Judith Russenberger

4th Sunday Epiphany

28th January 2024

Reflection (readings follow on)

Earlier this week someone was explaining to me why they did not believe in climate change. If the science was true, they argued, would not the politicians being taking action?

A good question.

Most politicians have families – children and, maybe, grandchildren – and surely they would want to take action to protect them and their futures if the risks were real and serious? The same would hold true for the CEOs of fossil fuel companies, of banks, of insurance companies, of pension funds. If they knew that fossil fuel emissions were increasing the risk of homes being flooded or being damaged by storms; or increasing the risk of heat waves causing excess deaths among the young and old; increasing the risks of droughts, floods and wild fires that decimate harvests and lead to food shortages – then surely they would be taking action to curtail such emissions and reduce those risks as fast as possible?

Is it that they don’t have the information? Is it that they don’t believe what the scientists are telling us? Is it that they can’t believe it will be as bad as the scientists predict? Is it that they believe that with wealth and power they can insulate their nearest and dearest from such disasters?

Paul in his letter to the community in Corinth is aware how tricky knowledge can be. Often we have an incomplete knowledge, a partial knowledge, and we may make perverse decisions. Sometimes my incomplete knowledge is similar to but not identical with your incomplete knowledge and that can lead to huge misunderstandings. So Paul reminds us that one thing is true – that we are all known to God!

If knowledge isn’t always the answer, what about wisdom? Wisdom begins with fear of the Lord, says the Psalmist. Fear of the Lord is not about being panic stricken, or scared out of our pants, but about realising just how far apart is our understanding of the world and God’s understanding. It is about humility – knowing our place, our limitations – and about awe. That is the beginning – not the end – of wisdom. Wisdom is what we gain by paying attention to God, by paying attention to what God has created and how it all interrelates. Wisdom is about learning from others – we cannot expect to gain sufficient wisdom to be of use just as an individual – and about learning from our (individual and corporate) mistakes. Wisdom is about not ignoring the difficult questions. Rather wisdom is about holding that tension between acknowledging the difficulty and acknowledging our own inability to provide a solution.

Perhaps we need to put more emphasis on wisdom than on just knowledge. Perhaps that is what politicians and CEOs and economists and advertising executives need – wisdom so that they can make best sense of the knowledge they have?

The passage from Deuteronomy is focused on the importance of the prophet. What is a prophet? The Godly Play scripts say that a prophet is someone who comes so close to God and God comes so close to them, that they know what God is wanting to say. Prophetic speech can include warnings about what is or might be happening in the world, and about the consequences of the actions we might take. It can also give advice and guidance about living better lives, about living in harmony with the world, and about engaging with God.

Clearly The Prophet referenced in Deuteronomy, is Jesus. And Jesus in today’s gospel is highlighted as a person who not only teaches, but teaches with authority. This is because his knowledge comes from God – something the spirits recognise.

To return to the question, if politicians know that the knowledge the scientists tell us about climate change is true, why do they not act as if it were true? Is it lack of wisdom or lack of knowledge? Or is it that they feel safe ignoring the information for as long as the majority of people and organisations around them are doing the same thing? It is easier to go along with the crowd. They are not alone. It is an approach taken by business leaders, by financiers, by economists. No one wants to be the first to say this is a real problem. No one wants to risk standing out in the crowd. No one wants to risk loosing a short term gain.

They, and we, are at an impasse. No one will take action until everyone else does! No one wants to question the consensus that if no one is panicking, then there is nothing to panic about.

What we need is a prophet! Someone who tell it like it is. Someone who is not constrained by polite convention. Someone who is honest. Someone who can brave the brickbats. Someone who has a strong faith to lean upon. Someone whose understanding is informed by God, whose wisdom grows out of respect for God, whose message reflects God’s truth.

And do w have such prophetic voices. Climate activists are often our modern day prophets. Some are more popular – such as David Attenborough and Chris Packham. Others less so – being a prophet is not about popularity.

