In today’s readings it is the small and the marginalised that are brought centre stage – Ephrathah the smallest of the clans, sheep (that ubiquitous farm animal), women (even today in many societies women are still marginalised) and unborn children. The texts offer peace and security, restoration and salvation, and a rebalancing of wealth and power.
Micah’s words promise peace and security. We only have to glance at the newspapers to see how important those two still are. Micah lived in a time of great turmoil when powerful empires sought to grab control of the known world – and largely disregarding small nations in the process: their purpose was to be a source of taxation – and rich men tried to grab as much profit as they could, and would willingly bow to any god or passing fad, if that helped them up the greasy pole. In other words Micah’s world was not dissimilar to our’s today. If you read more of Micah’s words you will find the vocabulary highly critical and harsh.
Yet Micah did seem confident that the God he worshipped and for whom he spoke, did still love Israel, was still merciful and still offered hope for a better future. In an earlier part of the Book of Micah, we hear of swords being beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. Peace – and justice – will only come into being through radical change. The ‘same old, same old’ will not do. Mary’s Magnificat comes with the same message. Existing power structures need to be upended. Existing patterns of wealth distribution cannot continue. Radical change is needed.
Jesus’s birth heralds in God’s era of radical change. The writer of Hebrews articulates that in the issues of his day. God’s desire is not going to be met through burnt offerings and sacrifices, God’s will is not going to be achieved through a set of laws that have passed their sell-by date. God’s salvation comes through the incarnation, through the indwelling of Christ in a human body – through the lived experience of Jesus as a human encompassing birth and death and resurrection.
And God’s salvation is still be found in those bodies wherein Christ dwells today. Like Mary before us, we are called to say yes to God, to allow God’s word to be implanted in us, to allow that living word to shape our thoughts and words and actions. We may find ourselves echoing the prophet Micah or echoing Mary the mother of Jesus, in challenging the ongoing sinful practices of the rich and powerful. We may find ourselves enacting countercultural actions that will turn swords into plough shares or redistribute wealth to the poor. We may find ourselves embracing the mind of Christ that understands that everyone is to be loved.
Micah 5:2-5a
You, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
Psalm 80:1-7
1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; * shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, * stir up your strength and come to help us.
3 Restore us, O God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, * how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; * you have given them bowls of tears to drink.
6 You have made us the derision of our neighbours, * and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
Hebrews 10:5-10
When Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’ (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”
When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Luke 1:39-55
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Globally we know we have to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 – at the latest – if we are to curb the inexorable rise in temperatures, the associated increase in extreme weather events and any of the various tipping ecological points that would accelerate this process.
Here in the UK our government has set a target of reducing emissions by 68% (compared with 1990 values) by 2030 and by 81% by 2035 and ultimately by 100% by 2050.
To achieve these targets we need to reduce sharply our use of fossil fuels to heat our buildings (including cooling in the summer), to run our transport systems (vehicles, trains, airplanes etc), to generate electricity, and in various industrial processes such as making steel.
Such changes will impact is all. For householders it will include having to add more insulation to their homes and replacing gas boilers with electrically based heating. And for tenants, hopefully such alterations will be carried out by their landlords. For commercial and institutional buildings there will equally be the need to replace gas with electric heating and cooling systems, as well as upgrading thermal insulation. Such buildings may well have the scope to install solar panels and batteries so that they can generate their own electricity. The managers of such buildings may also want to reflect on how staff, users and customers travel to and from their premises to enable these to become more sustainable in their use of energy.
For car drivers it will be switching to electric cars or, even better, switching to public transport and active travel. For delivery drivers it will be switching to cycles for small, local loads and electric vehicles for larger ones. For the railway it will be investing in further electrification of the rail network and potentially developing battery units for short, smaller capacity branch lines. For airlines it must mean reducing the number of flights as there really is no green alternative to aviation fuel, although for short flights serving outlying islands battery planes may be a developmental opportunity.
For the energy sector, it will include continuing to develop and expand renewable energy sources (solar, wind and tidal) to provide all the extra green electricity that will be needed by other sectors, and to provide the necessary infrastructure to support that and to enable individual households, businesses and communities to develop their own generation capacity.
For industrial processes it will be switching to new methods of production such as using electric arc furnaces for steel making and for cement production developing new chemical formulations that avoid releasing large amounts of CO2.
These changes will also have impacts on jobs with some people needing to retrain for new careers – for example oil rig workers retraining to build and maintain offshore wind turbines, car workers might switch to building public transport rolling stock, airline staff might switch to working in the rail industry, blast furnace workers might retrain as installers of heat pumps and thermal insulation, or switch to manufacturing double glazing units, solar panels, and wind turbines etc.
These changes will need considerable financial investment, which must mean shifting money currently invested in supporting carbon intensive industries and projects, to these low carbon sustainable alternatives. And this will mean a shift in thinking by those who work in the financial markets – bankers, financiers, investment managers, pensions and insurance fund managers, etc.
