Judith Russenberger – Page 44 – The Green Tau

Epiphany – waters of life

11th January 2025

With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. Isaiah 12:3

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 Mark 1:1-3, 9-11

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

As in the beginning the Spirit of God hovered over the waters,

so were the waters parted and the earth came into being.

Praise to you all encompassing God.

As in the beginning the earth responded to the Word of God,

so land and sea, rivers and mountains and oceans came into being.

Praise to you all encompassing God.

As from the beginning rains and water soaked the earth,

so herbs and plants and trees came into being.

Praise to you all encompassing God.

As from the beginning all manner of vegetation flourished,

so the fruits in their season provide food for all living beings.

Praise to you all encompassing God.

As from the beginning the Word of God has been a constant source of wisdom,

so your people have been guided and inspired.

Praise to you all encompassing God.

As the Spirit of God hovers over the waters of the Jordan,

so in baptism the Son of God was made manifest.

Praise to you all encompassing God.

As the waters were blessed through the Word of God,

so all who are baptised are made one in Christ.

Praise to you all encompassing God.

Holy God, Spirit and Word,

as we seek make sense of our human failings,

as we seek to heal the damage we have caused,

and as we seek to love and cherish all that you have created,

prepare for us a way to follow.

Amen.

Green Tau: issue 101

Reshaping how we can talk positively about the climate crisis – part 1: energy security

10th January 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’ and ‘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.

Energy security.

1. At the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine we were worried that we would not have enough energy (ie oil and gas from Russia) to keep power stations and industries running. There was a fear that the lights might go out. There is always going to be a energy security risk when we are reliant on an imported fuel. Despite what the government may suggest, the oil and gas supplies in the North Sea are insufficient to meet current needs, and the business arrangement is such that any North Sea oil and gas we use, has to be bought in the international market at the going rate. There are no special deals for UK customers. How much better then if we could obtain all our energy from home produced renewable sources – wind, solar, tidal. That surely would be a better definition of secure energy.

Any projects that involve increasing our renewable energy capacity are good news stories. This includes not just wind turbines and solar panels, but also the grid infrastructure need to distribute the energy.

For more info – https://www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/sustainable/sites/bartlett_sustainable/files/isr_141123_energy_security_-_a_sustainable_strategy_for_the_uk.pdf

2. Community energy projects enable communities to invest in and benefit from local energy production be that a wind turbine or turbines, solar panels on community rooves, or hydro power from a river or tide. New legislation is being introduced that would enable communities to benefit directly from selling their energy (under existing rules communities – and individuals – have to seek to one of the electricity producers). Community energy projects can give local populations greater energy security and to benefit directly from cheaper energy bills – this may be the compensating factor that outweighs local reluctance to the expansion of wind farms etc.

For more info – (re rural communities) https://www.cpre.org.uk/discover/why-we-love-community-energy/

(re urban communities) https://www.communityenergy.london/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Cities-and-Community-Energy-in-England-FINAL-combined.pdf

3. There is a counter argument that renewable energy doesn’t provide security because we could have a run of windless, sunless days (which do happen as we have seen recently). Batteries are the obvious answer, combined with price tariffs that encourage consumers to use less when generation is low, and to use – or store – energy when generation is high. These will need to be used in conjunction with ‘large scale electricity storage’ which would involve using excess power to create hydrogen which would then be stored in salt mines. (For more details see https://royalsociety.org/-/media/policy/projects/large-scale-electricity-storage/large-scale-electricity-storage-policy-briefing.pdf)

Improvements in battery technology are good news stories. Batteries also give individual households as well as business units, schools, hospitals etc immediate energy security. There are genuine concerns about the environmental and social costs of some of the minerals needed to make batteries. Current research is developing a sodium battery that uses salt, which is widely available, rather than rare and expensive lithium.

