Loading...
Sermon December 2, 2018
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers,
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Advent I, Year C
http://lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Advent/CAdv1_RCL.html
Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.’ Luke 21:28
Please be seated.
Happy New Year! We don’t really start our new church year on a note of good cheer. We hear Christ talking about the trials and tribulations that will befall the earth prior to his coming again. As the old Spiritual goes,
My Lord what a morning
My Lord what a morning
O My Lord what a morning
When the stars begin to fall
We certainly hear much evidence that feels like the stars are beginning to fall and that the nations are in distress. Here are a few I read or heard about in the past week:
Life expectancy in the United States has gone down once again, mostly due to increases in deaths related to drug use and increases in deaths from suicide. Pennsylvania is the number 1 state in the country with deaths due to opioid overdoses, according to statistics from 2017. Nearly 5,400 PA residents died of drug overdoses in 2017, which is 44.3 overdose deaths per 100,000 people. This is more than double the national average. Yesterday, it was announced that the Bloomberg Foundation will donate at least $10 million to address this crisis in Pennsylvania.
In a segment from National Public Radio, All Things Considered, David Brooks characterized it like this:
“…what we're seeing is a rise of deaths of despair - suicide, opiate addiction, liver, all these things that have to do with social isolation. And that to me - that social isolation is driving a lot of our politics and a lot of our cultural malaise.”
And our government issued Volume II of the Fourth Annual Climate Assessment. This Volume delves into impacts, risks and adaptation necessary in the United States due to changes in the climate. The biggest headlines spoke about the increases in the numbers of deaths and the economic impact of the changing climate. Here’s how the Fox News website reported this story:
The White House on Friday released a federal report that found that the impacts of climate change are being felt across the country, and “extreme weather and climate-related events” are going to worsen in the years to come -- with a significant impact on the economy.
The National Climate Assessment finds that extreme weather disasters “"have already become more frequent, intense, widespread or of long duration and have cost the the U.S. nearly $400 billion since 2015.”
The report is mandated every four years and is based on previous research. Its aim is to detail how climate change is affecting the U.S. and how it is impacting the economy. It is written by outside scientists and officials from 13 federal agencies.
“Without more significant global greenhouse gas mitigation and regional adaptation efforts, climate change is expected to cause substantial losses to infrastructure and property and impede the rate of economic growth over this century,” the report says, arguing that sectors that require national resources and favorable climates -- such as agriculture, tourism and fishing, are particularly vulnerable.
The report also finds that the U.S. will be 3-12 degrees hotter by the end of the century, depending on how much greenhouse gas is released into the atmosphere. It also says that more than 90 percent of current warming is caused by humans.
I read a story in the New York Times about how some younger people are buying property in more rural areas that appear to be good areas to survive climate change. They are raising their own food and building homes that could be sustainable.
This is all based on a map from the December 2016 issue of the magazine Popular Science about the best places to live in 2100. It’s no surprise that the far north of the United States, especially northern Michigan and northwest Maine will be the best places to live. It looks like our region will experience stronger storms – rain, hurricanes, and snow. We may also have an increase in insect-borne illnesses.
Although another story I read this week talked about the enormous extinction of insects that is occurring. The title of the story in the New York Times Magazine was: “The Insect Apocalypse is here.”
Okay, maybe you think I read or listen to too much news!
So, what do we do when faced with these seemingly intractable challenges that threaten our very way of life? Do we just sit back, thinking that this all brings Jesus’ second coming closer yet? Jesus says we should stand up and raise our heads because our redemption is drawing near.” (verse 28).
In verses 34-36 of today’s Gospel, Jesus says:
‘Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, 35like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. 36Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.’
What do we need to do to stand before the Son of Man? What do we need to do to stand before Jesus?
Here are some things I think we are already doing…
Michael is here from Join Hands and we have bags of gifts for 40 children whose wishes we have received through Join Hands. We take additional offerings for the Join Hands heating and health fund and we give a yearly donation.
Earlier this year, the Environmental Stewardship Committee asked each of us to look into lowering our carbon footprint by 10%. We were to turn in pledge forms. I don’t think many of us did actually turn in those forms and I know some of us took actions. Let’s keep moving on efforts to lower our individual carbon footprints.
Our church carbon footprint has been dramatically reduced. We need to figure out how to get to zero, which may involve purchasing carbon offsets. These are paying towards projects that plant trees, or give people in another part of the world solar stoves, so that carbon going into the atmosphere is reduced. If you travel by train or airplane, you may see options to offset your trips. I know this is true for the train.
The clergy in Perry County are working together to sponsor a workshop for clergy on the church’s role in addressing addiction. The Rev. Dr. Stuart Hoke, an Episcopalian priest, will be leading the workshop currently scheduled for February. We also support Perry Human Services, who provides services to address addiction and to support people who are addicts and their families.
We are in the season of Advent, a time for examining ourselves and evaluating how we are prepared to stand before Jesus. Let us be alert, pray and take action.
Amen
Life Expectancy: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/suicide-50-year-peak-pushes-us-life-expectancy-59486753
Bloomberg Foundation Story: https://www.apnews.com/bf8dc7febd8a4213a094448e027fe550
David Brooks: https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/672342398/week-in-politics-the-g-20-summit-and-the-special-counsel-investigation
National Climate Reports by month from NOAA: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/climate-information/analyses/monthly-us-climate-reports
Fourth Annual Climate Assessment: https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/
Fox News Climate Report: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/climate-report-warns-of-grim-economic-consequences-more-weather-disasters-in-us
Climate Change Insurance: Buy Land Somewhere Else: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/30/realestate/climate-change-insurance-buy-land-somewhere-else.html
Best Places to live in 2100: https://www.popsci.com/best-places-to-live-in-america-in-2100-ad-0