These changes will also need government support, both in terms of legislation that will deliberately shift markets in the right direction, and in terms of subsidies, switching these away from carbon intensive industries and towards the green alternatives. And this will be a key role in achieving the carbon emission targets. Our capitalistic economic system is not well equipped to create the change we need. It is not well equipped to reflect the risks and damage caused by carbon intensive industries and products. Nor is it well equipped to ensure that those responsible for the damage already caused should pay for all necessary remedial and restorative action.
Earlier this week – 5th December – Shell and Equinor announced a plan to combine their operations in the North Sea to more effectively extract the remaining oil and gas reserves for ‘decades’ to come! This would ensure their continuing profit levels and in particular share dividends. How can it be economic to extract more carbon emitting oil and gas over those very same decades when we as a nation – and globally – are struggling to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero?
And how can it be that our government will provide subsidies to these oil companies to enable them to develop these projects? It is calculated that with tax breaks and subsidies, the UK could pay upward of 90p in the pound for the cost of developing the Rosebank oil field.
And how can it be that these oil companies can talk about – and use this in their advertising – that they are maintaining the UK’s energy security, and that they are keeping homes warm – and neglecting to point out that the cost of what they provide is at an increasing to customers and the environment – as if only gas and oil could achieve energy security?
What we need for a just transition is:
proactive action taken by the government to create and safeguard a transition via legislation that is fair to the working population, that is fair to householders, and that ensures a level and consistent playing field for businesses
Proactive action taken by the government to redirect subsidies so that they support and enhance the transition to renewables and ensure that the price to the consumer is affordable in the short term. (In the long term re-newables will be cheaper)
Proactive action by the financial world to shift finances from the old carbon intensive industries to the growing low carbon, sustainable ones
Proactive action by companies and organisations to ensure their operations are shifting at pace to achieve net zero.
A key part in this transition can be found in the Climate and Nature Bill – the CAN Bill – which is a private member’s bill that is currently making its way through Parliament. We can show our support for this via the Zero Hours web page and by asking our individuals MPs to back the bill when it comes for its second reading on 24th January – https://www.zerohour.uk/climate-and-nature-bill/
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The feast was first celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church in 1925, moving the the last Sunday of Ordinary Time in 1970. It was included by both Anglican, and other Churches, in the Revised Common Lectionary in 1974 where it forms the conclusion of the Kingdom Season and therefore the conclusion of the Church’s year.
The feast celebrates Jesus as the king of the universe or perhaps more usefully, as king of all creation.
Today’s gospel reading introduces the question as to whether this is a worldly or heavenly kingdom, with Jesus asserting that “My kingdom is not from this world”. This I feel declares that Christ’s kingdom is not one that adheres to,or is shaped by ‘worldy’ rules and practices – ie those that are shaped by greed, selfishness, cruelty etc. Rather Christ’s kingdom is that kingdom whose values we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer, the values of God that we wish to be present and applied on earth just as in heaven.
What does it mean for Jesus to be king? The passage from the prophet Daniel, suggests it is to be our judge. A judge can be the one who sifts the evidence, ways up the options, and tells you where you are going right or wrong. A skilled judge can then give directions as to how to get on to the right pathway.
If we have ears to hear, we will benefit from Christ’s judgement!
The effective reign of a king requires support from the realms’ citizens. If that support is lacking, it will undermine the king’s ability to take action and to change things. To be a citizen of Christ’s kingdom is to show our allegiance to Jesus. How do we do this? By acknowledging that relationship. By reverence. By doing the things that Jesus has shown us – that we act kindly , seek justice, walk humbly before God; that we be a good neighbour… praying the Lord’s Prayer as if we mean it.
But we are still faced with the reality that Jesus’s kingdom is not ‘of this world’ whereas ‘of this world’ is the predominant system in place on earth. How is God’s rule to become not just the predominate, but the only rule?
Kingdom parables suggest that we should be agents or seeds of change – like yeast in the dough; or like the mustard seed that keeps on growing and providing a common home for everyone; or like treasure seekers hunting for buried treasure wherever it may be found; or like merchants who will let go of our personal wealth to gain the pearl above price.
We need to be counter cultural agents of change that challenge the ‘of this world’ rule that allows companies to make profits from exploiting the destructive use of fossil fuels; that allows nations who have benefited from exploitative practices to avoid paying for the damage caused to others; that allows the poor to go hungry – both here in the UK and across the world – whilst the rich squander the earth’s natural wealth; that encourages governments to sell – and profit – from weapons sold to the perpetrators to war crimes. There is no end to the things we as Christians should be challenging as unjust. And there is no end to the ways in which we can reshape our lives to enable us to be better neighbours not just towards our human kin, but to all living things with whom we share this earth, our common home.
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched,
thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne,
his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.
Psalm 93
1 The Lord is King; he has put on splendid apparel; * the Lord has put on his apparel and girded himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure * that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; * you are from everlasting.
