Praying for US Climate Leadership

 

When President DT took office a thousand years ago he seemed to delight in signing documents in the Oval Office, as though he was playing to the cameras -- look at me, I'm very powerful. Comedians quipped that there wasn't anything on the pages, he just like signing his name for an audience.

On the day he became president Joe Biden signed more executive orders than any president in memory, and he's continued to do so with breath-taking speed. These orders on a wide range of issues will all require legislative support and plans for funding trillions of dollars. 

A number of these orders are related to the climate crisis and signal a dramatic turn away from decisions made by the previous administration. 

Biden has already announced that the United States will rejoin the Paris climate agreement. Other orders include reviewing oil and gas leases on federal public lands, including on land considered sacred to Indigenous peoples. He is also committed to creating jobs in the clean energy sector. 

While there is a lot of work to do, President Biden has assembled an impressive team to undertake this bold program, including appointing an Indigenous person, Deb Haaland, as Secretary of the Interior, a department whose jurisdiction covers tribal lands and vast tracts of protected American wilderness, including jewels such as Yellowstone and Yosemite national parks, Can you imagine, a member of what Canadians call a First Nation giving the role of preserving what we term crown lands and national parks! We might learn something.

The Biden plan calls for two trillion dollars over a number of years to address the climate crisis and a return to US leadership on a global scale. It does seem that the administration grasps that ecology and economy are intertwined rather than opposed, 

 A number of faith organizations which advocate for Creation Care are heartened by this commitment and as Canadians we can pray that President Biden will be successful and receive the legislative support which will make those executive orders a reality. The future of our planet requires American leadership. When Biden attends worship tomorrow lets hope he's praying for the resolve to make this happen,

Let's Talk About the Outdoors

 This is Bell Let's Talk Day in Canada, an annual event meant to keep the conversation about mental health open and honest, without the stigmas of the past.This is the first Let's Talk Day of the pandemic, and we can hope the last. Even in a relatively privileged society such as ours we've come to realize that the prospect of a life-threatening illness with constantly changing messages about how not to contract it has taken its toll on our mental well-being. For a great many people being required to go to work, working from home, or the loss of income from job layoffs or shuttered businesses has been the source of tremendous anxiety and despair. Isolation has been a significant contributor to distress as well

There is no shortage of suggestions and encouragement regarding how we address our dis-ease during these unpredictable times, including getting outdoors. I will say immediately that this simply isn't an option for a lot of people for a variety of reasons including mobility, location, safety, and family circumstances. Still, nearly all creatures thrive with the opportunity to interact with the world beyond four walls, humans included. 

My own experience during these past ten months of the pandemic is that I've needed to be outside more than ever, even though I've loved the outdoors through most of my life. Last year we paddled on nearly 50 occasions, as well as walking and cycling often. Even on days we weren't motivated to get out, doing so was a tonic for body and soul. 

We chose locations for our activity which were as remote as possible, whenever possible, yet we often felt connected with God and the world around us which combated loneliness. There is the adage that "motion controls emotion" and I am convinced that its true.

Winter is more of a challenge for getting outside, and this month of January began with endless days of gloom. Yet once we were on the move we felt alive again and more hopeful. On a dreary day last week we walked along the water and spotted a snowy owl out on the ice. Suddenly it lifted off and glided toward us, stopping a few metres from shore. Scripture says that the Holy Spirit appeared above Jesus as a dove, but the Spirit came to us on the silent wings of that owl. 

Today we were our for ski down a farm road to a view of the Bay of Quinte. Yup, it was cold, and by the time we were finished we were breathing hard. We realize, though, that the torrent of difficult and discouraging news tightens our chests. Various forms of meditation and prayer focus on breath. It's almost impossible not to breath deeply, especially for a geezer like me!Being active compels us to breathe in the goodness of the world around us. 

If it's possible, nourish your mental and spiritual health outside. You won't regret it. 

The Case for Roosters

 

6. Bitter was the night, thought there'd never be a morning.

Bitter was the night before the break of day.

7. Bitter was the night, thought the cock would crow for ever.

Bitter was the night before the break of day.

                                 Sydney Carter Voices United 132

Should we say that we have "favourite" hymns for Holy Week? It is such a solemn time as we make our way toward Good Friday, even knowing that the joy of Easter is close at hand. The imagery of Sydney Carter's words and the simple yet elegant tune always touch me to the core. This hymn draws on the gospel story of Peter's denial of Jesus, not once but three times, on the night into early morning of his trial. The rooster crows "for ever" in Peter's memory.

Roosters show up a few times in scripture, and not always in such a negative light. Jewish culture in the 1st century was agrarian, for the most part, and somewhere in the city of Jerusalem people were keeping chickens. Were there ever complaints by urban dwellers about the wake-up calls of roosters? 

