How do we act with hope, in the face of so much despair and calamity? The role of Christians is very important in the environmental movement. Not only do we bring hope when many are despairing, but we also work in the power of the Spirit – the Spirit of wisdom and the spirit of renewal and re-creation.
Proverbs 1:20-33
Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square; v20
In this passage Wisdom is personified as a woman, one who permeates creation and who holds divine authority. She is shouting out in the streets and the public squares warning us that disaster is coming. She does not spell out the practicalities of what we must do, she presumes that we know the Torah, that we have learned from our ancestors the right way to live.
When calamity overtakes you like a storm, when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind v27
We are ignoring the voices that are calling out to us, the climate scientists, the indigenous voices, and we are staring disaster in the face. We are already suffering from the effects of our destruction of forests, our overuse of fossil fuels and yet we still do not listen to those voices. We fail to listen to the voice of God who called us to be keepers of the Earth.
Looming over our planet is a threat of extinction, acknowledged now as a sixth extinction. The Season of Creation is an appeal not only to hope but also to act. The living soil, the seas, rivers, and oceans are being polluted – trampled underfoot by the massive human footprint. Let us not ignore the prophetic voice of Lady Wisdom, let us learn from climate science, listen to the wisdom of our ancestors and indigenous people from around the world.
James 3:1-12
James brings up the evils of unbridled speech. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue– a restless evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.
The tongue gets us into dialogue with others. We need to avoid getting into useless fights with people – how do you respond for instance when someone says that climate change is a myth? The tongue operates much as a bridle does to control a horse or the rudder to steer a ship (v 3 and 4). It is small but influential. Negatively it can be destructive. It can be the spark initiating a raging forest fire. For the person carrying the image of God it should not be like this. We need to find ways to disagree and education but with respect for the other person.
Mark 8:27-38
Jesus teaches that a prophetic ministry carries with it the perils of suffering and death. Peter, like many of us, does not really understand. He is hoping to see the restoration of a Jewish king. Jesus on the other hand is focussing on the suffering and death ahead. “Get behind me, Satan!” he says for Peter has made the error of offering the same temptation that Satan offered Jesus in the wilderness (Mark 1.13)
Jesus calls together the crowd and reminds them what it means to be intentional in our Christian discipleship. The imperatives “let them deny themselves” and “let them take up their cross” (v.34) are what it means to follow Jesus. Jesus is seeking in His followers is something more than pious resignation in the face of the ways of the world, but spiritual activism.
Environmental and climate activism requires sacrifices, we are called to sacrificial living to live more simply.
A part of our sacrifice is giving up old habits, such as with plastics. We use plastic straws, consumer plastic coffee cups buy products that use plastic microfibers – such as nylon and polyester. We had to consider substitutes.
We will sacrifice our time, our resources, our energy to move on the side of reducing fossil fueat.. There may be times when we feel that we are burning out because the challenges are so great, and yet we are called to act with hope. It is action that brings hope, and it is hope that inspires action.