The Fish Net
Boston Presbyterian Church
Fall 2011
Dear Friends,
	A public meeting was held at Glencairn Golf Course in late June about the proposed new highway and I must admit that as I sat there listening to the planners I felt extremely frustrated.  It was obvious that the planners had no interest in hearing what the people had to say about this project.  As I leaned over and said to Susan “they just want us to fall on our swords for what they say is the greater good.”  In the days after though I wondered, “just what is the greater good?”
	This past summer I read an article written by a Christian environmentalist who pointed out the importance of the words we use, such as the term “developer.”  We use this term all the time; a developer being a person who “develops” a piece of land, usually by building something on it.  The unspoken assumption however is that the land was of little or no value until it was “developed.”  Now from a straight dollars and cents point of view this may be true; a subdivision, industrial park or even a highway may be more economically valuable than a farmer’s field or a wooded area.  What we must remember though is that, as the people of God, this economic yardstick cannot and must not be our only yardstick or criteria.
	The Reverend Maltbie Babcock was one of the very first Christian environmentalists and in many ways a man ahead of his time.  He wrote the words of the popular hymn “This is my Father’s World” and in it he made a very important point; that ultimately this world and all therein belongs to God.  We may think we “own” things but in reality they are just entrusted to our care for a season, hopefully to be used wisely and well.  What this means is that before any land is “developed” or a highway built upon it, we should ask ourselves: “do we honestly believe that this is what God wants done with this part of his creation?  Is this really for the greater good including the generations yet to come?”  After all once the land is built upon it is highly unlikely that it will ever revert to farmland or a more natural state.  At this wonderful time of year as we revel in the beauty and goodness of God’s creation we should remember that we are called to care for it as well.  As we sing every Sunday:
				All that we have is Thine alone, 
				A trust O Lord from Thee.

	Wishing you a most blessed Thanksgiving!
Shawn