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Up-to-the-minute jumping-off points for sermons, linking the reading to the latest news and global issues
Climate anxiety rising!
Is it un-Christian to worry about the climate? Does it mean we’ve lost trust (v9)?
Context
• In the face of weather drama, climate change denial is shrinking in both the UK and US and climate anxiety is rising. Scientists are ‘scared’ and determined no longer to hold back on the grim truth.
• Can faith help us to achieve a positive stance towards a frightening scenario? Can facing the reality of scary change without undue fear become a proof of trust in God rather than a denial of it? Should we be speaking out, and talking up the resources (v.15) offered by God if we remain open to the Spirit’s prompting (v.14)? Engaged, not terrified (v.9)?
• Terror incapacitates both thought and action. And it can cover selfishness. We as Christians must embrace the wider perspective and address a global problem where we in Europe are not the main sufferers. In the light of catastrophes like this one, are words enough?
• Should we be seeking from the Spirit the confidence to act? Humility is good (v.8). Too much confidence in our own righteousness can lead to aggressively disruptive behaviour, and damage to others. Should we see the new, more extreme forms of activism as fruit of the Spirit’s inventiveness (v.14)? Are these stunts legitimate opportunities to ‘testify’ and advance God’s purposes (v.13? If so, Christians should embrace subsequent opprobrium for Christ’s sake (v.12). Or are they just examples of selfish attention-seeking?
Ideas for sermons or interactive talks
- Climate obsession can be dangerous! It is easier for some - the young and single rather than the old; the well-off rather than the marginalised - to ride the storm of an economic crisis to which the disruptive consequences of climate change and a war in Ukraine are added. What should we be seeking from our government? Are the services on which the poorest depend most, or support for embattled Ukraine, legitimately, out of Christian concern, to be prioritised over substantial investment to reduce emissions? How far are the problems intertwined? This is the week in which we particularly remember what the community owes to those made vulnerable by sacrificing for our freedoms.
- How do we ordinary citizens make our contributions count? Is turning the heating down, becoming vegetarian, cycling or walking more, enough to meet God’s demand to find opportunities to ‘testify’(v13) for the truth? Should we be amplifying these actions by seeking Eco-church recognition in our church communities? A church I know is pursuing Eco-church certification. It brings its own dilemmas. Plant a tree, and you deny the children the opportunity to kick a ball around on the only grassy area! And then you worry about distraction from your core purposes. Is there a danger of being too busy sowing wild flowers, installing solar panels, putting up swift-boxes to have time to listen for those words of wisdom from the Holy Spirit?
Questions for discussion
- Is it OK to climb a gantry over the M25 to protest about climate change?
- How eco-friendly is your home? Or your church?
Brenda Vance is a retired university teacher and a URC Elder living in Sussex.
Check-in
Connecting faith with everyday, real-life issues for young people
I went running the other day in a t-shirt.
That might not sound all that astounding; if anything, it might sound a little dull. But, never, in my all my life living in Belfast, has it been so mild in November that there was no need to bundle myself up in multiple layers before heading out to run (usually in the pouring rain and biting wind).
It’s not just me who has noticed that this November has been milder than normal. In fact, a report out last week said that the previous eight years have been the warmest ever recorded. This week COP27 is meeting as leaders from around the world debate ways to limit the rise in global temperatures. The picture is not looking good.
In Luke 21, Jesus describes times which could also be described as not looking good - full of conflict and strife. And yet one of the sad features of human history is that it is full of points where someone could stop and think to themselves, “Surely it can’t get any worse?” - a fact that is brought home to us this week in the lead up to Remembrance Sunday, when we remember the many people who have lost their lives to conflict.
On the outside this Bible passage is not a comforting read. It is a long list of the problems and the difficulties that Christians can face as they try to follow Jesus, and yet through this relentless list of suffering there is a line of hope - that you do not do this alone but with Jesus by your side.
Jesus, the redeemer and fixer; the one who brings hope to the hopeless. Let us not hide from the world’s troubles, but rather face them knowing that we don’t do it in our own strength.
Chris Neilands is the co-founder of Play it by Ear drama company, based in Belfast.
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