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2023 Sun Oct 1
Lectionary Pentecost 18, Proper 21, Year A, Oct 1, 2023
I.Theme – Look carefully at the vineyard you are cultivating!
"Vineyards with view of Auvers" – Van Gogh (1890)
The lectionary readings are here or individually:
Old Testament – Isaiah 5:1-7
Psalm – Psalm 80:7-14 Page 703, BCP
Epistle –Philippians 3:4b-14
Gospel – Matthew 21:33-46
The main motif in 3 of the 4 readings is about the vineyard which beginning in the Old Testament refers to Israel and by the Gospel to those tending it. Corruption is evident in Israel in the 8th Century BC and in 30AD with Christ. In Christ time the vineyard represents all places where we have been called by God to produce the fruits of the kingdom. The real villains move from Israel as a country to specific groups cited by Matthew.
The Isaiah reading is one of the oldest parables in the Bible. This song of the vineyard is a parable and a prophetic attack on corrupt Israel. It begins as a love song, singing of a deep love that is giving and caring, moves on to convey disillusionment, and then to express anger and a withdrawal of love and care. The coming destruction (verses 5-6) results from the people’s failure to do what God "expected," and more literally and poignantly, what God "hoped for" (verses 2, 4, 7). God doesn’t destroy the vineyard directly. Instead, what he described was simply the removal of his care and protection of the vineyard, the careful work done earlier.
ECW Planning and Donation meeting, Sept. 25, 2023
The September meeting of the St. Peter’s ECW was held at the Heimbachs’ house because tree work at the church made parking limited. There were about 11 in attendance. Typically the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) at St. Peter’s give half of their earnings away by the 4th quarter of each year for outreach.
After everyone enjoyed tea and snacks, we welcomed our new member, Jean Devitt. Then, Elizabeth reported that the ECW account currently totaled $2280.89, and the group agreed to donate $100 to CERVE, (the Caroline Emergency Relief through Volunteer Efforts), $250 to Catherine’s Discretionary Fund, $500 to Village Harvest, and $500 to Social Services for their Christmas program. Since an anonymous member had given an additional $70, the ECW account will have $1000 after these donations are made.
Nancy Long has agreed to do some research to find out about the cost of repairing the brass altar vases which were a gift to St. Peter’s from the ECW, while Alice said that she would try to find out the possible value of the large bas-relief currently stored upstairs in the rectory.
The group also discussed plans for the coming months including a visit to Chancellor’s Village, and a tour of the Potowomack Center. In addition, we talked about providing refreshments for the Epiphany and Presentation Services when the St. Peter’s Choir will join the choir of St. Asaph’s. We also agreed to prepare dinner for the Episcopalian students at Mary Washington, and, perhaps, to supply snacks for them during exam week in early December.
Finally, several people had ideas for events for which we could sell tickets to raise money. Jan suggested a Mother’s Day brunch, Catherine suggested a croquet match, and several people talked about the possibility of an event like a concert that could include a barbecue.
Season of Creation 2023 – a retrospective
The image shows the challenges and work to improve the environment in the darker areas with the light areas, the work we are doing now and a promise for the future.
We did fewer projects and concentrated on the beauty of creation and the need for renewal. The Season of Creation was present in these areas:
- Five Sundays readings in the Season of Creation and highlighted a specific environmental area which we covered weekly.- Earth, water, energy, food (waste), deforestation. Link
- We began a new Christian Ed for Children ages 5-9 and they covered water
- The services during the month had the following different sections
Concluding the Season of Creation – Prayers for the Earth
Based on the Fifth Mark of Mission
To Strive
God, creator of the universe,
Fill us with your love for the creation,
for the natural world around us,
for the earth from which we come
and to which we will return.
Awake in us energy to work for your world;
let us never fall into complacency, ignorance,
or being overwhelmed by the task before us.
Help us to restore, remake, renew. Amen
“Tens” Stewardship Commentary, Oct. 1, 2023
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Village Harvest at the end of the third quarter, Sept, 2023
The 3rd quarter Harvest trends, 2023 were consistent with the 2nd quarter (April-June) in people served but well above in food provided. This brought the pounds per person ratio down.
September is the end of the 3rd quarter. During the 3rd quarter (July through Sept) we served the same number of clients – 262 as the second quarter (April-June). It was above both 2022 and 2021 3rd quarter and 2nd – 251 and 257, respectively.
Food provided at 3,654 pounds was much higher in the third quarter 2023 than the second, 3,457. 3,654 in 2023 for the 3rd quarter was higher than 2022 3,258 and 2021 3,312, respectively as well.
The year-to-date for 2023 remains below 2022 and 2021. This was due to the low numbers of clients in the first quarter 2023. We served 218 in the first quarter 2023 compared to 296 in 2022 and 295 in 2021. Second and third quarter were much better so the analysis favors an interim approach.
World Communion Sunday, Oct. 1
What is World Communion Sunday? Churches this Sunday all over the world celebrate oneness in Christ in the midst of the world ever more in need of peacemaking and the universal and inclusive nature of the church. The tradition originated in the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in 1933, was adopted throughout the US Presbyterian Church in 1936, and subsequently spread to other denominations. The Episcopal Church also remembers students serving abroad, particularly the Young Adult Service Corp in the Episcopal Church.
Poem for World Communion Sunday
THE TABLE WITH NO EDGES by Andrew King
We will sit down where feet tire from the journey.
We will sit down where grief bends the back.
We will sit down under roofs wrecked by artillery.
We will sit down where cries sound from cracked walls.
We will sit down where heat beats like hammers.
We will sit down where flesh shivers in cold.
We will sit down where bread bakes on thin charcoal.
We will sit down where there is no grain in baked fields.
We will sit down with those who dwell in ashes.
We will sit down in shadow and in light.
We will sit down, making friends out of strangers.
We will sit down, our cup filled with new wine.
We will sit down and let love flow like language.We will sit together at the table with no edges.
We will sit to share one loaf, in Christ’s name, in one world.
Season of Creation, 2023 – Some Positives
The bottom line is that there have been some improvements since the last time we did Season of Creation. The increase in emissions has been reduced. People and enterprises are taking this subject seriously The need for reduction in emissions has been addressed by countries, companies and many levels of government
At the moment we’re heading for a temperature rise of 2.7 celsius by the end of the century assuming countries make good on their promises. Progress in reducing emissions doesn’t mean we can relax time is running out if we’re to avoid the worst effects of climate change. 2.7 is much worse than 1.1 now and the 1.5 goal made in 2015 in Paris.
Our goal is a Net Zero position by 2050. Net zero refers to the balance between the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) that’s produced and the amount that’s removed from the atmosphere. We have a long way to go by 2050 to get to our goals where we are balanced – Net Zero.
1 The rate of increase in emissions has slowed somewhat since 2005
From C2es.org “ We estimate that U.S. net greenhouse emissions are now 17 percent below 2005 levels in 2021. Electric power sector emissions have fallen nearly 36 percent (2005 – 2021) as a result of a shift from coal to natural gas, increased use of renewable energy and leveling of electricity demand Transportation sector emissions fell almost 9 percent, while industrial sector emissions fell by a little more than 4 percent over the same period.”
Along the way, the US will achieve a 29-42% reduction in GHGs in 2030—a meaningful departure from previous years’ expectations for the US emissions trajectory but not enough for the US to meet its pledge under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions by 50-52% below 2005 levels by 2030.
In the real world, global coal use has been flat, if not slightly declining since 2014.