4 The waters have lifted up, O Lord, the waters have lifted up their voice; * the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea, * mightier is the Lord who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure, * and holiness adorns your house, O Lord, for ever and for evermore.
Revelation 1:4b-8
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
John 18:33-37
Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. Isaiah 11:1
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: So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: ‘You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors ….. he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.” Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised. Acts 13: 16, 17a, 22b,23
Reflection
Roots secure us to the past, ensure that we are part of the continuity of creation; shoots and branches take our lives forward into the as yet unformed future. Without the next generation there will be no ongoing continuity. The gospels of Luke and Matthew both locate Jesus within a human family tree; the prologue of John’s gospel locates him as co existent with the beginning of all creation. Later in John’s gospel, Jesus affirms his coexistence with the Father and the ongoing coexistence, through him, of all believers, all God’s children.
For gifts of past generations
We thank you God:
For the gift of fire for cooking and heating
For the gift of clean water and sewers
We thank you God:
For the domestication of cattle and horses,
Cats and dogs, sheep and pigs,
Hens and geese
We thank you God:
For the gift of gardening and arable cultivation,
sowing and reaping,
growing and harvesting
We thank you God:
For the gift of healing and caring,
of medicine and surgery
For the understanding of the intricacies of mind and body
We thank you God:
For the gift of story telling and drama,
of art and observation
means of sharing grief and joy.
We thank you God:
For the gift of learning and research,
of teaching and sharing
We thank you God:
For the gift of exploration and endeavour, of travel and communication
We thank you God:
For the gift of worship, of self realisation and of the knowledge of God.
We thank you God:
But what shall we pass on to generations to come?
Do we offer gifts or burdens?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Clean air or choking smog?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Living water or dying oceans?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Renewables or fossil fuels?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Biodiversity or widespread extinction?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Fertile soils or inhospitable dust?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Balmy summers or wild fires?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Snow capped mountains or drowned coastlines?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Homes for all or camps for migrants?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
May we be wise guardians of what we have received
Skilful custodians of what we consume
Generous donors of what we hand on
That the future of creation will be bright and beautiful,
In recent weeks we have been reminded again and again that there is wisdom that comes from ‘above’ – Godly wisdom – and wisdom that has a base origin – ‘worldly wisdom’. The latter is what drives stock markets and banker’s bonuses, that exploits workers and despoils the earth. The former seeks to honour God and love our neighbours – both human and creaturely. The former encourages us to care for, and be cared for, by each other; to be as children, trusting and open, understanding our dependence on God.
Jeremiah suggests the example of being like lambs, or like fruit trees. And drawing on Jesus’s own parable about fruit trees, the implication of the latter being that we should bear a rich harvest in response to God’s tending.
This time of year when we celebrate creation-tide and – for those of us in the northern hemisphere – harvest, so the call to be fruitful is particularly apt. Being fruitful is about flourishing. In the second story of creation in Genesis, God sees an earth that is bare and void of life and desires to see it becoming a verdant garden teaming with life. To this end, God provides water, trees and plants, and beings to till and safeguard all that is growing. That I believe is still God’s desire. We – together with all the other creaturely beings that God created as helpers – have a calling to tend and care for the earth and its flourishing. We are called to tend the plants and trees, the soil and waters, and to care for each other – birds and animals, insects and waterlife as well as our fellow human beings where ever they live across the world.
To do that is to draw upon the wisdom from above – God’s wisdom.
In the letter of James we read: “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” And “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”
And in Mark’s gospel we hear Jesus telling us: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” That is not the wisdom of the world. That is not about huge pay deals and share dividends; that is not about spending £1000s on new clothes; that is not about exploiting oilfields leading to extreme weather events that will cause devastation to those most vulnerable; that is not about seeking huge subsidies so that profits will not be diminished by costs. Nor is it about the 14,000 plus children killed in Gaza, nor the 4.3 million of children growing up in poverty in the UK.
Until we live by the wisdom that comes from above rather than by the wisdom of the world, such grief and suffering is going to continue. Until we can truly live out the command to love our neighbour as ourself, we are going to struggle to follow the example Jesus gave us. Until we become like children recognising our dependency on God, our need to learn from God’s wisdom, we are not going to be able to address these woes for we will constantly find ourselves coming up against the uncompromising negative impact of worldly wisdom – the wisdom that always puts self first.
Let us once again affirm our desire and intention to be live our lives as followers of Jesus.
Jeremiah 11:18-20
It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds.
But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Psalm 54
1 Save me, O God, by your Name; * in your might, defend my cause.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; * give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the arrogant have risen up against me, and the ruthless have sought my life, * those who have no regard for God.
4 Behold, God is my helper; * it is the Lord who sustains my life.
5 Render evil to those who spy on me; * in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice * and praise your Name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, * and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Saturday 21st September: Hammersmith Bridge to Teddington Lock
The ancient practice of pilgrimage, honoured by many of the world’s great faiths, has a renewed focus in this age of climate and ecological emergency. Walking together with intention, mindfulness and prayer proclaims a different pace and place in relationship to the earth; and with each other. We become fellow travellers, learning again to ‘tread lightly’ on the earth. Pilgrimage invites a renewal of body, mind and spirit, while offering a visible sign of a different way of living and travelling.
