Judith Russenberger

Counting on … Lent 23

4th April 2025

O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God; for he has given the early rain for your vindication, he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before. The threshing-floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. Joel 2:23-24

Rain in due season – and likewise warm and cold weather in their respective seasons – are key to good harvests, whether that is for the crops we humans grow or for the food upon which wild life depends. One of the consequences of human made climate change, is the disruption of weather patterns. Even in the UK we have lost valuable crops because they have shrivelled due to drought, been drowned by floods, or never thrived due to lack of warmth.

The unpredictable weather also impacts insect life and breeding patterns of wildlife. Birds nest too early and find an insufficient supply of insects to feed their young. Insects come out of hibernation too soon and are killed by late frosts. Articles ice melts too early and polar bears cannot catch enough prey to feed their cubs.

We should be concerned about addressing the climate crisis because without rain in its due season we all suffer.

Counting on … Lent 22

3rd April 2025

For God draws up the drops of water; distilling rain from the mist, which the skies pour down and drop upon mortals abundantly. Job 36:27-28

Humanity is dependant on rain for the successful growth of crops, yet humans also wilfully destroy the habitats that are essential for the maintenance of the water cycle. Deforestation in particular, rather than creating fertile land for growing crops, creates deserts. Maintaining tree cover is critical to maintaining good levels of rain.

“…forests are a crucial component of the water cycle and have the all important function of preventing desertification. Cutting down trees can disrupt the cycle by decreasing precipitation and affecting river flow and water volume. In the case of the Amazon rainforest, research shows that at least 80% of its trees would be needed in order to keep the hydrological cycle going. With nearly 17% of the forest lost already, the Amazon is currently at its tipping point. Statistics show that deforestation in the tropics reduces precipitation over the Amazon by around 10%, or 138 millimeter, every year. In the South Asian Monsoon region, the reduction in rainfall is even higher, with around 18% less rain recorded in India in a single year.”

How Does Deforestation Affect the Environment?

Counting on … Lent 21

2nd April 2025

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

The Earth provides a bountiful supply of food that can satisfy everyone. Ensuring a sufficiency for all underlies God’s wisdom, God’s purpose. Ensuring that everyone can access this sufficiency however requires that we humans act responsibly. The following sound advice comes from the German Advisory Council on the Environment.

“…sufficiency is a long-established concept in the environmental sciences. It is distinct from efficiency (less input per output) and consist (more environmentally friendly input). In contrast, sufficiency aims at the absolute reduction of outputs, ie a conscious collective self-limitation of ecologically critical goods and services. Secondly, sufficiency with the meaning of “enough” (lat. sufficere) can be linked to questions of justice: sufficiency aims to ensure that all people have sufficient access to natural resources. For people living in poverty, “enough” can therefore also mean “more”. Sufficiency requires “less” for resource-intensive groups. These are the middle and upper classes, especially (but not only) in rich countries. A life of dignity for all within planetary boundaries is therefore also the guiding principle of German and international sustainability strategies.”

https://www.umweltrat.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/04_Statements/2020_2024/2024_06_Sufficiency_as_a_Strategy_of_the_Enough.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2

Counting on … Lent 20

1st April 2025

You visit the earth and water it, you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide the people with grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges,

softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. Psalm 65:9-10

The Earth has sufficient water to maintain both the natural environment and agriculture provided water is suitably garnered – eg as here, with furrows that collect the rain allowing it to gently soak into the soil. Good agricultural practices are key but equally non agricultural land use must also respond appropriately in its relationship with water. For example covering land with hard surfaces such as paving, concrete or tarmac, prevents rain water from soaking into the ground. Instead it rushes off and gathers in great volumes that can overwhelm drainage systems, and cause flooding and damage to land down stream. Equally extracting water from lakes and rivers to supply water intensive enterprises such as growing cotton or bottling water, should be limited so as not to diminish these sources of water.

Looking after creation with empathy, paying attention to God’s wisdom, is vital for the wellbeing of the Earth.

“Nearly every water-related intervention involves some kind of cooperation. Growing crops require shared irrigation systems among farmers. Providing safe and affordable water to cities and rural areas is only possible through a communal management of water-supply and sanitation systems. And cooperation between these urban and rural communities is essential to maintaining both food security and uphold farmer incomes.”

