In response to four years of the worst drought in California's history,
Governor Jerry Brown issued an executive order April 1 announcing mandatory
water restrictions for the first time. Municipalities and townships have been
ordered to slash water usage by 25 percent. The restrictions do not apply to
farms, orchards and ranches, which consume at least 80 percent of California's
water supply.
As warming trends continue and the amount of snow cover on the Cascade and
Sierra Nevada mountain ranges declines, water that normally comes from snowmelt
is no longer sufficient for residential and agricultural use, sustaining
wildlife and maintaining adequate water levels for the state's energy needs.
Because of the decline in surface water, more drilling for groundwater
beneath the surface is occurring, rapidly depleting aquifers. A 2011 study
demonstrated that the Central Valley Aquifer, which is vital to the state's
food production industry, annually loses approximately 29 million acre-feet of
water -- the amount it would take to cover 29 million acres of land with one
foot of water.
Other western states are also reeling from severe drought conditions that
have lasted more than a decade. But the effects of drought are being felt
across the globe as well. For example, Brazil has 12 percent of the world's
fresh water but has been experiencing its worst drought in 80 years.
Since the 1970s, the population of California has doubled to approximately
38.8 million people, increasing the demand on declining water resources.
Without adequate precipitation to replenish surface water, the state faces
alarming shortages and difficult decisions in the future regarding how to make
up for the difference and how to equitably distribute precious, but
increasingly scarce, resources.
Dennis Dimick, National Geographic's Executive Editor for the
Environment, reported that "Central Valley cropland and dairy farms
produce more than 300 commodities, generating 65 percent of the state's $42.6
billion agricultural revenue. Up to 20 percent of the cropland is now fallow because
of drought and crop rotation."
Last fall, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti issued this statement that may
prove even more relevant today: "We are making the drought a top priority
because this record drought threatens our economy and environment at crisis
levels."
More on this story can be found at these links:
5 Things You Should Know About California's Water Crisis. National
Geographic
Draining California (interactive graphic). National
Geographic
The Billions of Gallons of Water Wasted by Accident Every Year.
Yahoo News
São Paulo Drought 2015: Photos of Historic Water Crisis in
Brazil Show City on the Brink of Collapse. International Business Times
The Big Questions
1. In what sense might water be considered a commodity similar to other resources
that can be bought, sold or traded? In what sense should access to water be
treated as a human right? Explain your answer.
2. How do people act when they perceive a commodity as abundant? Do they act
differently when they perceive it to be scarce or at risk? How do you act in
these different circumstances?
3. What specific things should churches do during times of water shortage
regarding use of water in the church building? What, if anything, should
churches do during such times to help the community? Is there anything from the
Bible to help answer these questions?
4. What responsibility, if any, do Christians have to fight for those who
may be harmed by some who seem to hoard precious resources? How do we ensure
respect for private property rights, implied in the commandment "Thou
shalt not steal," while upholding the rights of all people to resources
they need to simply survive?
5. In times of declining resources, how do we decide who gets access to
those assets? What is the role of the church in that discussion?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Job 24:19
Drought and heat snatch away the snow waters; so does Sheol those who have
sinned. (For context, read 24:1-12, 19-24).
For generations, humans no doubt could hardly conceive of the notion that
"the snow waters" from high-elevation snowfields and glaciers might
ever totally disappear, or be "snatched away," before our very eyes
at the alarming rate being witnessed by our generation.
Question: What should people of God do in response to the
dramatic changes in our environment?
Jeremiah 14:1-5
The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah concerning the drought: Judah
mourns and her gates languish; they lie in gloom on the ground, and the cry of
Jerusalem goes up. Her nobles send their servants for water; they come to the
cisterns, they find no water, they return with their vessels empty. They are
ashamed and dismayed and cover their heads, because the ground is cracked.
Because there has been no rain on the land the farmers are dismayed; they cover
their heads. Even the doe in the field forsakes her newborn fawn because there
is no grass. (For context, read 14:1-9.)
Jeremiah predicted that a drought would befall the southern Hebrew kingdom
of Judah because of their apostasy and sin. Moses had warned the Hebrews in
Deuteronomy 28:20-24 that disobeying God's law would result in drought and
pestilence. The language of verses 23-24 there is poetic, but the reality the
language depicts is brutal: "The sky over your head shall be bronze, and
the earth under you iron. The LORD will change the rain of your land into
powder, and only dust shall come down upon you from the sky until you are
destroyed." Yet in the passage from Jeremiah, the prophet still sees the
Lord as their only hope and savior (vv. 8-9).
Questions: How should Christians view water shortages,
droughts and the famine and pestilence that so often follow? As demand and
competition for precious resources increase and trigger conflict, what should
be our attitude toward those resources? Toward others who need them?
Matthew 10:42
... and whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones
in the name of a disciple -- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their
reward. (For context, read 10:40-42.)
The words above are but a small part of Jesus' instructions to his disciples
as he sent them out on "mission journeys" to share the good news of
the kingdom of God.
