It was a milestone day in this state of ours. We had put off everything until the last minute and now the minutes were gone. We had to face the problem straight on because we had no other choice. The last landfill in the state, Edgeboro, had just filled up, and we were officially out of room to throw our garbage. Laws were swiftly passed to make it mandatory that we separate our glass, aluminum and newspaper. Later that was expanded to other paper types, cardboard, and plastics. Counties found a way to get rid of their garbage, whether that be foisting it on our neighboring states or burning it or finding some space somewhere. Yet, whatever counties did with it, one thing was clear: we could not longer just discard everything The Garden State had gone green even before it was fashionable.

As today's Old Testament reading shows, we as a people find it easier to discard than find a use for something. Sarah had just been blessed by God with a child in her old age, and what was one of her thoughts? I have to discard that other kid and her mother or else my own child may be denied his rightful place. There was no thought to what would happen to Hagar or her son, just that she had to go. Abraham was distressed by this, but Sarah seemed insistent. Get rid of that kid.

It also troubles me that it seems that Hagar was also ready to discard of her child, though with much more pain than Sarah seemed to have. She put her child down a distance from her, expecting him to die, and not wanting to look upon his face.

Who comes to the rescue in both these situations? The ultimate recycler himself, God. He tells Abraham that he will use Hagar's son to do great things and create a nation for him. God heard the cries of the child and he made sure that child was not discarded, but stayed with him all the days of his life. God knew the resources he had to work with and used them wisely and well, in this situation and others. Okay, yes, there was this whole wiping out the earth with a flood thing, but sometimes you just can't help but toss something out and start again.

We discard so much in our lives. Corporations discard workers by the thousands to bring the bottom line into better focus. Friends and acquaintances are discarded when they no longer seem to serve a purpose. Principles are discarded by some when there is a chance for enrichment.

We seem to mock those who use coffee grounds and eggshells in the flower bed. How many times have you heard the old saying, “Don't waste your food, there are starving children in China” used with derision? Erma Bombeck used to malign how her mother used to save every box she ever received, until, of course, she called upon her mother for a box. Companies who try to hold on to their employees are called old fashioned and are told they will never survive in today's world. How many children are told that they will never be good for anything, and thus discarded emotionally if not physically?

This concept of recycling the discards is one very near and dear to my heart. I have three four legged children which were discarded for one reason or another, but God made sure they found their way to me. Adoption agencies, kennels, and shelters are all experts in recycling, making sure that thousands of animals get a second chance to be happy, to enjoy life, and to show their worth, though someone had once thought they had no intrinsic worth. Still, it amazes me that we still discard so callously. Any adoption worker can tell you of stories of old dogs, who have been with their families for years, brought to the kennel for turning over. Why? Because the dogs are old and thus are becoming an inconvenience to the family. Though the owners are counseled in taking care of the older dogs, if that counseling fails, the dogs are always taken. Like God, shelters believe in never discarding something that is still good and useful.

At least for now, we seem to have gotten the concept that recycling is not only something to do, but something that will help the earth. We can look on any box and see how much recycled content it contains. We are finding new and innovative ways to make sure plastics don't get into the landfill, but are used for something else. One car company boasts of the claim that it produces zero waste at its factory in Indiana. Many companies, in one way or the other, seems to be boasting that it is finding ways to recycle what it previously discarded and that it miraculously helps the bottom line.

Let's take the next step then. Let's not discard those we think are too old or to feeble or too unable to be productive in society. Let's recognize, as God does, the intrinsic value of every creature on earth, including the one at the top of the food chain. Let's look from a human viewpoint instead of from the bottom line. Let us dare to be like God and see beyond the short term and look at what makes someone or something else special.

Let's be mocked for putting the coffee grounds and the egg shells in the flower bed. Those who did knew the value of doing so. Did you notice that they cultivated the most beautiful flowers on the block? It doesn't just have to happen with flowers, after all.

Amen

Michael Go