We meet to start our journey in the community garden at Holy Trinity, Barnes – to leave by 10.30am following these opening prayers
Most High, all powerful, good Lord, To you we offer praise and glory, the honour and blessing. All creation – all that lives and breathes and moves – praises you.
All the elements praise you –
Brother Sun radiant with light and energy, beautiful and awesome,
And who with Sister Moon, establishes day and night, tides and seasons.
All praise to God!
Brother Wind and air, calm and serene, powerful and fearsome,
Bringer of weather, and source of energy.
All praise to God!
Sister Water, humble yet precious, simple and beautiful,
fluid energy and source of life.
All praise to God!
Brother Fire, playful, robust and strong,
offering warmth and comfort, yet to be handled with care!
All praise to God!
Sister-Mother Earth who sustains us and governs us,
And produces plants and minerals, sustaining life in all its rich diversity.
All praise to God!
All the elements praise you
and so too all that lives and breathes within your creation!
All praise to God!
In your bountiful love,
forgive our carelessness, our greed and our destructive acts.
Lord have mercy
Forgive our selfishness, and our failure to show compassion.
Lord have mercy
Forgive our heartlessness, our narrowness of vision and our failure to act justly.
Lord have mercy
Forgive our self-certainty, our disregard for your wisdom and our failure to learn.
Lord have mercy
With humility and contrition, we praise you
and ask your blessing on our endeavours.
May we serve you with humility,
seeking justice and showing loving care for all creation.
To you be all honour and power, praise and glory.
Amen.
Pauses for prayer.
1. Hammersmith Bridge – this bridge reminds us of the importance of rivers as means of transport and also the obstacle they can present if no bridges are available. The current bridge was designed to allows ships and boats to pass underneath as well as allowing pedestrians, cyclists and until recently, other vehicles, to cross over the river. Weaknesses in the structure have resulted in the bridge being closed to vehicular traffic since 2019. During the heat wave in July 2022, the chains were wrapped in foil and cooled with air-conditioning to 13°C to prevent further cracking – a reminder that climate change presents us with many unforeseen concerns.
We give thanks for bridges and sustainable means of transport that enable us to travel to school and work, to visit friends and family, to send and receive goods and services.
Yet we lament our human perverseness in developing and using modes of transport that damage the environment and disrupt life .
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
2. Leg of Mutton reservoir – Built in 1838, the Leg o’ Mutton Reservoir supplied water until its decommission in 1960. After much toing and froing, it avoided becoming a house estate and in 1990, became a local nature reserve. The reservoir hosts a wealth of wildlife including over wintering teal and shovelers, Common terms, Pochards and Little Grebes, whilst the reed beds are home to various warblers and dragon flies.
We give thanks for these small but biodiverse rich pockets of wild habitat, that remind us of the beauty and interconnectedness of the natural world. We give thanks for the work and dedication of volunteers and staff who enable such places to flourish.
Yet we lament the relentless pursuit of profit which inhibits more widespread development of such sites, and we lament the ease with which we humans expect to dominate over nature and land use.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
3. Black poplar tree – the native black poplar is a rare tree in the UK so it is surprising and delightful to find that a number of them have been identified here along the tow path. They are a floodplain species that thrives in waterlogged habitats, but with many natural wetland areas being drained and cleared for other uses, the loss of habitat has contributed to their decline. To ensure their continued survival, cuttings have been taken allowing some 300 saplings to be planted both here and in suitable sites across the country.
We give thanks for the diversity of trees and plants in creation, each one uniquely special, and acknowledge that it is the diversity of flora that enables humans and other species to thrive.
We lament our shortsightedness in reducing the range of habitats that exist both here in the UK and across the world, and the knock on effect that has on the health and well being of so many human lives.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
4. Mortlake – here in the 17th century the famous Mortlake tapestries were woven by Flemish weavers. Some of the master weavers were granted English citizenship, whilst orphaned boys from the City of London were taken on as apprentices.
Following the potato famine in the 1840s many Irish people sought work in the market gardens that then abound in Mortlake, and this gave rise to the building of Mortlake’s first Roman Catholic Church – St Mary Magdelene’s.
This riverside location has also attracted other migrants; we passed by the Swedish school in Barnes, and further upstream we will pass the German school at Petersham.
We give thanks for the diverse people who have settled along the Thames enriching the lives of their local communities.
Yet we lament the failure of governments to assist those fleeing from climate disasters and the failure of harvests, and those fleeing from wars and conflicts inflamed by climate change.
We lament our failure to offer all in need safe passage and a warm welcome.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
5. Chiswick Bridge – where the Oxford and Cambridge boat race has its finishing line. The participating crews then celebrate or commiserate at the boathouse opposite home to the Quintin Boat Club and the University of Westminster Boat Club. Much of the land on the north bank is used for various sporting and fitness activities.