When climate activists break the glass doors of banks, it has been because they are sounding the alarm to people who do not seem to be paying attention. It is because they are relaying to those institutions the warnings they really need – and would surely want – to hear if only they were not being drowned out by the ‘business as usual’ message of the majority.

When activists walk slowly along the road disrupting daily life, it is because they acting out on a very small scale the disruption that the climate crisis will lead to if we continue as we are. When activists hold prayerful vigils they act both as an encouragement to those who want to see a different future and to activity a niggling doubt for those who think all is well.

These prophets are trying to unravel the mentality that says until everyone else acts, then I won’t act. These prophets are trying to break this lemming-like mindset. And it is a hard and difficult and drawn out process.. But prophets are backed by God’s wisdom, by the authoritative teaching that comes from Jesus, and by the confidence that comes from knowing that they are known by God.

Finally from today’s psalm, we are reminded that grace and compassion, faithfulness and justice are hallmarks of God which we should aim to mirror in our lives.

Deuteronomy 18:15-20

Moses said: The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you shall heed such a prophet. This is what you requested of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you said: “If I hear the voice of the Lord my God any more, or ever again see this great fire, I will die.” Then the Lord replied to me: “They are right in what they have said. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their own people; I will put my words in the mouth of the prophet, who shall speak to them everything that I command. Anyone who does not heed the words that the prophet shall speak in my name, I myself will hold accountable. But any prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, or who presumes to speak in my name a word that I have not commanded the prophet to speak—that prophet shall die.”

Psalm 111

1 Hallelujah!
I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, *
in the assembly of the upright, in the congregation.

2 Great are the deeds of the Lord! *
they are studied by all who delight in them.

3 His work is full of majesty and splendour, *
and his righteousness endures for ever.

4 He makes his marvellous works to be remembered; *
the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

5 He gives food to those who fear him; *
he is ever mindful of his covenant.

6 He has shown his people the power of his works *
in giving them the lands of the nations.

7 The works of his hands are faithfulness and justice; *
all his commandments are sure.

8 They stand fast for ever and ever, *
because they are done in truth and equity.

9 He sent redemption to his people;
he commanded his covenant for ever; *
holy and awesome is his Name.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; *
those who act accordingly have a good understanding;
his praise endures for ever.

1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Now concerning food sacrificed to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. Anyone who claims to know something does not yet have the necessary knowledge; but anyone who loves God is known by him.

Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “no idol in the world really exists,” and that “there is no God but one.” Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as in fact there are many gods and many lords— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

It is not everyone, however, who has this knowledge. Since some have become so accustomed to idols until now, they still think of the food they eat as food offered to an idol; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. “Food will not bring us close to God.” We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if others see you, who possess knowledge, eating in the temple of an idol, might they not, since their conscience is weak, be encouraged to the point of eating food sacrificed to idols? So by your knowledge those weak believers for whom Christ died are destroyed. But when you thus sin against members of your family, and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of their falling, I will never eat meat, so that I may not cause one of them to fall.

Mark 1:21-28

Jesus and his disciples went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

Counting on …. Day 28

28th January 2024

Support campaigns that mitigate the climate crisis

We know many of the causes of the climate crisis and by addressing these, we can reduce the scale and impact of the climate crisis. However such mitigation is not always popular when they threaten vested interests. Solutions are possible but sometimes it is necessary to campaign to win over government support and to give a voice to marginalised groups.

The biggest contribution to the climate crisis comes from the fossil fuel industry and the burning of its products. Traditionally the fossil fuel industry has produced huge profits for investors, with no obligation to make recompense for the pollution caused. They are multi national organisations which exert great pressure on governments and the public through lobbying and advertising.

Nevertheless campaign groups are able to affect change in the practices of fossil fuel companies that benefit the climate.

Climate Action Network explains how they “successfully stopped the Cambo oil field by making Shell pull out of the project. No one act alone stopped this project. From direct action to legal pressure, political lobbying to media scrutiny, local community outreach to online actions – every act added up to force the industry to face a ‘death knell’ for fossil fuel extraction in the North Sea. And we can do it again.”

