than Oz’, check out Holy Orthodoxy. And if you’d like to support a project that is seeking to do nothing less than fulfill “the earnest expectation” of this entire cosmos, help us out with a subscription or a donation. (You can donate to our building fund here: Give Now.)
While you’re thinking about exactly how and what to give, we’ll share this 8-hour video of whales doing what we do every morning and every evening—praising the Most Holy Trinity.
-And if, at the 7:37:50 minute mark, you’ll listen really, really, really carefully, you’ll hear one of them say, “Help build the temple….”