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Climate Refugees

by Vicar Lisa

One of my assignments for my Christian Ethics class was to watch a film entitled Climate Refugees. It is a 2010 American documentary film, directed and produced by Michael P. Nash. The documentary attempts to cover the human impact of climate change by considering those who could most be affected by it. I was able to watch it from the PLTS server which, unfortunately, I cannot share with you, but you can rent it here: CLIMATE REFUGEES (vhx.tv)

This film gave me a lot to think about. I have had the experience of having my house flooded when we lived in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We and our pets had to evacuate and were moved to 3 different shelters. Finally, my son was able to drive from Houston and rescue us. Then, after the 27 inches of water receded, we dried it all out, fought the mold, and rebuilt. And then we moved to Colorado where we sit on a high ridge where it will never flood. Wildfires maybe, but no floods.

And in looking at my personal experience, versus the experience of millions of people across the globe who will eventually be permanently flooded, I realize that I was privileged. That is what struck me the most. We had shelters available, we were able to take our pets. We had money in the bank. We had insurance that covered the loss of cars and campers. Unfortunately, we did not have flood insurance, but we got an SBA loan to help rebuild. We had family and friends who came and helped. We had the freedom to move away to a place that is safe within my country’s boundaries.

The millions that will be impacted by global warming and rising sea levels are not so privileged. They have very few resources and most likely there are no governmental programs to help. They will become nomads, but they cannot move beyond borders. And the opportunities for the elderly and the uneducated are dismal.

For the first time, humanity is now the single most decisive force of planetary nature itself. We are altering the carbon content and dynamic in the atmosphere and the oceans, effecting acidification of the oceans, and resetting the planet’s thermostat. We are sending species to eternal death at a quickening pace. We have reengineered more rocks, soil, and landscapes in the last century than have volcanoes, earthquakes, and glaciers. We have modified the flow of most rivers and changed the water catchment areas of the world. We may, in fact, be initiating a new geological epoch, already christened “the Anthropocene” because of the dominance of human activity.

It is easy to dismiss climate change as someone else’s problem. However, climate change is not a “they” problem, it is “our” problem. We as Christians must see that creation belongs to God and is not here just for us to exploit it. The ecological crisis that we are in is really a crisis of the whole life system of the modern industrial world and we have brought this crisis upon ourselves.

The charge given in Genesis 2 to till and keep the land is the protective work of a gardener, not predatory exploitation. We, as Christians need to reframe our role as a protector and tender of the creation, not as people to exploit it. The Bible has been used to justify exploitation of God’s creation, especially dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28) and to subdue the earth (Genesis 1:28). However, this anthropocentric view, that nature is valued primarily for utility to humans, is not God’s will. With today’s ecological crisis, we need to look to the earth and protect it as good stewards of God’s creation.

At the end of the movie, a question was posed as if it was being asked of us by our children/grandchildren. “What role did you play in the climate war?” It made me think. I was a Health and Safety Manager for an environmental remediation company for 30 years before becoming a Vicar, so I am very passionate about protecting the environment from harm.  

However, I too am guilty of climate sin. We keep our home cooler than it needs to be in summer.  I will still grab bottled water instead of filling up a reusable mug. I rinse my dishes before putting them in the dishwasher and so on. Am I doing my part? What else can I do? I need to think about that. Please join me.

 

22nd Sunday After Pentecost – Oct. 20,

10 a.m. Worship with Communion

Announcements

  • Favorite Scripture of the Week: “For God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not perish but may have eternal life.” John 3:16
  • 5-Loaves Volunteers Needed: We are seeking people to help with 5-Loaves meal preparation on Friday and for people to deliver meals on Saturday. If you can help, let Norine Hazen or Jo Moss know.
  • Weekly Bible Studies Continue Oct. 23 & 26: The Rev. Dr. Becky McNeil continues the weekly Bible Study entitled, The Bible from Scratch, The Old Testament for Beginners by Donald L. Griggs. The sessions are presented on two different days of the week, Wednesdays at 1 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 a.m., which gives participants more flexibility. Even if you missed the first sessions, please consider joining us now.
  • Sukkot at Temple Aaron: The Zion’s congregation is invited to participate in Sukkot celebration including the Shabbat service at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 18, at Temple Aaron, followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. in the Sukkah. Then at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19, there will be a Torah reading, prayers, and songs in the Sukkah followed by a Kiddush lunch and discussion at 11:45 a.m. Additional information and registration can be found at: https://crm.templeaaron.org/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=19.
  • Trinidad Hurricane Relief Concert: Tracy Wahl and Chris Smith have organized a Hurricane Relief Concert with proceeds to benefit World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization dedicated to delivering water and food to communities in need. The concert headliners are local to Southern Colorado. It begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, at Trinidad State College’s Massari Center for the Performing Arts. Admission to the concert is by donation.
  • Newsletter Deadline: Zion’s November newsletter deadline is Oct. 22. Please contact Jo Moss to make submissions or updates.
  • Reformation Sunday: In celebration of Reformation Sunday on Oct. 27, please wear red.

E-formation – 22nd  Sunday after Pentecost, Oct. 20

We are half a year away from Holy Week, yet there is much in the readings for this coming Sunday that reminds us of Good Friday. Indeed, every Sunday we stand at the foot of the cross. Come join the assembly there.

Mark 10:35-45

For Mark, Jesus is hidden in his life of servanthood and in his death. However, when the word is proclaimed in the assembly, Christ is revealed as messiah. This excerpt repeats the Markan emphasis on the reversal of the expected order, here especially concerning authority, just as the death of Jesus reverses the Jewish expectation of a savior. In the Old Testament, “drinking the cup” is an image used for both good and ill, and “to be baptized” is to be immersed in calamities. Here Mark, like Paul, ties the early church’s sacramental practice of communion and baptism to Jesus’ death. This passage uses “lord” with negative connotations. Who is on Jesus’ right and left hand (15:27) are the bandits on Golgotha. Mark’s is the earliest New Testament use of the image of salvation as ransom.

Isaiah 53:4-12

This, the fourth Servant Song, written perhaps about 550 bce, claims that God will place the sins of all people on the back of a suffering Israel, whose voluntary pains take on the punishment meant for the nations. According to this interpretation, the song is a religious response to the ordeal of the exile. Other interpreters see the “he” as some single individual, who in death becomes like a sacrificial animal as payment for sin. The message of the poem, although complex and heavy, concludes with hope.

Hebrews 5:1-10

The excerpt from Hebrews elaborates on the metaphor that Christ is the high priest. For the author of Hebrews in about 70 ce, the title “Son of God” does not have trinitarian overtones but echoes the Old Testament meaning that the son of God is one adopted to serve in God’s place: our English translations import capital letters (“Son”) into the biblical text. Melchizedek is mentioned in Genesis 14, Psalm 110, and eight times in Hebrews. A king of Salem and a priest of God Most High (a pre-Israelite deity), Melchizedek is remembered as blessing Abram and presenting him with bread and wine. The author of Hebrews begins the Christian imaginative interest in this mysterious figure. Hebrews is one of several New Testament books that assume that Christians will suffer for their faith.

Zion's Lutheran Church

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