Now they are continuing to campaign against the government’s decision to approve the development of the Rosebank oil field – You can support the case by adding your name here.

I am part of Christian Climate Action and regularly campaign against companies, projects and practices that contribute to the climate crisis – https://christianclimateaction.org/

You can also be a campaigner by joining groups such as Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and the RSPB.

For more information on Rosebank – https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/04/uk-government-admits-rosebank-oil-will-not-be-kept-in-uk-to-boost-energy-security?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 27

27th January 2023

Support climate adaptation projects at home and overseas

The Grantham Institute explains adaptation thus:

“Humans have been adapting to their environments throughout history by developing practices, cultures and livelihoods suited to local conditions – from the Mediterranean siesta to the Vietnamese practice of building homes on stilts to protect against monsoonal rains. However, climate change raises the possibility that existing societies will experience climatic shifts (in temperature, storm frequency, flooding and other factors) that previous experience has not prepared them for. As average global temperatures rise, the impacts of climate change and their associated losses and damage are likely to increase more rapidly and more unpredictably.

“Adaptation seeks to reduce the risks posed by climate changes, and to benefit from any associated opportunities where possible. It is one of two main policy responses to climate change, the other being mitigation – reducing greenhouse gas emissions to address the root causes. Both approaches are necessary because even if emissions are dramatically decreased over the coming decade, further warming is now unavoidable and adaptation will be needed to deal with the climatic changes already set in motion.” https://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/explainers/what-is-climate-change-adaptation/

In the UK, adaptation could include insulating buildings so they stay warmer in winter and cooler in summer; planting more trees to provide shade and cooling in summer and to trap rain water to limit flooding; restoring and creating new peat bogs and wetlands areas again to absorb excess water (and carbon too); re-wilding rivers and restoring water meadows to absorb and slow the rate of flow of water to prevent flooding; changing the school timetable and working day to allow people to rest during the middle of the day during heat waves and to work instead in the cooler hours earlier in the day – a siesta; not building on flood plains or close to the coast where rising water levels present a risk; relocating buildings and contents which are at risk of flood damage; growing plants more suited to our new climate including agriculture crops; making good use of solar and wind energy.

As a rich nation we need to help less affluent – and often more critically affected – nations adapt to the changing climate. The options for adaptation will be similar in nature to those for the UK – insulating buildings to protect against extremes of heat; using vegetation and the restoration of natural habitats; adapting agricultural and work practices; harnessing renewable energy.

We can support adaptation projects with funds and/or volunteering with local projects; campaigning to support projects particularly when they are opposed by government or big business; providing funding for overseas projects through charities such as Practical Action and Oxfam, as well as pressing the government to contribute at the scale necessary to make a different and to reflect our moral obligations.

A diverse and wide reaching adaptation project local to where I live involves the re-wilding of strategic parts of the Thames which you can read about at length here – https://kts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Rewilding-Arcadia-.pdf

On a smaller scale another project is in hand to rewild Beverley Brook to benefit biodiversity and to reduce the impact of flooding – https://barnescommon.org.uk/conservation/habitat-management/flood-resilience/

Counting on …day 26

26th January 2024

Support local nature reserves

The National Biodiversity Network reported last year that “The UK’s wildlife is continuing to decline according to a new landmark study [State of Nature]. Already classified as one of the world’s most nature-depleted countries, nearly one in six of the more than ten thousand species assessed (16%) are at risk of being lost from Great Britain.” https://nbn.org.uk/news/state-of-nature-2023/

Yet nature offers us the best solutions to climate change if we at the same time take care to look after nature. Supporting nature reserves and the organisations that run them – such as the National Trust, the Wildlife Trust, the RSPB etc – is an effective way of tackling both the climate crisis and the biodiversity crisis. Support can be by donations/ membership and or volunteering.