We give thanks for joy that the Thames provides a place for sport recreation both in, on and by the water, and for the health giving benefits of exercise.
We lament the inequalities of our society that precludes everyone having easy access to open spaces and sporting facilities. We lament the loss of school playing fields and youth clubs.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
6. Kew Gardens – which has a plant collection of some 17,000 species from around the world. Kew Gardens also carries out research into climatechange-resistant crops, zero-carbon fertiliser, and plant- and cell – based foods products. Yet even Kew Gardens is not free from the threat of climate change. A recent report has found that some 50% of Kew’s trees are threatened by rising temperatures, whilst plans are in place to relocate Kew’s herbarium to Reading to avoid the risk of flooding.
We give thanks for the rich diversity of plants that exists around the world, and for the research being done to protect and enhance plants, habitats and food supplies.
Yet we lament the industrialisation of farming and the over grazing and exploitation of land to satisfy our desire for meat. We lament the economic models that leave many in the world with inadequate and poor diets .
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
Lunch break!
7. Richmond Lock. The Thames is still tidal here and the lock helps maintain water levels between here and Teddington Lock. Even so during high tides and/ or times of heavy rain land either side of the river can flood and the risk is growing as a result of the climate crisis with both rising sea levels and extreme weather systems. To ease this, work is being carried out in the Old Deer Park to create creeks and swales, allowing the land to become once again a real floodplain.
We give thanks for the natural capacity of the soil, trees and plants to absorb rainfall. We give thanks for the diversity of habitats that enhance sustainable ecosystems.
Yet we lament the pressure we are placing on the environment to cope with the climate crisis that we have caused. We lament the threat that rising sea levels causes for so many small nations.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
8. Water meadows and parks – between roughly Barnes/ Mortlake and upto Kingston /Weybridge, this section of the river is known as Arcadian Thames. It’s a leafy green environment with, as here, real water meadows, and a number of country houses whose grounds stretch down to the river side. These homes were built by past generations of the rich and influential who sought a rural retreat – and the area is still one of desirable and expensive housing. This stretch of the Thames forms part of a scheme called Rewilding Arcadia which seeks to restore the natural, intrinsic functioning of the flood plain as a means of reducing the risk and effects of flooding. Flooding will be – and indeed already is – an increasing problem due to the climate crisis. Rewilding the river allows new and better relationships between people and their lives, the river and its ecosystems.
We give thanks for the beauty of the Arcadian riverine environment, its green spaces and its relaxing atmosphere. We give thanks for the enhanced biodiversity that it supports, and we give thanks for the restorative and health-giving capacities of these blue and green spaces.
Yet we lament the thoughtless creep of urbanisation that can destroy such beauty. We lament the pollution that seeps into the river from roads and homes, from commercial and industrial sites. We lament the careless use of plastic in all its guises which so easily ends up in rivers and waterways.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
9. Teddington Lock – here the powers of the Port of London Authority give way to those of the Environment Agency. The locks allow the passage of boats of various sizes whilst the weir regulates the level of water upstream. A scheme to replace part of the weir with a hydro electric plant was turned down in 2016 because of the objections of the nearby Lensbury Club.
More recently this area is the subject of controversial proposals by Thames Water, involving extracting large volumes of water from the river for use by customers, and replacing it with treated sewage which would be released into the river, adversely affecting the biodiversity of this unique location where the tidal river meets the freshwater river.
Meanwhile the construction work involved would severely damage the special habitats that form the Ham Lands Local Nature Reserve.
Better alternatives would include fully treating sewage at the Mogden and Beckton treatment plants such that the water could be reused to fill key reservoirs, mending the leaks which account for the loss of some 600 million litres of water a day, and encouraging customers (both domestic ones like us and commercial customers) to use less water. Domestic use in the UK averages 140 litres per person whilst in Denmark it is 104 litres per person.
We give thanks for the gift of clean water for drinking and washing. We give thanks for gift of rain and for the streams and rivers which flow through each river basin bringing life and vitality to the environment. We give thanks for the diversity of plants and wildlife that these waters support.
We lament our folly when we let good water run to waste, when we let pollution damage our waterways, when we fail to value what is so precious. We lament our selfishness when we use water as if it was an endless supply, when we use more than we need, putting other lives at risk. We lament the economic system that allows water to be sold, profiting share holders at the expense of the vulnerable.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
10. St Richard’s, Ham
Let us make a final pause here at the end of our pilgrimage. Having begun our journey with a variation of St Francis’s Canticle of the Creatures, let us end with a modern Franciscan blessing.
May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts.
May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, hunger, and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen.
Christian Climate Action – we are a community of Christians who support each other to take meaningful action in the face of imminent and catastrophic anthropogenic climate breakdown. We are inspired by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. Following the example of social justice movements of the past, we carry out acts of public witness, nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to urge those in power to make the changes needed. We also work to engage and mobilise people to take action.
