A Change is in the Air
Oct 25, 2009
Scripture: Job 42:1-6, 10-17
Then Job answered the Lord: “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he had prayed for his friends; and the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. Then there came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they ate bread with him in his house; they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him; and each of them gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; and he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand donkeys. He also had seven sons and three daughters. In all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job’s daughters; and their father gave them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children, and his children’s children, four generations. And Job died, old and full of days.
Sermon: A Change is In the Air by Rev Doreen Oughton
Will you be with me in a spirit of prayer? May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O God who is the ground of my being.
Let’s play a game of association. I’ll say a number, and you just shout out some association you make with that number. Okay? Number 1….7….10…13….16…
18….21…52…65…99…350.
Anybody, does anybody make a connection with the number 350? Well, my hope is that after today, each of you will make strong associations with this number, perhaps be inspired to action, be validated in actions you’ve been taking, and perhaps share about this number with family, friends and neighbors.
The number 350 refers to parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Many scientists and climate experts say that 350 parts per million is the safe upper limit for carbon dioxide if we wish to preserve a planet similar to the one in which civilization developed and to which current life on earth has adapted.
Before I dive in a little more to the theories of climate change and what it might mean for us as people of faith, let me pause a minute to refer back to my children’s sermon. I spoke to the children about staying humble, about believing that God’s world is so much larger, more complex and more connected than I can possibly imagine. And so I enter this time of reflection with the greatest of humility, and invite you to join in listening with humble hearts. I cannot know what God’s intention for this world is, or what power humans have to affect anything in this plan. But it also strikes me that God made us with questioning minds, an ability to learn and grow, and a level of self-agency and free will. And so we move forward, with a willingness to ask questions, seek answers, learn and grow and take action. And let us do so always in prayerful communion with God, asking for a right-sized perspective of our role and our power. We pray for a spirit of humility and awe rather than arrogance, certainty or cynicism.
So I have a few more numbers to toss out at you. Now we do want some CO2 in the atmosphere because it works with other greenhouse gases to trap heat in. Without it, Earth would be too cold for human habitation. It seems that up until about 200 years ago, earth’s atmosphere contained 275 parts per million of CO2. And this seemed a useful amount. Then humans began to burn coal and gas and oil as we produced energy and goods. Scientists believe that because of this, the amount of carbon in the atmosphere began to rise, slowly at first, then progressively more quickly. So where are we now? We are at almost 390 parts per million, and the number rises by about 2 parts each year. So we are already over the amounts recommended for sustainability of the planet as we know it. Now this does not mean the peril is urgent or immediate. It’s like seeing a doctor and learning that your cholesterol level or blood pressure is too high. It doesn’t mean you will die immediately, but it does mean there are signs of trouble now, and if not addressed, will result in much more serious outcomes.
This number of 350 has been around for about 2 years. Prior to that there were different ideas about the number for sustainability. Bill McKibben, a climate control activitist, says that the reason for this is that putting carbon into the atmosphere has always been a huge experiment, and it’s been tough to judge exactly where the danger lies. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s the estimate was put at twice the pre-industrial level: 550. In the late 1990’s and into this decade, scientists generally agreed that the threshold was lower and talked about CO2 density interchangeably with an increase in temperature. It was thought that 450 ppm corresponded to a temperature increase of 2 degrees Celsius. This was considered the safe upper limit. However, in the summer of 2007 a number of signs indicated that the safe limit had already been crossed. The Arctic ice was melting rapidly, there was a spike in methane emissions, there was a melt of high altitude glacier systems and snowpack around the world, and sea water was becoming acidified rapidly and unexpectedly. Very recently, oceanographers reported that coral reefs would be doomed by long-term levels of atmospheric CO2 over 360 ppm. The change in temperature from the 1800s has been just shy of 1 degree celsius, and already the Arctic ice is melting. It was imperative that the target for emissions be revised based on this new information.
Now you may disagree with the science of this, and I encourage you to check things out for yourself. I got my information from the website 350.org, and I’m sure you can search out a variety of climate change theories. But even if we all accept the science of it, we are still left with questions about our response as people of faith. Now I have heard it said, and I agree, that humans cannot “destroy” the planet or nature. The natural world has an amazing ability to change and adapt for its own survival. The earth will continue, nature will thrive one way or another. More likely, we would destroy ourselves, dash ourselves against the rocks, so to speak. And it is not likely to happen in our lifetimes, at least not to us here in Leicester. I mean, how much are we personally likely to be impacted even if the Arctic region is completely ice free by by 2015 as is now predicted? One projection I read was that the climate in Massachusetts could resemble that of South Carolina by 2100. Seems a long way off, and not so terrible. I mean people survive just fine in S.C., and people can adapt as nature does.
