2nd April 2023
Counting on turning off?
The last two days I have spent a day in a university conference room and a night in a youth hostel. In both the heat was on and the spaces hot, and the lights on even in day time – apparently all pre-programmed and unalterable by users.
1st April 2023
The Big One
The Big One is this years demonstration of people power in support of the well being of our environment. Over the course of the weekend 21st – 24th April, Extinction Rebellion along with many other organisations – such as Christian Aid, Greenpeace , Ecotricty, Ecosia, the Quakers, the RSPB – will be gathering to allow people to share their passion for the wellbeing of the environment and justice, and to call upon the Government to take action to genuinely address the climate crisis.
There will be processions, talks, workshops, music and worship. The Saturday will have particularly festive feel with people in costumes celebrating Earth Day, and on the Sunday space will be made for the passage of the London Marathon. There will be welfare and first aid points and the whole weekend will be coordinated with the police ensuring its legality as a legitimate protest.
What is The Big One asking?
Faith groups will have a particular presence – look out for flags and banners pinpointing who’s where. From the Christian organisations there will be a big ‘No faith in fossil fuels’ service outside St John’s Waterloo at noon on the Friday with an onward procession to Parliament Square. Midday worship led by different groups will take place on the other days in the Faith Zone, plus a Catholic Mass or Eucharist at 3pm and a daily prayer walk at 5pm starting from the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
Do come along and add your presence to this demonstration of people power. A better world is possible.
‘We’re not going to disrupt the public, but together from 21st – 24th April, we will show the Government exactly what people power looks like’ – Extinction Rebellion.
Do make use of this prayer booklet in the run up to The Big One – https://christianclimateaction.files.wordpress.com/2023/02/the-big-one-prayer-booklet.pdf
Or join in in spirit for the daily prayer walk if you can’t be there in person – https://greentau.org/2023/04/01/franciscan-prayer-walk/
And follow this link to the order of service for “No faith in fossil fuels’ worship – https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-XTRVTjaIcuyECKLAVZb7Ahpxn4OpA_mibcD6bO4cuE/edit?usp=sharing
Franciscan Prayer Walk for The Big One 21st – 24th April 2023, 5pm daily
These prayers mark our concern for God’s creation in light of the climate crisis and climate justice crisis. In 2019 Parliament declared an environment and climate emergency, but words are not enough. Four years on radical action is needed by those in power, for, in the words of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres,“Humanity is on thin ice – and that ice is melting fast. Our world needs climate action on all fronts: everything, everywhere, all at once.”
We will stop to pray as we circumnavigate Parliament Square, calling on those with power for action. Each prayer will end with the phrase
Help us to respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
To which please respond: Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 1 The Mahatma Gandhi statue
Holy God,
we are not just individuals but the peoples of the world.
As Mahatma Gandhi stood up for the rights of the poor in his age, may we stand up for the rights of the poor in our age.
May we be united in tackling the climate crisis which unfairly affects those least responsible.
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 2 The Supreme Court of Justice
Holy God,
In your ways we find the wisdom with which to shape our lives.
Inspire all who write and implement legislation that your wisdom may prevail and your will be done on earth as in heaven.
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 3 United Nations Green
Holy God,
We give thanks for the hope that the United Nations gives us, for the hope that nations will work together for the wellbeing of all.
Empower all their meetings with energy and the power of possibility.
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 4 between The Department of Education and Westminster School, Gt Smith Street
Holy God,
Life is an ongoing journey of learning. Help us to learn about the intricacies of your world, its interconnectedness and interdependencies, and make us willing to amend our way of life accordingly.
Bless all who teach and all who learn, that all our lives may be enriched.
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 5 Church House
Holy God,
Spread across denominations and faiths, you call us all to be your people, your church.
Guide and inspire all in positions of authority in the churches to witness truthfully to your word and to lead by example in caring for your creation.
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 6 by Marsham Street and Great Peter Street, The Home Office and other departments
Holy God,
We live in a world of systems that constrain and shape our daily lives, and which have the capacity to exert power to seek the common good.
Enrich all in power, those in the Civil Service and those elected, to desire what is good and life enhancing, and to shy away from self interest and self aggrandisement.
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 7 Victoria Tower Gardens
Holy God,
We give thanks for green and blue spaces that remind us of the beauty of your creation.
Inspire us all to tend and care for what you have given to us, knowing that it is our mutual lifeline.
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 8 Emmeline Pankhurst statue
Holy God,
We give thanks for all who have stood up for what is right, from your prophets of the biblical era, to the climate activists of our generation.