Fourth Sunday of Lent

30th March 2025

Reflection with readings below

The Israelites are at a transition point in the life of their community and their relationship with God. Until now they have been migrants travelling through the wilderness to their new home. Until now God had been meeting their daily needs, providing them with bread – manna – and meat – quails. God has kept them clothed and shod: in Nehemiah we read “For forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out, and their feet did not swell!”

They eat their Passover meal – the event that marked their departure from Egypt – and that is the last time that they eat manna. From then on they live off food that they harvest from the new land where they are establishing their new homes.

Now they are both free and independent! The disgrace of their years of slavery when they were not in charge of their own destiny, is behind them. Now they can make a new beginning in their lives.

How often do we wish we could begin again, make a fresh start? How often do we wish we could put our mistakes behind us, no longer have to live with the consequences of things we did wrong? The Exodus story is very much a story where the people could leave behind all that had oppressed and constrained them. Where they could learn anew how to live in accordance with God’s wisdom. Where they could begin a completely new chapter in the life of their community. However it does require them to be active participants in making their new life a success. They will, for example, have to ensure that they do all that is necessary to grow food to feed their community. To live according to God’s wisdom is to sit back and let God do everything; it is to be get and be active in doing that which God desires for our fellow neighbours and for the environment we share with all of creation.

Jesus’s parable is about beginning over. Here the younger brother realises the failure of his behaviour and seeks as new beginning. But having reached this conclusion he doesn’t just wait for things to improve; he gets up, takes responsibility for his actions and begins the process of actively living a new life. The younger brother feels that this new life will not be lived on the same father-son footing as before. He does not expect that to ask for forgiveness will effect a complete restoration of his former relationship – but his father is there before him. Before the younger son can even finish his speech, his father has already forgiven him and is putting in place all that is needed for this new chapter of his life. The older son struggles to share in this reconciliation, this re-creation. The older son has never strayed from his father’s loving care, but cannot share that loving kindness with his younger brother. He is not willing to live according to the same wisdom that is demonstrated by his father.

Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians, is expounding for us how in Christ – through his death and resurrection – we have too have come to a transition point in our lives. Through his death and resurrection we have entered not just a new era, but, as it were, a whole new creation. We have become, through Jesus, a new people who are reconciled to God – and because of that reconciliation, are entrusted with the mission of sharing that reconciliation to encompass others with, it would seem, the aim of being part of the process by which Christ reconciles the whole world to God. Picking up on the other two readings, this requires our active participation in living our lives anew adhering to the wisdom of God.

Joshua 5:9-12

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day.

While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the evening on the fourteenth day of the month in the plains of Jericho. On the day after the passover, on that very day, they ate the produce of the land, unleavened cakes and parched grain. The manna ceased on the day they ate the produce of the land, and the Israelites no longer had manna; they ate the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

Psalm 32

1 Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, *
and whose sin is put away!

2 Happy are they to whom the Lord imputes no guilt, *
and in whose spirit there is no guile!

3 While I held my tongue, my bones withered away, *
because of my groaning all day long.

4 For your hand was heavy upon me day and night; *
my moisture was dried up as in the heat of summer.

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, *
and did not conceal my guilt.

6 I said,” I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” *
Then you forgave me the guilt of my sin.

7 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in time of trouble; *
when the great waters overflow, they shall not reach them.

8 You are my hiding-place;
you preserve me from trouble; *
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.

9 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that you should go; *
I will guide you with my eye.

10 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no understanding; *
who must be fitted with bit and bridle,
or else they will not stay near you.”

11 Great are the tribulations of the wicked; *
but mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.

12 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice in the Lord; *
shout for joy, all who are true of heart.

