The Lights of Phoenix

When flying, I often sit next to the window. It was a beautiful Autumn day when I flew into Phoenix, Arizona. The day I flew, it was a clear day and looking out the airplane window was a pleasure. I saw fields, perfectly sectioned off, many in nice squares. There were some green, green circles that looked like it was a part of a circular irrigation pattern. From the window of the airplane, I saw ribbons of highways with tiny matchbox cars moving along like the steady pace of marching ants. The further west I flew, the bluer the sky was and wisps of clouds added to that awesome feeling of flying high above the beautiful land we call America.

Slowly the dark, evening sky hid my remarkable view of the land beneath me and I closed my window to rest my eyes for a little bit. Shortly after I closed my window, the voice of the pilot announced that we would be landing in twenty minutes and to prepare the cabin for landing. I opened the window and saw the flickering of thousands, perhaps millions of lights from the city of Phoenix below.The lights of Phoenix. In the valley, you can see for miles and for miles I saw lights upon lights and I remember saying to myself, "O my gosh, what would America do without their oil?"

I admit, I was surprised that that thought jumped into my mind. Its not like I haven't seen the night lights of other cities filling the night sky. Now, in the weeks before Christmas, private homes will outline their homes and yards with colorful lights and electronic displays of Christmas in America. As I was thinking about what I saw, I attended worship at Shadow Rock United Church of Christ and the scripture the pastor used came from Paul's first letter to Corinth:

"Everything is permissible" but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."
I Corinthians 10:23-24

Now the phoenix rises! As Americans we have an incredible amount of freedom and an independent streak that often muffles the beating of a caring and responsible heart. In so many ways, the lights of Phoenix I saw from my airplane window were symptomatic of how careless and irresponsible we have become with the land we have been given, for a time, by God. We take and take and give nothing in return. How responsible is this? Just how Christian are we, really? The lights of Phoenix streaming across the desert valley reinforces, for me, an image of America that I am finding increasingly unpleasant and myopic. And I am reminded by Paul, "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial." Surely, our insatiable thirst for oil is neither beneficial nor constructive. How long will it be before the phoenix rises from the ashes of our greed, our irresponsible use of freedom, and our cold and calloused hearts. The gospel is clear, it is counter-intuitive to what America has become. As Paul reminds the generations, "Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others."

When will the phoenix rise again? I babble on about freedom, about responsibility, about the environment, and about Christian stewardship. Yes, we have the freedom to use and misuse the gifts of this land. Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. When will we set aside the radical freedom that we, as a nation, have nurtured and encouraged and begin to live within the real limits of the earth's resources? From the desert below, the bright lights of Phoenix rise. Could it be the phoenix that comes from freedom and responsibility or will it be the phoenix of unharnessed greed that plummets the desert lights into the darkness of unfettered freedom? Only time will tell.