Should we give up flying for the sake of the planet?
I recently took part in a radio show where this was the topic being discussed. I am someone who for the last 20 years (I think) has deliberately chosen – for environmental reasons – not to fly. The other panellist was a pilot for a charity that flies people and resources in and out of remote islands in Asia. Two extremes but actually we both agreed that there were some instances when flying was a good thing – such as providing medical support for people, which could be for remote islanders in the Pacific, islanders living off the coasts of Scotland or for medical emergencies where an air ambulance can rapidly transfer people to hospital. Equally flying might be a key way of getting resources, food and medicines to areas cut off from other modes of transport after natural and other disasters.
However such instances do not make up the bulk of air travel across the world, nor are they applicable to the majority of locations worldwide. Most flights are scheduled flights, mostly carrying passengers.
According to a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2023, there were 36 million aircraft departures, conveying some 4497 million scheduled passengers plus cargo. Measured in terms of revenue, scheduled passengers generated $646 billion and cargo $138 billion. (1)
Aviation accounts for 2.5% of global CO₂ emissions. However its impact on global warming is even more because of the impact of planes at high altitude affecting the concentration of other atmospheric gases and pollutants. (2)
If 2.5% of global emissions seems small, we need to remember that these emissions come from just 10% of the world’s population – nine out ten people don’t fly and that is almost always because it is an unaffordable luxury.
Yet air travel is predicted to continue to increase – ISTA predicts a 3.8% increase in passenger numbers every year, resulting in 4 billion extra passenger journeys by 2043. (1) Is this sensible – indeed justifiable – given the impact that this would have on the amount of carbon held in the atmosphere and its impact on accelerating the rise in global temperatures and the impact of that on daily life for most people?
Even if planes become more efficient in burning fuel, and even if sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) becomes a reality at scale, can the airline industry increase flights and at the same time reducing emissions? Not so according to the predictions of the consultants Bain and Company:-
“We estimate that the airline industry’s current decarbonisation measures will result in a net 3.4% increase in its global CO2 emissions by 2030 vs. 2019 levels. This is based on the outlook that a 23% reduction in CO2 emissions per RPK (thanks to fleet renewal and sustainable aviation fuel usage) would be more than offset by a 36% increase in global RPK [revenue passenger kilometres – the number of paying passengers multiplied by the total distance traveled]. It would require an additional carbon tax equivalent to 5% of average ticket prices worldwide in order for the industry to maintain its 2019 C02 emissions volume in 2030, according to our forecast.” (3)
The conclusion must then be that the 10% of us who do fly, should think twice about doing so. We should stop flying to safeguard our own future, to safe guard the future of the next generation, and to safeguard the lives of the 90% who are not even contributing to the problem. As Christians we have the command that we should love our neighbour as ourself which includes each and every neighbour on the other side of the world who does or doesn’t fly. And caring for our neighbour will include conserving aviation fuel for those planes and helicopters providing emergency aid and access for those remote and inaccessible places
Of course our worry is that while we may make the sacrifice of not flying, no one else will and therefore our actions will not have any safeguarding affect! That is a good reason to sign the Flight Free Pledge (4) to generate a groundswell of people committed to not flying. It also becomes a good reason to talk about not flying, to create then social norm that flying is the exception not the norm, to expound the advantages of travelling instead by train – comfort, legroom, no congested airport lounges, less stress, seeing more of the countryside, sleepers for night travel, on board restaurants…
The other concern is cost. Whilst air travel is prohibitively expensive for most people, train travel can be equally prohibitive. Governments across the world need to be encouraged to impose taxes and operation rules to restrict air travel and to make train travel more affordable. To do so will be cost effective if it enables us to bring down emissions and properly tackle the climate crisis.
Yes absolutely we should give up flying to save the planet!
Not a treaty but a pledge. The Flight Free pledge invites us to undertake not to fly for a year – or longer. At its root it was a movement focused on limiting carbon emissions that boost climate change. That is still there but with a more nuanced objective of justice.
“Aviation emissions affect us disproportionately: it’s typically the rich nations who take most of the flights, whereas the poor nations are suffering the effects of climate change and are least equipped to deal with rising temperatures.
“Even here in the UK, only around half of people fly per year, yet the negative effects of aviation are felt by a large number of people, whether by noise and pollution from airports, or taxpayer-funded bailouts for airlines.
“Aviation doesn’t pay its fair share of tax, with no tax on jet fuel (road fuel is taxed at 50%), and no VAT on airline tickets. The benefits of aviation are felt by only a few, yet we all suffer the negative consequences.”
Take a look at their web site – maybe this is the year for you to take the pledge.
In the letter to the Ephesians, we are told Jesus has ‘broken down the dividing wall’. The writer describes how, in the new era of Christ, there is no difference between those who are Jewish followers – the circumcised – and those who are gentile followers – the uncircumcised. The dividing wall in the letter is a metaphor for the separation and animosity with which each group had viewed the other. But today in our modern world there are real walls that have been deliberately and purposefully built to separate one group of people from another.