For more info – https://www.field.energy/views/energy-security-how-battery-storage-helps-keep-the-lights-on

Energy costs

Energy security is linked to energy costs. If energy costs are so high as to preclude people being able to afford it, then their energy supply is not secure. The outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine triggered a rapid rise in the cost of energy initially rising by around 40%, 130% and 180% for oil, coal and gas. The prices of these fossil fuels are determined by global commodity markets so everyone is susceptible to the prices hikes. Renewable energies on the other hand reflect local factors – although the cost and availability of key materials such as steel, will have an impact on the building of, for example, new wind turbines, and the relative prices charged for renewable energy and fossil fuels will impact investment decisions.

By and large renewable energy is cheaper than fossil fuel energy – although currently in the UK a levy is charged on energy costs to cover the cost of transitioning to renewable energy, and (bizarrely) this adds more to the cost of electricity that it does to gas (16% of the final price of electricity and 5.5% of the final price of gas). https://www.nesta.org.uk/household-energy-bills-green-levies/

Going on into the future renewable energy will continue to fall in real terms whilst the cost of fossil energy will rise. By offering affordable energy, renewables will continue to offer energy security.

Counting on … day 8

10th January 2025

Daily travel is an area where we can both reduce adverse effects on the environment and improve our health and wellbeing. Recently the Lancet carried out an extensive piece of research on the co-benefits of active travel.

The report began -“Private car use contributes substantially to carbon emissions, air pollution, and noise pollution. Furthermore, car dependency fosters a spectrum of health and social issues, including congestion, road injuries and fatalities, psychological distress, and sedentary lifestyles that increase susceptibility to obesity and chronic diseases. Conversely, active travel (also known as active transport or active commuting), which refers to travel behaviour involving physical activity such as walking and cycling to or from destinations, contributes to higher rates of physical activity overall…active travel interventions are likely to yield broader co-benefits, such as environmental (eg, carbon emissions and air pollution), economic (eg, travel costs and productivity), and safety (eg, traffic safety and personal safety) benefits.”

And concluded: “Based on evidence from 80 intervention studies, we have identified an expansive range of co-benefits that extend beyond physical activity, including safety, health, economic, environmental, transport quality, and social outcomes. The consistency of findings was high in favour of the interventions, particularly pertaining to environmental, economic, and transport quality outcomes. Findings from our study highlight the potential for promoting active travel as a promising strategy to jointly address major challenges in contemporary societies, such as traffic safety and road congestion, chronic diseases, fiscal constraints, air pollution, and carbon emissions. Active travel provides a unique opportunity to incorporate regular physical activity into daily life without requiring special skills or substantial monetary or time investments.” https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanplh/article/PIIS2542-5196(24)00201-8/fulltext

Counting on … day 7

9th January 2025

How we travel and use transport can feature large in our use of the Earth’s resources. We know that flying has a huge negative impact on the climate and on air quality, and that therefore the less we fly the better. As we start thinking about our summer holidays, now is a good time to explore all the amazing holidays that don’t involve air flights. And we might equally consider signing the Flight Free Pledge – https://flightfree.co.uk/

Counting on … day 6

8th January 2025

Plastic Free July is another mid year feature, but one which we might start working towards now – particularly when we recall that our use of oil in making plastic and the pollution we cause in disposing of it, unnecessarily sap the Earth’s resources.

Single use plastic seems so imbedded into daily life that it can seem an impossible challenge to live plastic free. Yet we know that the pollution from plastics – including microplastic particles which can now be found in every part of our bodies – is highly damaging.

Maybe starting small now could be a solution. Having coffee in in real cup, rather than as a take out, is an easier habit to adopt when the cafe is warm and outside is cold and wet, seems much more logical.

Equally do we need to rely on bottles of drinking water when the weather is cold? Can we train ourselves to have a glass of water when we stop for a drink or a meal, and then when the weather gets warmer, have a bottle we can refill for the in between times.

Winter fruit and vegetables are more robust and avoiding plastic packaging should be easier. If it becomes our mindset now, then we can embarking the habit before the summer comes.

