Who do you want to be when you grow up? Climate Change Address

Address to the People’s climate march 29 Nov 2015, Coffs Harbour

Rev. Dr Jason John, Uniting Earth Ministry, Uniting Church

This isn’t addressed to everyone, because not everyone is contributing to climate change, or benefitting from global warming.  But we know who we are.

Who do we want to be when we grow up?  (and we need to grow up- quickly!)

Are we going to be like that bastard Noah, who built his ark and left everyone else to drown as the sea rose?  If we’re ok it’s all ok? 

Are we going to escape some other way?  Maybe waiting around for the very unbiblical hope to fly away into heaven and leave everyone else behind to rot?  Or, in the secular world, put all our hopes in a spaceship to fly our species to another world as this one degrades beyond the point of return?  Perhaps repeating on a large scale what we’ve already done on a small one: fleeing the cities to set up life for ourselves in paradise (If so, bear in mind that none of us standing here are going to get a ticket on that ship).

Are we going to sit around and wait for God to show up and fix this mess, as some of the early Christians did when overwhelmed at magnitude of the injustices around them?  And remembering that they started saying over 2000 years ago that God would be here “any day now” to fix things.  Or perhaps wait for a Godlike corporation to save the day- cut the green tape and red tape so they can get on with making lots of money and giving us jobs, so we can then afford to fix the environment they ruined making the money?

What would happen instead if we or our nations acted like Zacchaeus, who when he heard the good news that he was loved, and the challenging news that everyone else was loved just as much, gave up half his wealth and privilege, and reimbursed everyone he had exploited five times over?  What would our world look like if the rich nations did a Zacchaeus?

Or did a prodigal son?  Returning humbly to the earth family when they finally came to their senses after wasting so much of the family’s resources?

Or the rich young man, who went off, admittedly sadly, to share his possessions with the poor so that he could follow Jesus?

As we head towards Christmas it’s worth remembering that it’s those kind of encounters and responses which Jesus was talking about when he said that his followers ought to be doing for others what they would want done for them, if the tables were turned.

Thank you for gathering here today, as we call on our leaders to remember those others around the world.  To stop just offering words about climate change, and agree to sacrificial deeds on behalf of other humans, and other creatures, now and in generations to come.

eco-discipleship communities in 2016: seeking expressions of interest

How many snow peas does it take to change a Christian?  Uniting Earth is working towards creating two exciting and unique opportunities for you to find out in 2016, but before we go any further we want to hear from people who would be interested.

One possibility is to spend the year in a communal house in Wauchope, attempting to live a “one planet” lifestyle together.  What does “living simply so that others may simply live” actually look and feel like?

The other is somewhere between a month and a semester, on an organic property just outside Bellingen, where you can live in your own tent, a shelter of your own construction, or share a giant communal shed.  This will be very basic living in one of the eco-aware centres of the Mid North Coast.

Both properties have large communal gardens to help you explore the links between food, faith, ecology and justice.  You will be well supported by mentors and experts in various fields, as well as contributing your own knowledge and experience.

People of good will aged 18-30, who are willing to work together courageously and compassionately, and engage with Jesus’ life and teachings as they do so, are invited to read more, and then express interest via http://unitingearthweb.org.au/oneearthcommunity

"Humanity"- Season of Creation videos Sep 13

"Where are you?"

God asked this of Adam and Eve in their shame.  

Adi Mariana Waqa brought me up short when she wondered aloud whether this is what God is asking the church now, whilst "stepping inside the destruction and devastation that we have caused."

Where am I?  Where are you?

I'm in my own garden.  Sometimes.  Not often enough.  More weeds than vegetables.  More slugs than salad greens.

Where are you?  Where is your congregation in the midst of this devastation being wrought on God's garden?

Earlier in her sermon for Humanity Sunday in the Season of Creation, Mariana reflected on her stay with her farmer uncle in his garden in Fiji.  How does his garden connect to the Garden in Genesis 2?  How does Genesis 2 provide meaning for Genesis 1?

I highly encourage you to engage with Mariana's story of her transition from indifference to Creation, to realising that the salvation she professes in Jesus Christ must offer hope to the whole of Creation.

And if we find ourselves, like Adam and Eve, tempted to hide in shame when God comes knocking to see what we are doing to serve the garden, we can take hope from Maria William's children's story of the kangaroo paw, and the ever open offer to learn from our mistakes.

Don't miss these two great reflections: if you don't get the ProjectReconnect DVDs, you can get them free for download from UnitingEarth. 

Mariana is a 3rd year student at the United Theological College.  Her main academic interests include Old Testament studies, Oceanic hermeneutics, church history, Patristic theology and ethics/ecotheology.

"Earth"- Season of Creation videos for Sep 6

There’s a particular quiet which settles over the forest as the storm clouds approach, before the riot of frog calls begin to herald the first rain.  Yesterday’s lull reminded me of Jan Morgan’s invitation for Earth Sunday to stop, be quiet, and really listen to God’s world. 

Like most children’s addresses, it’s meant for all of us.

Her sermon invites us to share a moment when we felt really connected with God’s Earth.  But how do we choose?  I’ve so many moments, in Adelaide, Queensland, and here.  Today Gabriel and I set ourselves the task of working out how much rainwater our roof should be collecting for us.  It’s all we have to drink: connection.  The sun is all we have for electricity.  We miss it when it’s gone.

Jan’s pastoral care work with cancer sufferers leads her, round about, to ask us to reflect on of faith in endless economic growth, remembering that endless growth is the characteristic of cancer cells.  Is unending growth progress, or suicide?

Jan draws on Job to remind us of our humble place in Creation. Even though now humanity can answer in the positive some of the rhetorical questions God throws at Job from the whirlwind, there is definitely still an uncontrollable tempest on the horizon.

Jan teaches at the Centre for Theology and Ministry (CTM) in Melbourne, integrating pastoral care and ecoministry.  Her book "Earth’s cry: prophetic ministry in a more-than-human world" is published by Uniting Academic Press.

If your church isn’t subscribed to Project Reconnect, you can download Jan’s addresses through UnitingEarth.

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