In Israel the government has – and still is – building walls that separate the Palestinian people from the Israeli people; walls that demarcate roads which Israelis can drive along and roads which Palestinians can travel on; walls that mark out where Israelis may build homes and farms and and where Palestinians may try and make a scratch a living.
In this country we have gated estates where walls – and locked gates – separate houses for the rich from those who can not afford such luxury lifestyles. We have walled gardens and swimming pools where the wealthy owners of exclusive apartments can relax and their children play, but where those who live in the ‘affordable’ flats may not go.
And we have prison walls – the unclimbable, high outer walls that stop us seeing who is inside, and the internal walls that corral prisoners into overcrowded cells – sometimes for 23 hours of the day.
For the writer of Ephesians it is obvious that the saving grace of Jesus, by breaking down the walls and barriers that divide people, enables the reach of God’s commonwealth or rule – to be universal: to be accessible to, and beneficial for, all. And the converse is true: in so far as barriers and walls remain, in so far as people are divided into those on the inside and those on the outside, into those who are valued and those who are despised, there will be no universal peace, no universal realm of God’s commonwealth.
The other readings we have today all share the common theme of the shepherd – of good shepherds and bad shepherds, and the needs of those who lack a shepherd.
Sheep are herd animals; they rely on having a leader, someone who keeps them safe and together as a flock. Without a leader – without a shepherd – they get lost, fall over cliffs, are attacked by lions, incur injuries and catch diseases, and they may even fail to find the basic necessities of food and water. So too with human society. We do need someone to give direction, to coordinate our efforts, to give us an overview of what’s happening in the world both near and far. We need good leaders, leaders who are concerned for the whole flock and not just themselves. Leaders who ensure that everyone has food and water, places to rest. Leaders who are wise and compassionate. Leaders who will risk their own safety for their flock. Leaders who see danger before it comes, and take action to avert the risk.
Leaders cannot do this if they separate people into those who are deserving and those who are undeserving. Into those who are included and those who are excluded. Leaders cannot be good leaders if they build walls that divide and separate.
Peace will not be possible in the Holy Land if rules and practices and walls separate the people into those who are favoured and those who are persecuted.
Happy and healthy communities will not be possible if the distribution of wealth and access to opportunities favour some and not others.
Honest and robust public debate will not be possible if truth tellers are persecuted and imprisoned whilst those who peddle half truths and lies are welcomed.
This week five climate activists were sentenced to four years, and for one five years, in prison for planning a campaign to highlight the disruption that the climate crisis will cause for us all. And not only have they been imprisoned for wanting to alert everyone to the danger, they were not free to explain to the jury the truth that motivated their actions. Big oil and gas companies on the other hand, are free to bend the ears of those in government, to lobby for the continuation of subsidies for their industry, to promote new ways of using their products, whilst all the time knowing of the destruction that their industry is causing to the climate and to the environment.
Where are the good shepherds, who will care for and protect their flocks from the dangers of climate change? Where are the leaders who are willing to tell people about the scale of crisis and the actions needed to avert disaster? Where are the leaders willing to challenge industries – fossil fuels, beef and dairy, construction, aviation – whose businesses are contributing to the crisis? Where are the leaders willing to shift subsidies from those products to those of the green economy? Where are the leaders willing to insulate homes, promote plant based diets, encourage active travel and public transport? Where are the leaders willing to invest in adapting our built and natural environments so that we can cope better with the effects of climate change?
Perhaps that is where the baton passes to us. As followers of Christ can we see ourselves as called to be active citizens of God’s commonwealth, doing all we can to build healthy relationships rather than walls that divide, seeking out and supporting good leaders, and challenging those who fall short, loving our neighbours – seeking their well being as well as ours – and pursuing those actions that will safeguard the natural environment? In this we have – as the writer to the Ephesians tells us – Jesus as both corner stone and structure.
So let us keep abreast of what is happening to God’s creation, to what needs nurture and protection. Let us seek out and support good leaders. Let us write and email and tell the truth to those leaders who are failing. Let us be Christ’s disciples sharing the good news that God’s commonwealth welcomes all, overcoming the barriers that divide, and cares for all.
Jeremiah 23:1-6
Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who shepherd my people: It is you who have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. So I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the lands where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will raise up shepherds over them who will shepherd them, and they shall not fear any longer, or be dismayed, nor shall any be missing, says the Lord.
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd; * I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures * and leads me beside still waters.
3 He revives my soul * and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.
4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; * for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; * you have anointed my head with oil, and my cup is running over.
6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, * and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Ephesians 2:11-22
Remember that at one time you Gentiles by birth, called “the uncircumcision” by those who are called “the circumcision” —a physical circumcision made in the flesh by human hands— remember that you were at that time without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross, thus putting to death that hostility through it. So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. Now many saw them going and recognised them, and they hurried there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. As he went ashore, he saw a great crowd; and he had compassion for them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.
