the problem with BP

A friend of mine told me a story this past week. He needed gas and he turned down a street that had a Shell station on one side and a BP station on the other. He immediately turned into the Shell station. He explained that he had been avoiding the BP stations close to his house in protest against the continued stream of oil polluting the Gulf of Mexico. When he turned into the station, he was thrilled to see a line 3-4 cars deep at each pump island of the Shell, while one lone car was filling up at the BP. He said, "I felt proud. We were all making a statement that we would rather wait in line than give BP our money."

In the twenty minutes it took for him to get gas, he claimed that only one car "defected" to the BP. He didn't even complain when he had to go inside to get his receipt, because the pump had run out of paper. "It was worth it," he said, "and I needed a Pepsi anyway."

He was feeling pretty good about himself and he pulled out into the road, ready to sneer in the general direction of the BP station. And then he saw her. A middle aged woman in a green vest was standing in the door way of the BP station. She was just standing there. He said to me, "Suddenly, I didn't feel like I'd done such a great thing."

For me, what is going on in the Gulf of Mexico is horrifying. I am sickened by the images of oil covered water birds and tar stained marsh lands. I am tired of hearing about "dispersants" which only serve to keep the oil off the surface of the water by pushing it down into the parts of the water column where animals live and breed. I am worried that my children will be adults before it is safe to eat anything out of those waters. Like my friend, I too, am ready for someone to be punished (via lighting bolt or boils preferably)for all this.

But whom shall we punish? A careless rig worker? A lazy inspector? An oil company that employs thousands of people who are just trying to live their lives, feed their families and have a chance to retire? Or should we punish a world with lots of cars and a voracious appetite for petroleum? On whom can we call down the fires of heaven without collateral damage? As my friend realized, even when we feel justified in our behavior, even when we know a wrong has been done, our judgement will probably negatively impact some innocent soul.

For me, this is the reality of Sin writ large. And this is why it is critical for disciples to remember that to walk with Jesus is to walk in the way of compassion.

The reality of Emmanuel, God with us, is that God dove into the muck of Sin we swim in, and saw that we were more messed up than we could even imagine. Jesus knew well how the tangled web of sin bound humanity. Jesus knew that we were much better at messing things up than being faithful. And he loved us anyway. Even when Jesus was angry, he felt compassion for people: the harried crowds, the woman at the well, the rich young man, lepers and tax collectors alike.

Compassion and mercy are tools with which our world will be saved. It is hard to remember that Jesus came to save, when all we want to do is condemn.

The problem with BP, is that it is easy to call down the fires of heaven on an abstract evil empire. It is much more difficult to condemn a gas station attendant standing alone in a door way.

What is happening to the Gulf of Mexico is horrifying and tragic: for the waters, for the wild life, and for all the people who will suffer because of it. But I believe that God is merciful, so I am praying for everything and everyone affected by this disaster. I have even pledged to pray for the president of BP(though I'm not quite convinced he doesn't really deserve a case of boils), because even he is God's child.

Lord have mercy. Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy.