Theologian's Almanac for Week of April 19, 2020
Welcome to SALT’s “Theologian’s Almanac,” a weekly selection of important birthdays, holidays, and other upcoming milestones worth marking - specially created for a) writing sermons and prayers, b) creating content for social media channels, and c) enriching your devotional life.
For the week of Sunday, April 19:
April 19 is the anniversary of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in United States history. What was Timothy McVeigh’s motive? He sought revenge against the government for the raid - exactly two years earlier, on April 19, 1993 - of the compound near Waco, Texas, occupied by the armed, extremist Christian sect led by David Koresh. The connection between these two events, and their origin in a distorted, abusive, violent form of Christianity, is worth remembering today, especially in light of the recent surge in hate groups and domestic terrorism in the United States.
April 20, in the evening, is the beginning of Yom HaShoah, “Holocaust Remembrance Day”; the observance ends on the evening of April 21. It’s a day of remembrance, mourning, and honor, recognizing both the approximately six million Jews killed by the Nazis (and their collaborators), and the heroism of the many Jews (and their allies) who, with courage and creativity, resisted.
April 21 is the birthday of naturalist John Muir, born in Dunbar, Scotland, in 1838 - though he grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. By age 11, he could recite nearly all of the Bible by heart, and his writings later in life are shot through with theological ideas. An avid inventor and fascinated with God’s creation, he was nearly struck blind by a sawmill accident, and realized how important the beautiful world was to him: “I bade adieu to all my mechanical inventions, determined to devote the rest of my life to the study of the inventions of God.” He embarked on a 1,000-mile walk from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico, and then another from San Francisco to the Sierra Nevada. He eventually founded the Sierra Club and tirelessly fought to protect wilderness areas, especially around the Yosemite Valley, and his fateful camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt resulted in the establishment of the U.S. National Parks. For a collection of his spiritual writings, check out this lovely anthology.
April 22 is Earth Day, first observed in 1970 - which makes this year the 50th anniversary! Largely inspired by Rachel Carson’s work, among others, the original Earth Day was a widespread, bipartisan response to the negative impacts of industrial development - and President Nixon, along with Congress, responded quickly to the popular pressure, establishing the Environmental Protection Agency that same year, and landmark environmental legislation followed close behind. With something like one billion people now participating annually, Earth Day is considered the largest civic-focused day of action in the world. Jews and Christians, among other religious people, have been involved all the way along in Earth Day’s history - and no wonder, since Genesis so vividly casts humanity as creation’s steward in the first creation story; as Eden’s gardener in the second creation story; and as custodian of creation’s biodiversity in the Noah story. And this year’s Earth Day theme - “Climate Action” - is arguably the most urgent global challenge humanity has ever faced. If the original Earth Day spurred unprecented environmental action and coordination, the 50th must do the same!
April 23, in the evening, is the beginning of Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, prayer, reflection, and community building. Commemorating God’s revelation of the Quran to Muhammed, the month lasts from cresent moon to cresent moon.
April 25 is the birthday of Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Jazz, who once said, “It’s not easy for me to get up in front of a crowd of people. It used to bother me a lot, but now I’ve got it figured out that God gave me this talent to use, so I just stand there and sing!” Here she is, um, just standing there and singing :)