Counting on … day 25

25th January 2024

Green your banking

It is not just through our pensions that our money can make the difference between a fossil fuel shaped future and a liveable future. Banks and insurance companies also invest money on our behalf, and how they invest it makes a big difference. Ethical Consumer writes, “Banks have an enormous amount of power and wealth. UK banks recorded pre-tax profits of almost £50 billion in 2021. They therefore hold massive sway over the nature of our economies. The decisions they make now also have long-lasting repercussions. An oil rig funded in 2022 will last for 20 to 30 years. On the other hand, renewable infrastructure also has a long lifespan and needs a high amount of upfront investment, making banks’ support vital. On a consumer-level, ethical banking is also important, even if you think your savings aren’t worth much. For every £1 a bank holds, it can lend out £9.”

Choosing to bank with a green bank is an effective way of tackling the climate crisis.

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/money-finance/ethical-banking

To find out more about green banking and how to switch banks easily visit – https://www.switchit.green/

Counting on … day 24

24th January 2024

Green your pension

According to Make My Money Matter, “Making your pension green is 21x more powerful at cutting your carbon than giving up flying, going veggie and switching energy provider.”

Why? Because some £3 trillion pounds is invested every year to finance our pensions – money which can either be invested in fossil fuels which will created an unliveable future, or which can be invested in renewable energy and other climate friendly, environmentally friendly projects which will create a beautiful future.

Green my pension

https://www.theguardian.com/money/2022/oct/04/green-pension-help-environment-climate-crisis?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 23

23rd January 2024

Give smaller presents or give gift activities

Hiring and borrowing things reduces the amount of stuff we need to keep in our homes, and often the less is more comfortable. That – as well as reducing the environmental footprint of what we consume – is a good reason for buying fewer and/ or smaller gifts. It’s not to be mean, but to be thoughtful. Gifts can also be gifts of time or activity – an invitation for coffee and cake, or a trip to the theatre, or membership of a local wildlife park.

Researchers suggest that people give gifts with a ‘smile-seeking motive’ which can mean buying something fun rather than practical or indeed the boring thing the person wants! Giving and receiving gifts is about strengthening relationships – expressions of love and belonging.

NB I’m sure the best way of receiving a smile from someone is by smiling at them yourself!d

Counting on … day 22

22nd January 2024

Library of Things

Crom cars to party dresses, from power drills to bicycles, more people are hiring or borrowing things rather than buying. It can be the cheaper option, especially if you know you will only use the item once or twice. It may be an attractive option of the up-front cost is high – such as for a car. It can also make ecological sense. The ecological footprint – the resources used in making it – can be spread between a greater number of people. Rather than using up, say, 10kg of metal, plastic and electrics, to make 10 power drills, why not use 1kg of resources that can be used by ten different people – and possibly more.

there are various formal websites that allow you to lend and borrow items – such as Next Door Neighbour – https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/

And Street Bank - https://www.streetbank.com/

you can probably do the same via your local street’s WhatsApp group.

Alternatively you can go to your nearest Library of Things and borrow what you need – https://www.libraryofthings.co.uk/

3rd Sunday of Epiphany

21st January 2024

Reflection (readings are below)

The story of the wedding in Cana is one of my favourites. It has all the hall marks of a good story – a beginning, a middle where a problem arises and is then resolved by the hero, and a conclusion which highlights the outcome. Jesus acts to make good a situation that is going wrong and does so in a way that is absurdly generous. That absurd generosity is a feature of God’s will that I find most attractive and awe inspiring.

It is also a story about marriage, about the importance of such a covenant relationship. Marriage is an amazing institution. Two people who may have no previous connection, agree – indeed desire whole heartedly – to live together for the rest of their lives loving and supporting each other come what may. It is not a relationship for making money or for exerting power. It is a relationship about living together so as to enhance daily life. (I accept that not all marriages are good marriages and that some are harmful, but they are not the majority. Statistics from 2023 suggest that a third of marriages will end in divorce by the 20th wedding anniversary).