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

From now on, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32

All the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to Jesus. And the Pharisees and the scribes were grumbling and saying, “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

So Jesus told them this parable:

“There was a man who had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the property that will belong to me.’ So he divided his property between them. A few days later the younger son gathered all he had and traveled to a distant country, and there he squandered his property in dissolute living. When he had spent everything, a severe famine took place throughout that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed the pigs. He would gladly have filled himself with the pods that the pigs were eating; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired hands have bread enough and to spare, but here I am dying of hunger! I will get up and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired hands.”‘ So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. Then the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his slaves, ‘Quickly, bring out a robe–the best one–and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. And get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his elder son was in the field; and when he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. He called one of the slaves and asked what was going on. He replied, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has got him back safe and sound.’ Then he became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and began to plead with him. But he answered his father, ‘Listen! For all these years I have been working like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed your command; yet you have never given me even a young goat so that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fatted calf for him!’ Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found.'”

Be with us God, show us the way

29th March 2025

“Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last 200 years. We are not God. The Earth was here before us and was given to us. The exploitation of the planet has already exceeded acceptable limits and we still have not solved the problem of poverty. We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it.” Pope Francis, Laudate Si

When I am tempted to meanness,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

When I fail to care for your creation,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

When I am too busy to stand and stare,

Show me your ways, O God,

and teach me your paths.

From Rhythms of Remembering, Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild, with permission

Pause for reflection

“But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you;
    let the birds tell you what’s going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.
    Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.
Isn’t it clear that they all know and agree
    that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand—
Every living soul, yes,
    every breathing creature?
Isn’t this all just common sense,
    as common as the sense of taste? Job 12:7-11

To know you in all things –

Weave a web of your presence around us today.

Be with our hands as they work.

Be with our eyes as they see.

Be with our ears as they hear.

Be with our tongue as it speaks.

Be with our feelings and our thoughts.

Be with the people we meet.

Be with the trees we walk by and the grass we walk upon.

Be with the birds we hear and the creatures we see.

Be with the things we make and the things we take.

Be with the decisions we address.

Be in and through, over and under all,

so that doing and hearing and seeing, speaking and making and being,

we may glimpse your glory, hear your voice

and joyfully work with you

to create a new heaven and a new earth.

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

and the love of God,

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit

be with us all.

Amen.

Green Tau: issue 103

Reshaping how we can talk positively about the climate crisis – part 3: Transport

March 2025

How can we talk about the climate crisis in a way that sounds encouraging?

The climate crisis is an existential threat which is certainly not good news. Its causes and impact are diverse and numerous such that it is hard to pin down ‘This is the cause’ or ‘This is the solution’. It is hard to quantify ‘This is how it will effect you’ and ‘This will be the time table.’

All this makes it difficult to find a way of talking to people about the crisis and how we might respond.

So here are some thoughts that might help.

Clean Air

Switching from fossil fuels to clean energy* to power road vehicles reduces the amount of pollution that goes into the air we breathe. The pollution from petrol and diesel vehicles includes carbon monoxide, particulate matter and nitrogen oxide and is released into the environment predominately in places where people living, where people are working, where they go to school, where they are simply walking by. Air pollution causes 28,000 and 36,000 early deaths each year in the UK (figures for 2018). Sustrans estimates that road transport is responsible for 80% of roadside NO2 pollution which is where the legal limits are being broken. (1)

With the growing use of electric vehicles air pollution has fallen …. And without admissions to hospital

In London progressive policies have been put in place to reduce road congestion and more specifically to reduce the air pollution from road vehicles, with the most recent being the expansion of the ultra low emissions zone (ULEZ) to cover all London boroughs in August 2023. Since then pollution from road vehicles across the wool of London has been reduce by 27%. (2) This should lead to a reduction in premature deaths.

Another component of air pollution caused by road vehicles is the fine particulate matter that comes from brake blocks, tyres and even the tarmac. These particles are formed through friction whether that is the brakes slowing the vehicle or the tyres rubbing against the road. Such pollution is known as Non-Exhaust Emissions or NEE. In its report on NNE Defra observed that currently there is no legislation in place to limit this source of air pollution but highlighted possible ways in which such pollution could be reduced, vis: “The Most effective mitigation strategies for NEE are to reduce the overall volume of traffic, lower the speed where traffic is free-flowing (eg trunk roads and motorways), and promote driving behaviour that rescues braking and higher-speed cornering.”(3)

As well as ULEZ, London has also benefitted from the widespread introduction of a reduced speed limit for vehicles – from 30 to 20 mph. “An evaluation of 20mph zones in London, carried out by Imperial College, showed slowing traffic had no net negative impact on exhaust emissions. However, in 20mph zones vehicles moved more smoothly, with fewer accelerations and decelerations, than in 30mph zones. This smoother driving style reduces particulate emissions from tyre and brake wear – which still represents a significant cause of air pollution from zero-emission vehicles.” (4)

Switching to electric vehicles, introducing low emissions zones and reduced speed limits, are all contributing to reducing the air pollution that causes so many premature deaths as well as reducing carbon emissions.