When they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret and moored the boat. When they got out of the boat, people at once recognised him, and rushed about that whole region and began to bring the sick on mats to wherever they heard he was. And wherever he went, into villages or cities or farms, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and begged him that they might touch even the fringe of his cloak; and all who touched it were healed.
Do people in our generation know that there had been prophets amongst us?
Who are prophets? Prophets are people who speak up for God’s desire for social justice both in our own communities and globally, and for God’s call that we should care for and ensure the flourishing of the earth’s environment. I would include in this category of prophets groups like Extinction Rebellion, Christian Climate Action, Greenpeace and Just Stop Oil. But like Ezekiel, I think people often choose not to hear what the prophets are saying – the truth can be uncomfortable.
Whether we are a prophets or not, we still need, I think, to ‘look with the eyes of a servant’ – that is to look with focused attention – to see what God wants us to do and to know how God wants us to live. For this we need to a patient, trusting relationship with God. One in which we read the scriptures, look at nature (the second book of scripture), listen in our hearts, and look at the state of the world around us. We should do this with humility and openness, not assuming that we know the answers nor assuming that our discerning will make us rich and powerful. If we thus pay attention, we will learn what it is that God wants and hopes for us, both as individuals and as communities.
I firmly believe God asks us to honour all that is divine by honouring and respecting all creation, and to care for and enable the flourishing of all creation – and that that includes the people in our own families and communities, the people in our own country, and the people in all other parts of the world. And further that God calls us to honour and care not just for our fellow human beings but everything that lives – birds and insects, fish and mammals, trees and plants, rivers and oceans, and even things like glaciers and icecaps.
And this is something we are patently not doing. 10 people died as a result of floods in the Alps this last fortnight. 100s of pilgrims undertaking the Haj in Mecca have died from excess heat. 10,000s of people have died in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.Many more are dying unnoticed in the intertribal conflict in Sudan. Many are starving in the refugee camps in Chad. Entire islands have been overwhelmed by hurricane Beryl in the Carribean.
Record temperatures are again being recorded in the southern Mediterranean, the Indian sub continent and across North America. Drought and excess heat are devastating wildlife as well as livestock and crops. Rising temperatures and receding glaciers are decimating native alpine plants. Increased use of pesticides and herbicides and diminishing natural habitats are depleting the numbers of songbirds and insects. Ocean bed trawling and pollution are contributing to the sharp decline in fish stocks and sea birds.
The continued expansion of oil and gas production is accelerating climate breakdown. The continued widespread production and consumption of beef, chicken and other animal based food, is likewise contributing to climate breakdown, deforestation and biodiversity decline – as well as diverting large tracts of land to feed the rich few at the expense of the greater proportion of the global population. We eat our western meat based diet at the expense of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world who suffer hunger and malnutrition.
Such observations are disconcerting, unsettling and frequently ignored. We do not lift our eyes to God, to see what God sees. We do not open our ears to hear what God hears. We do not open our hearts to love as God loves. Yet often the problems we would encounter are not the fault of individuals but of the cultures and systems of which we are a part.
Should we then, as a church, call on our communities to repent of the systems and cultures and the ways of living, that are causing social injustice and climate change and biodiversity loss? As well as calling for repentance, do we also need to share a vision for how we can ensure social justice – both making up for past injustices and creating a just society going forwards? A vision of how we can tackle climate breakdown, living different lifestyles that cause less pollution and sharing resources more equitably? A vision of how we can make good the loss of biodiversity and ensure the flourishing of the natural environment of which we humans are a part?
Yes, I think we do. Just as Jesus commissioned his disciples to be prophetic – calling for repentance and preaching the good news – and to share the reality of the kingdom of God – healing the sick and casting aside all that destroys wellbeing. And to do this through the power and wisdom of God.
As individuals and as the church we need to pay attention and learn about the state of the environment locally and globally, about the well being – or not – of wildlife and about the wellbeing – or not – of humankind, bearing in mind that there should be justice for all. In honouring God, we need to envisage what changes and what work God requires to firmly establish God’s rule – God’s way of living – here on earth. In repenting, we need to heal the wounds and injustices we humans have caused, and to lead new, reformed lives, changing the culture in which we live.
Let’s start today!
Ezekiel 2:1-5
The Lord said to me: O mortal, stand up on your feet, and I will speak with you. And when he spoke to me, a spirit entered into me and set me on my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. He said to me, Mortal, I am sending you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants are impudent and stubborn. I am sending you to them, and you shall say to them, “Thus says the Lord God.” Whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house), they shall know that there has been a prophet among them.
Psalm 123
1 To you I lift up my eyes, * to you enthroned in the heavens.
2 As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, * and the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,
3 So our eyes look to the Lord our God, * until he show us his mercy.
4 Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy, * for we have had more than enough of contempt,
5 Too much of the scorn of the indolent rich, * and of the derision of the proud.
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows. And I know that such a person—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know; God knows— was caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Mark 6:1-13
Jesus came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offence at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honour, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.
Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