The writer of John’s gospel uses marriage as a metaphor for the relationship between God – and specially identifies Jesus as the bridegroom – and those who believe. This continues a tradition already established in the Hebrew Bible. The Book of Hosea portrays God as a scorned husband who is doing every thing possible to woo back his wayward wife. In this prophetic writing it is the nation of Israel that is the wayward wife that has chased after false gods and their false promises. In the New Testament the marriage metaphor is more about the relationship between Jesus, the Son of God, and the individual believer.

What are the bonds and the characteristic features that make marriage such a beautiful metaphor for the relationship between Jesus – God – and people?

Isaiah tells us that marriage is characterised by joy and delight, that the beloved is to be likened to a crown of beauty, being both precious and admirable. The Psalmist too gives us some suggestions – that what God brings to the relationship is steadfast love, faith and righteousness. So surely that also suggests that we should equally bring to the relationship is steadfast love, faith and righteousness.

Another approach would be to look at what makes for a good human marriage: things such as trust, being honest and open with each other, saying ‘I love you!’ as well as saying ‘This is what upsets me…’

Doing things we know will please our partner which may be sharing a chocolate bar or putting out the recycling bin. Helping our partner to achieve their goals, and being ready to accept their help – that can sometimes call upon a lot of humility on our part. Listening to the other rather than jumping to conclusions. Being faithful through bad times as well good.

Paul in his letter to the Corinthians will later write at length about love – a passage often used at weddings. In today’s section he is talking about the gifts, the spiritual gifts that we receive from God. These gifts, he tells us, are given for the common good. They are not just for our personal benefit, or for the benefit of a select group, but for the benefit of everyone. (There may in that be some useful guidance in determining what we think our gifts are and how we should use them).

The gifts that Jesus brought – and brings – are for the good of everyone. The water that was turned into wine was for all the guests not just a select few. All were able to share in the generosity of his gift – far more wine that they could really drink – between 130 and 180 gallons or as someone else calculated, 2400 glasses – and in the quality of the gift. This was not just good wine but the best!

The writer of the gospel tells us that that example of Jesus’s love was the first of many signs that revealed his glory. A first invitation to those present to enter into a relationship of steadfast love, faithfulness and righteousness.

And that invitation, that first step made to woo people into a marriage with God, is still being made for us today. God loves us deeply and steadfastly, without query or deviation. Welcome then, God’s attention and receive God’s love. Let a loving relationship – a marriage – between you and God grow so that your life and that of those who surround you, will be greatly enriched.

Isaiah 62:1-5

For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent,
and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not rest,
until her vindication shines out like the dawn,
and her salvation like a burning torch.

The nations shall see your vindication,
and all the kings your glory;
and you shall be called by a new name
that the mouth of the Lord will give.

You shall be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the hand of your God.

You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
    and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My Delight Is in Her,
    and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
    and your land shall be married.

For as a young man marries a young woman,
so shall your builder marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you.

Psalm 36:5-10

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the clouds.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your judgements are like the great deep;
you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.

They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.

For with you is the fountain of life;
in your light we see light.

O continue your steadfast love to those who know you,
and your salvation to the upright of heart!

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit.

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

John 2:1-11

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Counting on …. Day 21

21st January 2024

Mail order with care

As is so often the case, making ethical or ecological choices are seldom black and white. For example, does one buy the organic but imported carrots or the UK grown non-organic carrots?

Having given the arguments in favour of shopping locally, there will be times when what is needed is not locally available. Mail order often fills this niche.

I buy flour for bread making by mail order – the flour is organic, chosen for attributes that make it suitable for bread-making, is milled in a wind mill and comes from farms local to the mill!

One mail order company that has expanded rapidly is Amazon. It is a multi national company which uses less than ethically sound business practices. Ethical Consumer has written on this at length and has set up a boycott including the option for individuals to pledge a month at a time not to use Amazon.

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/company-profile/amazoncom-inc

The Guardian also reports frequently on ethical issues relating to Amazon – https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/may/10/next-day-delivery-unethical-amazon-workers-pollution?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other