Counting on … day 5

7th January 2025

We usually focus on Earth Overshoot Day in the summer as we approach that day in which we have consumed a full year’s worth of the earth’s renewable resources. (In 2024 Earth Overshoot Day fell on 1st August). But why don’t we focus on it sooner when we might have a greater motivation for change? ie at the start of the New Year?

Many of us use the New Year as a time to make improving resolutions, so making better or more considered use of the Earth’s resources would seem a good start.

January is also ‘veganuary’ and a considered vegan diet can also be good for the Earth. Locally grown, seasonal food has a lower footprint than meat and dairy whether that footprint is measuring carbon or methane missions, water use, fertiliser use or pollution.

Counting on… day 4

6th January 2025

A House Blessing for Epiphany

On the feast of the Epiphany we tell the story of the Magi – Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar – who visited the home of Mary and Joseph and the child Jesus. They offered gifts and knelt in worship because they knew that this child was both a king and the Son of God.

Each year as we remember the visit of the Magi to Jesus’s home, so we ask Jesus to bless our homes.

Take a piece of chalk and write on or above your door the following:-

20 + C + M + B + 25

Now you have the date of the new year. The + represents blessings and the letters stand for the Latin words Christus mansionem benedicat, meaning “May Christ bless the house.”

The letters can also represent the names of the wise men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar.

All: Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who inhabit it. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness and the keeping of your law. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our love for each other may go out to all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

May this home be glowing with warmth

in the chill of winter

And a cooling shade

in the heat of the summer sun,

May it be a place

where one awakes with eagerness,

And a haven from stress,

when the work of the day is done.

May God, our Mother,

safely cradle this house in her strong arms,

And breathe the comfort of her love

through every room.

May God, our Father, fire the minds

of those who dwell here with hopeful dreams

And give them the strength

to make those dreams come true.

May God, our Companion,

fill this home with laughter

And weave a satisfying peace

in times of solitude.

May the cupboards be forever full,

And the table spread with welcome cheer.

May friends come often through the door,

But yet the need for privacy

be respected here.

May the wild beauty of God,

May the indwelling peace of God

May the surprising mystery of God

Inhabit this home.

Amen.

(Prayer by Jean Gaskin, published in Human Rites: Worship Resources for an Age of Change compiled by Hannah Ward and Jennifer Wild, London: Mowbray, 1995, p.91

Feast of the Epiphany

5th January 2025

Reflection with readings below

The magi did not feel compelled to obey the directions of King Herod: rather they had hearts and minds that were open to what God was saying to them. (When they set out has they known God as God, or was it that they were following a path suggested by the tenets of the faith in which they had been raised and educated? – Biblical scholars suggest this would have been Zoroastorism. And actually doesn’t our faith tell us that as we believe there to be only the one God who created all things, that it would be entirely possible for them to discern that one true God through their faith?)

In that sense the magi were both rebellious and Godly. Are we too called to be rebellious and Godly?

Psalm 72 describes the way a Godly king should rule – treating the poor with justice, defending (ie providing for) the needy, rescuing the oppressed and those who in suffering cry out for help, crushing the oppressor, and ensuring peace. From what we know, this was not the approach followed by Herod. Nor indeed was it the approach followed by the Roman authorities. Nor was it advocated by the priestly authorities.

We don’t know much more about the magi and the Iives they lived on their return to their homes. But I guess we might imagine that they were transformed lives. They had seen something awesome, something of the divine in that baby they tracked down in Bethlehem. A child before whom they were prompted to kneel in worship. A child of such significance that they offered expensive gifts. A child so astounding that they were willing to rebel against Herod – and run the risk of being pursued by his forces. I suspect they left smartly to get a head start on Herod – and perhaps with the hope that they had not highlighted the place where the child was. I wonder what they talked about on their way home? What new insights, new understandings of the world, of the divine, of human kind?