Corinne Fesseau feeding her rooster Maurice in Saint-Pierre-d’Oléron in 2019. His crowing prompted a court case. Credit...Kasia Strek for The New York Times

This came to mind after reading about new legislation which protects rural environments from those who want to spend time in the country as long as its basically a theme park rather than the terroir where creatures live and crops grow. In one instance a couple was sued by neigbours to drain their pond so the frogs would stop croaking and Maurice, a rooster was sued (actually the owners) for being too rowdy. The New York Times article begins: 

 PARIS — The crow of a rooster and the ringing of a church bell at dawn. The rumble of a tractor and the smell of manure wafting from a nearby stable. The deafening song of cicadas or the discordant croaking of frogs. Quacking ducks, bleating sheep and braying donkeys.Perennial rural sounds and smells such as these were given protection by French law last week, when lawmakers passed a bill to preserve “the sensory heritage of the countryside,” after a series of widely publicized neighborhood spats in France’s rural corners, many of them involving noisy animals.

I'm delighted that the creatures prevailed and that church bells are covered under the new legislation. The connection is ironic, but Christians are becoming an endangered species in some Western nations, so any help is appreciated. I might feel differently if our town allows urban chickens and there is a raucous rooster,  but until then I'm willing to crow about the outcome. 

                                          

                                      Basilica of St. Appollinare Nuovo 6th Century Mosaic 

Christian Unity & Care for Our Common Home

During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity I've pondered the grim truth that Christians of various stripes often seem better at belligerently highlighting their differences rather than humbly finding common ground. The result is not pretty, and many who have no time for organized religion point out our discord as a reason for rejecting organized religion. If we can't live Christ's love with one another, how can we expect or gain any credibility? 

I noticed that this year there is an initiative by Green Anglicans to explore Christian unity through care for our common home, Planet Earth, Pope Francis' encyclical on care for the Earth was called Laudato Si: Care for our Common Home. 

I like this notion of mutual care for the planet. When I was at St. Paul's United Church in Bowmanville we had a weekend event with seminars on this theme, sponsored through our ecumenical ministerial. We had participants from congregations of different denominations and our son, Isaac,spoke about his work as coordinator of the Green Church Project in Montreal. It was an encouraging couple of days and I appreciated the involvement of folk from diverse theological outlooks who cared for Creation. 

Given the theme of the vine bearing fruit for this year I wonder why it didn't occur to me that it is well suited for a Creation theme. Perhaps we can have grape expectations for next year!

The Creator's Carbon Capture Technology

                                                      Winter Walk - Frink Centre Conservation Area

 I was pleased to see that Prince Edward County, the unique, almost-an-island region which extends into Lake Ontario has a tree development policy. Council recently received a tree management report which recommended that 75% of new trees planted are native to the area, that there should be a no net loss policy for trees, that there be an inventory of trees on municipally owned property, and regulations on tree planting in new subdivisions.

Trees are a gift of God, and if that seems like am over-the-crown statement, just read your bible. Not only are trees everywhere in scripture, they are present from beginning to end. There are even instructions to plant and protect trees, which sounds like a tree development policy to me.

During these months of distancing from others we have spent a lot of time on trails in The County, and throughout the region. There are many "sacred groves" of unusual tree species, with huge specimens of oak, and cottonwood, and maple, and beech, and pine. We experience a sense of reverence and awe which is kinda churchy, especially in these days when we can't physically go to church. We have a little ritual of holy recognition, not because we worship the trees but because we want to respect both Creator and Creation.

This week billionaire Elon Musk offered a hundred million dollars (US) to whoever develops  successful carbon-capture technology. On Twitter comedy writer James Felton quipped:

Whenever you feel like an idiot, remember that the world's richest man has not heard of trees.

We really should be out there hugging the trees, for the health of our planet, and our souls

Fall at Vanderwater Conservation Area

Can Biden & Trudeau Go Green Together?

                                                  Keystone XL Pipeline Protesters

Most Canadians are feeling a sense of relief and even euphoria as we wake up to the first full day of Joe Biden's presidency.. He is not a psychopath, which is a big plus, and he actually figures that being the leader of the United States is about "we", as in "we the people", rather than a narcissistic "me." 

I don't want to rain on the parade-less inauguration, but President Biden's administration may not be liked by a fair number of Canadians this morning. One of his first acts was an executive order cancelling approval of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline which would have carried Canadian heavy crude oil to US refineries. This decision will have significant repercussions in this country in a time when the economy is struggling and oil-patch jobs have disappeared. 