Clean energy costs have fallen dramatically, solar is 90% cheaper in the last decade. Wind is 66% cheaper, batteries are 90% cheaper. Electric vehicles are about 14% of new vehicle sales globally now, and upwards of 20% in places like China and Europe
Some global issues such as deforestation is looking better in the US. Deforestation? Actually the size of America’s forests has been basically stable since 1910 – Despite the fact that the country’s population has tripled since then. Wildlife extinctions? 99% of the species placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act have been saved, though there’s still more work to do to get them off the endangered species list entirely. Climate change?
2. 45 countries in the world including the United States the UK and most western democracies are in fact cutting their emissions or are planning to do so
US 100 percent clean power by 2035 and slashing 2005 climate pollution levels in half by 2030. America has actually cut its total amount of carbon emissions more than any other country in recent years.
As of 2022, about 75% of global emissions are covered by countries that have committed, at least on paper, to get to net zero emissions by the middle to late 21st century, and that includes countries like China and India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, as well as of course, the U.S., the EU, and others.
America’s air quality has dramatically improved in recent decades. Since 1980, carbon monoxide emissions decreased 75%, lead went down 99%, nitrogen oxides went down 72%, and sulfur dioxide went down by 93%. The result: air so much cleaner that research suggests it may have actually extended our life expectancy.
3. Disclosures from companies
In March,2022 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a statement outlining proposed rules that would require publicly-held companies to provide climate risk data and greenhouse gas emissions to regulators and investors. Companies would also be responsible for reporting annually on progress toward their targets
Example – Alphabet (Google)
Alphabet is the world’s largest corporate buyer of renewable energy, which includes
more than 50 projects totaling 5.5 GW of renewable energy projects under contract
worldwide. This accounts for an annual deficit of approximately five million tons of
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. By 2030, Alphabet plans to become the first major company to operate full-time on carbon-free energy. It plans to do so by continuing to invest in renewable energy generation and storage technologies that can also benefit other businesses
4. Virginia
Virginia Clean Economy Act, mandates that Dominion Energy, switch to renewable energy by 2045. Appalachian Power, which serves southwest Virginia, must go carbon-free by 2050.
Almost all the state’s coal plants will have to shut down by the end of 2024 under the new law.
Fredericksburg – In 2019, City Council passed the 100% Renewable Energy Resolution, which committed the City of Fredericksburg to have 100% renewable energy power municipal operations by 2035
5. Climate change is being included in budgets. You need to allocate resources
The Oslo Norway Climate Budget, was put forward for the first time in 2016. A climate budget is a governance tool. It structures and organizes how we can get from climate target policies and words to action and results. It also makes all parts of the administration in Oslo a stakeholder to the climate goals. Our climate budget, which is measured in tons of CO2 emissions, is fully integrated in the municipal budget.
6. Consultants
Climate Ready America is a proposal for a nationwide system of climate support services to help communities do their part to address climate change. It creates a civic infrastructure that will partner with the federal government to leverage and support the climate mitigation and adaptation programs of federal agencies and other organizations, helping those tools reach the ground.
Project Drawdown – Drawdown refers to the future point in time when levels of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere stop climbing and starts to decline. This is also a company in San Francisco. Central to the project is the compilation of a list of the “most substantive solutions to global warming.” The list of 100, which encompasses only technologically viable existing solutions, was compiled by a team of more than 200 scholars, scientists, policymakers, business leaders, and activists and is now online.
7. Laws
Inflation Reduction Act – The IRA directs nearly $400 billion in federal funding to clean energy, with the goal of substantially lowering the nation’s carbon emissions by the end of this decade.1 The funds will be delivered through a mix of tax incentives, grants, and loan guarantees. Clean electricity and transmission command the biggest slice, followed by clean transportation, including electric-vehicle (EV) incentives. It could lower U.S greenhouse gas emissions from 30 to 40 percent by 2030
8. Human adaptation to climate change. At the current rate of warming, human adaptation has actually been working out pretty well so far. In fact, according to WMO, over the last 50 years, the number of disasters globally has increased by around 400%, while the number of deaths has fallen by two thirds.