Imbue those who fight for justice with courage and patience, inspire them with your Spirit that the world may be transformed through the power of love.
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
Station 9 The Houses of Parliament
Holy God,
We give thanks for Parliament’s declaration of an environment and climate emergency in 2017 in response to the climate protests made that year. Now we pray that you will soften the hearts and attune the ears of those now in Parliament, to hear the cry of this year’s climate protests.
While there is yet a small window of opportunity, may they take action now!
Help us respond to the cry of the earth, to the cry of the poor:
Everything, everywhere, all at once.
These prayers conclude with The Grace.
1st April 2023
On Thursday the Guardian recorded a quote from Grant Shapps, the energy and net zero secretary, who was justifying the continued production of oil and gas in the North Sea:“Unless you can explain how we can transition [to net zero] without oil and gas, we need oil and gas,” he said . “I am very keen that we fill those cavities with storing carbon. I think there are huge opportunities for us to do that.”
It seems to me that the problem is that the oil companies and the government are going out of their way not to look for ways of transitioning away from fossil fuels.
For example what about a report from the World Resource Institute, 4 Ways to Shift from Fossil Fuels to Clean Energy? https://www.wri.org/insights/4-ways-shift-fossil-fuels-clean-energy
Or this report, How to accelerate the green energy transition, from the Chatham House think tank: https://www.chathamhouse.org/2022/03/how-accelerate-green-energy-transition
Listen to https://www.wri.org/podcasts/how-phase-out-fossil-fuels-without-leaving-people-behind
2nd April 2023
Reflection on the readings for the Liturgy of the Palms.
Something is up. Something out of the ordinary is going to happen. There has been a level of advance
planning that’s been done in secret. There’s even a password.
And the plan is to enact a message that says: the rider of the donkey is your King, your humble King! The mode of entry tells the onlookers, this is a peaceful act; not an act of aggression.
The Greek word translated as ‘humble’ can also have the meaning of mild, gentle or meek. The same word appears in the Beatitudes – ‘Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.’ If we look to the original source of the quote, it comes from the prophet Zechariah where the word in Hebrew, ‘a-ni’ has the wider meaning of poor, afflicted or lowly, and is the word used for example in Leviticus 19:10 and Deuteronomy 15:11, to describe those for whom the Israelites must care: the poor and needy.
The kingship that Jesus espouses is definitely counter cultural. His kingship is about humility, meekness, and solidarity with the poor and needy. Jesus’s attitude to power is to turn it upside down, placing the poor and needy, the meek and humble at the top of the hierarchy. The quote from Zechariah is longer, ‘Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ Despite being humble, this king is also to be seen as triumphant and victorious!
The crowd also seems to be part of this action. They quickly cut down branches from the trees and spread their coats on the road as an improvised red carpet. They are setting the scene that supports visually their rallying cry: Here comes your King, your humble King!
By taking up this cry, the people are affirming their allegiance to this King – and they are undertaking to live under his reign, to live according to his rule.
The gospel story has a prequel in which John the Baptist first emerges on the scene, declaring ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”’ (Matthew 3:1-3).
Prepare the way for the Lord, says John, and here a few years later we have the Lord riding along that very way into Jerusalem for what will be the culmination of his earthly ministry. In Luke’s gospel John the Baptist goes on to give specific examples how the people (the crowd) are to prepare the way. They are to share their extra clothes and their extra food with those who lack. They are to collect no more taxes – or rewards – than are their due. They are not to extort money nor to make false accusations against others. They are to be generous sharing up to half of what they have; they are to be truthful and honest. At this first stage of the mission, coats are to be shared – on Palm Sunday they are to be laid on the road before the Lord!
The gospel is about transforming the world, turning its habits and its conventions upside down. It is about rebalancing power between those who have lots of resources and those who have little. It is about rebalancing power between those whose jobs and positions – tax gatherer and soldiers, for us oil magnates and lobbyists – come loaded with power and influence, and those how do not – small scale tax payers, peasant farmers, women, the poor, the disabled, the foreigner. For when the meek inherit the earth, when the needs of the poor and lowly are met – when creation is treasured and not trashed – then will the Kingdom of God come on earth.