St Paul too rebelled against the authorities of his age. Having been an ardent supporter of the pharisaical branch of Judaism, he too had an epiphany moment which transformed his understanding of what God wanted of him and what God was wanting to achieve in the world. Significantly this plan or vision, was global in character. No longer was this religious faith to be confined just to the people who claimed Abraham as their forebear. It was to be a faith to be shared by all peoples of any and every background and heritage. Paul was the evangelist for this, both taking the faith to those outside the family of Abraham and convincing those within that family that their faith was not theirs alone but was now to be shared and appreciated in a new and expanded way. And as the letter to Ephesians writes, this included – and indeed still includes – the calling that “through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities…”

As we begin a new year in which many challenges lie ahead if we are to turn humankind round so that we actually live within the limits of the earth’s resources, may we too feel called to share the wisdom of God with those in positions of power. Indeed we may feel called to rebel against those whose leadership seems set on wrecking the world, who seem set on ignoring the needs of the poor and needy, the oppressed and those who cry out because of their suffering. May we feel called to be Godly rebels.

Let us pray that this new year will be an epiphany moment for human kind which opens our eyes to the pitiful state we are in and to the wisdom of God which uniquely offers us the means for salvation.

Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;

but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will appear over you.

Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you;

your sons shall come from far away,
and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,

because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.

They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.

Psalm 72:1-7,10-14

1 Give the King your justice, O God, *
and your righteousness to the King’s Son;

2 That he may rule your people righteously *
and the poor with justice;

3 That the mountains may bring prosperity to the people, *
and the little hills bring righteousness.

4 He shall defend the needy among the people; *
he shall rescue the poor and crush the oppressor.

5 He shall live as long as the sun and moon endure, *
from one generation to another.

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown field, *
like showers that water the earth.

7 In his time shall the righteous flourish; *
there shall be abundance of peace till the moon shall be no more.

10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall pay tribute, *
and the kings of Arabia and Saba offer gifts.

11 All kings shall bow down before him, *
and all the nations do him service.

12 For he shall deliver the poor who cries out in distress, *
and the oppressed who has no helper.

13 He shall have pity on the lowly and poor; *
he shall preserve the lives of the needy.

14 He shall redeem their lives from oppression and violence, *
and dear shall their blood be in his sight.

Ephesians 3:1-12

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles– for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:

`And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.'”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Wassail – Prayers for trees and fruitfulness

4th January 2025

Wassailing and the blessing of fruit trees traditionally takes place at some point during January – after the solstice when the days are growing longer and before the trees fully form their buds. Wassail means good health!

For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

A reading Genesis 2: 4b, 8-9, 15-17

In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there planted the human whom he had formed. Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord God took and placed the human in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’

Lord God who first planted the garden of Eden,

bless the gardens we too tend.

Wassail!

Lord God who made every tree to grow,

bless the trees we have planted.

Wassail!

Lord God who gave us trees with fruits pleasing to the eye and good to eat,

bless these trees with such fruits.

Wassail!

Lord God who made us to be your gardeners,

bless the work of our hands.

Wassail!

Lord God who created birds and insects, bugs and all manner of creatures

to be our companions and helpers in the garden,

bless them one and all.

Wassail!

Lord God whose earth produces food in due season,

may we share that equally and generously with all our kith and kin.

Wassail!

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” Revelation 22:1-2

Counting on … day 3

3rd January 2025

For the last few years January has become Veganuary – a month in which to enjoy good food that is good for the planet and good for social justice. If we are all ate less meat we would have no problem growing enough food to feel the world’s growing population, we could restore vast tracts of land for nature and reduce greenhouse gas emissions!

Eating less meat is about eating more beans and pulses, nuts and seasonal vegetables. It is about switching from dairy to plant milk and dairy butter to plant butter. It is about enjoying a great richness and variety of flavours – herbs and spices, nuts and seeds, fruits and juices.

Here is an encouraging article from the Guardian – https://www.theguardian.com/food/2025/jan/01/meera-sodha-veganuary?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

And suggestions for how to ease your way into plant based eating – https://greentau.org/2021/10/12/eco-tips-11/