Wellbeing

Active travel includes walking and cycling, and in many cases can replace short car journeys. It can also be combined with the use of public transport (walking to the bus stop or the station) and so replace other longer car journeys. Reducing car journeys reduce carbon emissions and/ or – in terms of electric vehicles – the load on the electric grid. Switching to active travel however also produced significant health benefits (and thus savings for the NHS).

The Health Foundation notes that “Almost 1,800 early deaths per year could be prevented if activity levels for walking and cycling were to match the most active regions in England.” (5) The most active region was London where people walked and cycled an average of 1.2 miles per day. The Department of Transport estimates that inactivity costs the NHS “up to £1 billion each year, with additional indirect costs of £8.2 billion…” The exercise gained through active travel also has benefits for mental wellbeing.

The Department for Transport also reports the following further positive benefits of active travel –

“Increasing active travel will reduce road congestion, particularly at peak times, leading to increased productivity and improved movement of goods and services. Sustrans estimates that congestion costs £10 billion per year in 2009 in urban areas, and that this cost could rise to £22 billion by 2025. Living Streets’ Pedestrian Pound report outlined a range of economic benefits of walking, including that well-planned walking improvements can lead to a 40% increasein shopping footfall.” (6)

Active travel by reducing the amount of road traffic and so reducing air pollution and road congestion, makes for pleasanter local environments – which in itself boosts our sense of wellbeing. .

*eg electricity produced from renewable energy sources such as wind and solar

https://www.sustrans.org.uk/our-blog/policy-positions/our-position-on-improving-air-quality/

(2) https://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/sadiq-khan-ulez-expansion-london-boroughs-biggest-reductions-air-pollution-b1215765.html

(3) https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/assets/documents/reports/cat09/1907101151_20190709_Non_Exhaust_Emissions_typeset_Final.pdf

(4) https://www.london.gov.uk/who-we-are/what-london-assembly-does/questions-mayor/find-an-answer/20mph-speed-limit-and-air-pollution

(5) https://www.health.org.uk/evidence-hub/transport/active-travel/health-benefits-of-walking-and-cycling-preventable-early

(6) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/active-travel-local-authority-toolkit/active-travel-local-authority-toolkit

Counting on … Lent 17

27th March 2025

The Lord said to Moses at Mount Sinai, “Tell the people of Israel this: ‘When you enter the land I will give you, let it have a special time of rest, to honour the Lord. You may plant seed in your field for six years, and you may trim your vineyards for six years and bring in their fruits. But during the seventh year, you must let the land rest. This will be a special time to honour the Lord. You must not plant seed in your field or trim your vineyards. You must not cut the crops that grow by themselves after harvest, or gather the grapes from your vines that are not trimmed. The land will have a year of rest. Leviticus 25:1-5

Overworking the land drains it of its nutrients and intensive cultivation damages its fertility. UNESCO warned in 2024 that 90% of the Earth’s soil’s at risk of degradation – yet with appropriate farming practices and care this could be avoided.

“‘’Several practices associated with intensive agriculture, especially tilling, disrupt soil structure. They accelerate surface runoff and soil erosion, loss of organic matter and fertility and disruption in cycles of water, organic carbon and plant nutrients. These practices also have a major negative impact on soil biodiversity.

‘When soil degrades, the processes that take place within it are damaged. This causes a decline in soil health, biodiversity and productivity, leading to issues at all levels of many ecosystems, and resulting in large environmental consequences such as floods and mass migration.’”

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/soil-degradation.html

https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/unesco-raises-global-alarm-rapid-degradation-soils