I see strong parallels between Jesus’s action in entering Jerusalem on a donkey, and actions carried out by climate activists – such as that on Ash Wednesday when coal dust was used to mark the sign of the cross on the foreheads those taking part who then cried out aloud a lament as they held lumps of coal aloft. These actions are prophetic actions designed to draw the onlookers’ – and the media, and the gospel writers’ – attention to the message. The world order needs to be turned upside down so that the interests of the poor and the needy take priority – so that the often unvoiced needs of nature take priority, so that power and authority are put in the hands of the many, the community, and are not kept in the hands of the wealthy few.
The action carried out by Jesus and the crowds is successful. It sets the whole city into a state of turmoil and flux, and the opinion that Jesus is a prophet is voiced loud and clear. Read on in this chapter from Matthew’s gospel and and you will see and hear more Jesus’s challenging good news message.
Psalm 118 echoes Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem, into the temple. The one who enters these gates has to be righteous. Is Jesus righteous? Yes! The one who becomes the corner stone, will be the one who has been previously rejected. Had Jesus been rejected? Yes – by those with misused power and authority! Has Jesus been marginalised and overlooked by the mainstream protagonists of the world? Yes – it is the humble, the poor and the meek who have recognised his true righteousness. Is Jesus the means of salvation? Yes! Is Jesus a source of light, of blessing for the world? Yes!
Let us then echo the crowds, shouting Hosannah! God, save us! Jesus is our blessing!
Matthew 21:1-11
When Jesus and his disciples had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, `The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
“Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.
2 Let Israel now proclaim, *
“His mercy endures for ever.”
19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.
20 “This is the gate of the Lord; *
he who is righteous may enter.”
21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.
22 The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing, *
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 On this day the Lord has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! *
Lord, send us now success.
26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; *
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
27 God is the Lord; he has shined upon us; *
form a procession with branches up to the horns of the altar.
28 “You are my God, and I will thank you; *
you are my God, and I will exalt you.”
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.
31st March 2023
“Normalising activism, or even conversations about climate change, is something Salamon* sees as a key psychological challenge. “It’s important to understand the forces of normalcy and social conformity. There’s a social psychology experiment where a room is filling with smoke. If all the other people in the room are just sitting there as if nothing was happening, the study subject will also not act. But if one person raises the alarm, it totally changes the dynamic. Yale calls it the ‘Spiral of Silence’ – people don’t talk about climate because other people don’t talk about it. The good news is that we can flip this, and normalise being alarmed about the climate emergency.”
“What we’re talking about is getting the public to realise that we are not safe, our families are not safe, everything we love is not safe. The emergency is so advanced that we don’t have time for gradualist approaches. While small changes are better than nothing, I would rather see activists waking up the public and calling for solutions that could actually work”” https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/03/12/meet-the-psychologist-who-matchmakes-philanthropists-with-cash-strapped-activists?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=EN_TESTMay&utm_content=meet-the-psychologist-who-matchmakes-philanthropists-with-cash-strapped-activists&_ope=eyJndWlkIjoiMTJjMTk2MDNmOWI2YTEwZmZmMTQ0ODYyMWQ3NDJhNDcifQ==
31st March 2023
“Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” Matthew 3:3
You Lord, are the source of all good things:
We praise you.
You call us to tend and care for your creation:
May we strive to do your will.
You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:
May we live together in peace.
A reading from Matthew 21: 8-11
A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosannah to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosannah in the highest heaven!”
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Response – A Day of Action
Willow branches burst at the tips
into the delicate green of spring.
The aroma of new life
gently rises on the air.
Footsteps, hoof beats,
small feet, big feet –
that walk at a measured pace,
that take a calculated risk.
Not flags, nor banners
but branches torn from trees.
No red carpet, no paparazzi
but coats laid thick upon the road.
Hold your palms high,
lift them not in surrender
but in defiance.
We will not bow to public pressure.
Cast down your coat,
your mask, your many disguises.
Cast down your self-conscious pride.
Uncover the real you.
Raise your hands, raise your voices!
Shout out loud!
This is your King, your humble King!
The one at home with the poor and needy.
The slow moving crowd
that swells and surges,
now pauses, and then gathers momentum –
nothing can hold back our passion now.
Onward! Upward! Into the city –
we the outsiders, the outcast,
the forgotten and the marginalised,
are taking our place in the story of salvation.
Take courage, take heart!
Turn the world upside down.
This is our King!
This is the Saviour of the world!
Hosannah! Lord save us!
Lord, our loving Saviour,
We give thanks for all who stand up
for the wellbeing of creation.
Guide their actions with your wisdom.
Fill their hearts with your love.
Give strength for their bodies
and compassion for their spirits.