Questions: When have you given "a cup of cold
water" to one in need? What commodity did you share? For most of us,
giving "a cup of cold water" costs us nothing but a little time and
effort. But what if it were literally water? What if you were in the
desert far from a water source and someone asked you for the last bit of water
in your canteen? What if the simple act of giving water to someone being
victimized invited retaliation from that person's abuser? Where can you find
the courage to give "a cup of cold water" when you are called to give
not from your surplus but from scarcity?
Acts 6:1-5
Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the
Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being
neglected in the daily distribution of food. And the twelve called together the
whole community of the disciples and said, "It is not right that we should
neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select
from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of
wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote
ourselves to prayer and to serving the word." What they said pleased the
whole community … (For context, read 6:1-7.)
The men chosen to administer the daily distribution of food to widows were
more than waiters; Five are mentioned nowhere else in the New Testament, but
Philip became a mighty evangelist (Acts 8 and 21:8) and Stephen, a powerful
preacher and the first recorded martyr (Acts 6-7).
It is noteworthy that the community of believers selected seven men who all
had Greek names (v. 5), suggesting that the church purposely empowered people
from the very group that felt disenfranchised or slighted to help correct the
problem of real or perceived injustice. After the seven were chosen, the Hebrew
apostles affirmed the decision by praying and laying hands on them,
demonstrating that they fully supported them. Luke writes that "the word
of God continued to spread" and "the number of disciples increased
greatly" after that (6:6-7).
Questions: When should church leaders step in to ensure
that resources in the community of faith -- or the wider community -- are
managed equitably? What qualities do leaders need in order to perform such a
task well? Where do you see the need for similar administrative gifts in your
church? In your community, our nation or the world? At the time and place
described in Acts 6, why do you think the word of God spread and the number of
disciples increased greatly?
How does your congregation, district and/or denomination go about
administering resources in a fair manner? How well do you succeed, do you
think? How are choices about fair distribution made difficult by competing
constituencies like the Aramaic and Greek speakers in Acts? Identify the
competing constituencies.
Acts 2:44-45
All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would
sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had
need. (For context, read 2:43-47.)
These verses describe how the early church in Jerusalem functioned
communally -- they "had all things in common."
Questions: Should we follow the example in these verses in
the way we handle water? Why or why not? Does Peter's admonition of Ananias in
Acts 5:4 (context: 5:1-11) -- "While it remained unsold, did it not remain
your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal?"
-- change your answer? If so, in what way?
For Further Discussion
1. Discuss this: Stephanie Pincetl, director of the California Center for
Sustainable Communities at UCLA, observed in an interview with Yahoo News: "Wealth was the most reliable predictor of
water use [in Ph.D. student Caroline Mini's study of residential water
consumption in the city of Los Angeles]." Affluent neighborhoods used more
than three times the water of less affluent ones. The study went on to say,
"When rates went up by tier for water conservation, low-income people
conserve more water -- showing they are more price-sensitive to water rates
than wealthy people." Some months back, a judge in Michigan declared that
water was not a right but a commodity. The context was the city of Detroit,
which was shutting off the water of poor people who had not paid their water
bill.
2. Watch and discuss the video "Is Water a Human Right?" (2:16) on
YouTube.
3. Comment on this from TWW contributor Frank Ramirez: "I am reminded of
the Leviticus/Ruth passages concerning the fact that we are allowed one pass
through our fields and then the rest belongs to the poor, as their right. This
is not charity, but a biblical obligation."
4. Discuss the following: A classic Peanuts comic strip by Charles Schulz
depicts a panting Snoopy on a blistering hot day lying on his back on top of
his dog house. He turns over on his stomach, but just can't get comfortable
under the unrelenting sun. He goes to his water bowl and cries, "Empty!
And I'm dying of thirst!" He picks the bowl up in his mouth, carries it to
the outdoor faucet and holds the bowl under the spigot, waiting in vain for water
to flow into his bowl. A few frames later, rain begins to fall, soon becoming a
heavy downpour. Snoopy carries his bowl back, puts it down on the ground and
drinks his fill of rainwater from heaven. As the rain tapers off, he ponders
what just happened. Then, lying back down on the top of his dog house, he says,
"That's one I'm going to have to think about for a while!"
Responding to the News
Review one of the many lists of ways to conserve water available online, and
choose one or two that you will take steps to implement in the next week. Here
are a couple of links to get you started:
Conserving
Water. Green Homes / US EPA
25 Ways to
Conserve Water in the Home and Yard. Eartheasy
Closing Prayer
Creator God, as we enjoy the bounty your hand has provided, help us to be
ever mindful of those who lack basic resources necessary to survive. Help us
not to waste precious assets just because they seem plentiful at the moment.
And remind us to share a cup of cold water with others, even when sharing
requires sacrifice. In the name of Jesus, the Living Water, who pours out the
Holy Spirit generously upon parched souls who seek him, Amen.
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