But in other places in the world, the impact has already begun. The Global Humanitarian Forum estimates that climate change has impacted water supplies and claimed 300,000 lives from water-borne diseases. The glaciers that are melting are a source of drinking water for hundreds of millions of people. Drought is becoming more common, making it harder to grow food. Sea levels have begun to rise, and if they increase the several meters predicted in this century, many of the world’s cities, island nations and farmlands will be under water.
And still the question remains, what is a faithful response? Today’s scripture is from the book of Job. A professor of mine once remarked that the book of Job is graduate school level bible study. It is a disturbing book that raises far more questions than it answers about God, about God’s will and power and care. For those of you who are unfamiliar with it, Job is identified as a very good man, very blessed with family and wealth and a righteous heart. God is boasting about him, and is challenged by Satan who basically says, “Sure he’s good and righteous and praises you. Look how blessed his life is. Let me shake things up for him and see what happens.” God gives the okay, and Satan brings ruin to Job.
Job holds up for a while, but with more loss and suffering, he fumes to his friends, who have come to mourn with him, about God. They argue that he must have done something to deserve this punishment, and he argues back that he is blameless and that he is angry with God. He wants to present his case before God, but doesn’t sense that God will hear him out. Finally God does respond to Job, but doesn’t really give any answers about why he has suffered so. He seems to say, “I am God, and you are not. You can’t possibly understand what it is to be God.” God recounts all the acts of Godly power and asks Job, “Can you do such things?” Today’s scripture is Job’s response. “I know that you can do all things, that no purpose of yours can be thwarted, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me. You asked me to listen instead of speak, and so I did. And I heard you, I got it first hand, and I am sorry for 2nd-guessing you, for getting in over my head.”
This passage struck me, that sense that God can do all things, that God’s purpose cannot be thwarted, that we can get in over our heads when we second guess God. So I admit to some inner conflict about a faithful response to the science of climate change. Is it part of God’s plan? Is it right to be concerned so much about the survival of humanity, or is that self-centered? Can we, with our increased carbon emissions, thwart God’s plan?
Some religious people point to the Genesis story of creation that says humans have dominion over the earth and all that is in it. It is ours to use up and do what we want as it is here for our purposes. Others, like Job’s friends, believe that God is punishing humanity for their sins. The deterioration of life as we know it on this planet is a result not of carbon emission, but of the original sin of Adam and Eve. The destruction of the earth, however it comes about, cannot and should not be avoided because it will bring a “new creation” for believers. The only goal then is to convert people to a belief in Jesus Christ so that they will be saved in the end time and get to live on the new earth that is free from all problems. The environmental movement is seen as idolatrous.
None of these religious perspectives sit too well with me. Again I speak with humility, an awareness of the limits of my own understanding, but my belief is in a God who gave humans free will, and works WITH us constantly, always toward the best possible outcome for all. But because of free will, God cannot undo what is done by human will and choice. But God can and does continually offer a way to make things better, to repair and make whole. Because God gave us free will, I think God doesn’t have a specific “plan” to fulfill, a “plan” that can be thwarted. But God does have an intention for good, good for humans, good for all of life. The good outcomes intended by God can take longer to come about because of our choices, can be less good than was possible before some of the actions we took.
We can look at the cycles of nature and accept that things deteriorate and things end, and out of those endings come the fertilizer for new beginnings. My belief is that the things humans have done have impacted the environment. Human actions have increased the deterioration of the planet as we know it, and that the result has been destructive. God will make new beginnings out of the destruction, but I don’t want to continue to hasten the decline of humanity. I believe a faithful response is to acknowledge our contribution to decline, repent, and work towards healing. The good outcome God intends will happen, and I would love for humanity to be part of it.
From an article about Michael Dowd in UU World: “According to the Great Story, what we are is a force that is polluting the planet and causing mass extinction, but at the same time a unique and precious expression of Earth. We are Earth’s meaning makers, painters, self-discoverers, storytellers, and bards. We are Earth’s deep memory. If we can embrace that as our unique ecological role, if we can learn and celebrate our Great Story, if we truly can see ourselves as actual cells of our larger body, Earth, then caring for the environment will feel as urgent and as natural as caring for ourselves.”
So what do we do to care for the planet? The 350 website says that getting back to 350 does mean a significant transformation of our world. It means finding new ways to produce energy, it means increasing efficiency and decreasing waste. It means finding hundreds, even thousands of new solutions to problems. It means working with others, joint actions. It means being willing to sacrifice some comforts, some privileges, for the larger good. For specific personal actions you can take, there is plenty of information out there. If this is a particular passion of yours, I invite you to share with the congregation through newsletter articles, or on our facebook page. But I urge you to ask yourself, to ask God, how we can work with God to bring about good for the planet, for our brothers and sisters around the world, for our children and their children and their children. We can trust that God will respond, that God will surprise us with astounding restoration and repair, far beyond our imaginings. But we must be willing, like Job, to stand before God and ask. May it be so.