Comfort those who are overcome with sadness.
Reassure those who are loosing hope.
Heal those who have been injured.
Encompass those who have died.
The road to salvation seems long and uncertain.
May your redeeming power restore creation
to new life in the Kingdom of God.
Amen.
28th March 2023
1. Ensuring people have a sufficient income to buy the food they need.
1b.. Growing our own food and enabling others to do likewise.
2. Taking action to limit keep rising global temperatures below 1.5C – curbing climate change will improve the chances of better harvests.
3. Paying a fair price for the food we eat. You might buy direct from a farm or a group of farms, or via a local vegetable box scheme. You might support a local farmers’ market. You might buy from a local independent green grocer. Similarly you might buy milk etc from a milk round where the price reflects the cost to the farmer. For cheeses, look to buy from small scale producers via a local cheese shop. And again buying fair trade options for imported foods can help ensure a fair price for the producer. Alternatively look out for products – coffee beans and chocolate in particularly – that have been sourced directly from the grower. These are often available through local independent shops and cafés.
Another option would be to subscribe to the OddBox fruit and veg scheme which buys food stuffs that would otherwise go to waste because they are misshapen, because the supermarket doesn’t want the crop, or because the crop has been too large or too small for the supermarket buyer – https://www.oddbox.co.uk/
4. Buying from local producers and local retailers helps to improve local supply chains.
5. Again the best approach to improving global food security and ensuring there is enough food for everyone is to reduce – or cut out completely – animal products.
6. To support and encourage the maintenance of healthy soil, you might choose to buy organic produce (https://www.soilassociation.org/ ), or source items produced using regenerative farming practices (https://regenerativefoodandfarming.co.uk/)
7. To improve the security of our food supplies through diversity, expand the range of foods you eat. Try different sorts and fruit and vegetables, different types of grain – emmer, einkorn, spelt, black barley – and different sorts of nuts, spices etc. This can also improve your health – it is recommended that our diets should include 30 or more different types of fruit, vegetables, nuts, grains etc per week. See for example https://www.theguthealthdoctor.com/how-to-get-your-gut-loving-30-plant-points-a-week and https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/may/15/go-with-your-gut-tim-spector-power-of-microbiome?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Improving biodiversity as a whole is a good preventative against diseases that could ravaged farm production. You might therefore choose to grow more wild/ native plants in your garden, or choose plants that support and encourage biodiversity in terms of birds, insects, butterflies, and bats etc. many web sites have suggestions about improving the biodiversity of your garden including those of the RSPB and the Natural History Museum. You might want to support charities and organisations that encourage biodiversity and even extend that to the re-wilding of land, both in the UK – eg https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/explore-rewilding/what-is-rewilding – and overseas – https://www.cleanupthetropicaltimbertrade.org/about , https://wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/forests_practice/importance_forests/tropical_rainforest/ , http://savetheorangutan.org.uk/
30th March 2023
According to the Office of National Statistics, electricity prices in the UK had increased by 67 per cent in January 2023 compared to January 2022.
Solar power installations doubled in 2022 compared to 2021, according to MCS, the standards organisation in charge of solar installations.
In January alone, nearly 15,000 domestic solar power installations were added to the British grid, more than any other month since 2016. https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/03/11/energy-crisis-solar-panel-sales-double-in-the-uk-as-homeowners-look-to-cut-soaring-bills
29th March 2023
“We built a small data centre in Exmouth leisure centre. Most normal data centres waste the heat that the computers generate. We capture ours and we give it for free to the swimming pool to heat the pool,” Bjornsgaard told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The technique works for the data centre and the pool – the heat from the computers warms the water and the transfer of heat into the pool cools the computers.
“It’s great for them – they get to reduce the cost of heating the pool and reduce the amount of carbon they use, and good for us because we can offer cheaper computer services because we don’t have the cooling costs,” Bjornsgaard said. “We built a small data centre in Exmouth leisure centre. Most normal data centres waste the heat that the computers generate. We capture ours and we give it for free to the swimming pool to heat the pool,” Bjornsgaard told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
The technique works for the data centre and the pool – the heat from the computers warms the water and the transfer of heat into the pool cools the computers.
“It’s great for them – they get to reduce the cost of heating the pool and reduce the amount of carbon they use, and good for us because we can offer cheaper computer services because we don’t have the cooling costs,” Bjornsgaard said. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/mar/14/innovative-heat-tech-save-england-swimming-pools-from-closure?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
A better world is possible!
The Green Tau 