This pipeline was quashed before, during the Obama administration, then given permission again during Trump's term. Both the Federal and Alberta governments have invested heavily in KXL.  

                                                 Keystone Protest in Washington DC

There have been ongoing protests against the pipeline,and the consistently peaceful participants have often been treated far more harshly than the domestic terrorists who recently attempted am armed  coup in Washington DC. 

Indigenous protesters have opposed Keystone for a number of reasons, including their conviction that portions of the route cross sacred ground. Others have protested in solidarity, and for environmental reasons related to Creation Care. A decade ago  more than  60 religious leaders—rabbis, Buddhist monks, Catholic priests, and members of green Muslim and Evangelical environmental groups -- risked arrest at demonstrations against Keystone XL. Influential faith leaders such as the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu called on then  president Obama to say no to the pipeline and build a legacy of  " energy that sustains the lives and livelihoods of future generations." 

The word is that tomorrow Prime Minister Trudeau and President Biden will have their first conversation. The Liberal government has already applauded the decision of the Biden administration to rejoin the Paris Climate Agreement, We'll see if the dialogue about pipelines can remain respectful in the days ahead. Prayers are definitely in order. 

An Auspicious Inauguration, Outdoors

 

I don't know about you but the scene on the national mall for President Joe Biden's inauguration today will  be both awe-inspiring and chilling. Humans won't be allowed to congregate because of the duel threats of a deadly virus,  and domestic terrorists, who represent the virus of hate. Instead there will be 200,000 American flags, a massive display of patriotism but unsettling given the rabid, idolatrous flag-waving which has metastasized during the past four years. 

I am more impressed that the inauguration will be held outdoors, given the risks, even though this has become the tradition. Some have wondered whether this swearing-in ceremony should be moved inside, in light of the attack on Capitol Hill two weeks ago and the concerns about security. No doubt President Biden wants to send a message that thugs and terrorists cannot intimidate him or democracy.

I was interested to see that the term "inauguration" has its origins in the words "augur" and "augury": 

@susie_dent

Etymology of the week: 'inauguration' began with the Roman 'augur', who studied the behaviour of birds for omens about important events. To inaugurate was to 'consecrate by augury' if the signs were good. The bird-diviner was also known as an 'auspex', hence 'auspicious'.

This got me thinking about augury taking place in the "templum", a marked-out exterior space where birds could be observed. The word eventually entered English as temple, a place of worship.

I do like the notion of celebrating en plein air for any auspicious occasion, including worship. I''ll concede that two hundred thousand doves would likely have turned the inauguration into a ___ show (you can fill in the blank), but an open-sky event with perhaps a bird or two flying by is appealing. It's a good omen that this president won't be crowing about his great accomplishments before he's even started in his role.

What Does Water Mean to You?

 I'm a little surprised that I'm already getting social media messages about World Water Day, which isn't for another two months. The latest asks the question "what does water mean to you?" I.m inclined to respond with an emphatic "everything!" which would be something of an overstatement, although not by much. 

When we head out for walks we nearly always choose to ramble about at the edge of water, and at this time of year we are looking to see how ice has formed. Water has its own miraculous trinity of liquid, solid, and gas which is fascinating as science and as symbolic of transformation. 

Water is also a powerful metaphor within our Christian faith. John the Baptizer immersed Jesus in the river Jordan, employing the ritual of cleansing from his Jewish faith and inviting us into a new understanding in Christ. Jesus described himself as Living Water which quenches spiritual thirst. His encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well is the longest with any person in the gospels. 

This has been an eerily mild Winter and every time ice forms on streams and rivers and nearby Lake Ontario it disappears within days. While this concerns and saddens us, we are already looking to the Spring when we can explore again in our canoe and kayaks. In the strange circumstances of 2020 we paddled almost 50 times, more than in any other year, and it made such a difference to body, mind, and spirit.

World Water Day is March 22nd, which is just after the commencement of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. We will be anticipating a return to the waterways -- well, one of us will be. While this blog is called Groundling, we humans are formed from water, even more than our other components and this Waterling will be excited to get going!

Martin Luther King, Ecological Thinker?

 

I have been musing about the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his response to environmental issues. Did he care about the natural world, what Christians often refer to as Creation. Most of the photos we see of King depict him in urban settings, surrounded by throngs of people, and he's nearly always dressed in suit and tie. Did MLK have opportunities to listen to birdsong or watch the wind in the trees? Was he able to spend time outdoors with his wife and children, perhaps going for a swim in a lake or river? There doesn't appear to be much, if anything, written about this aspect of his life.

Dr. King did make the connection between the injustices experienced by Black people and their exposure to environmental risks. He was in Memphis, Tennessee, the city where he was assassinated, to march in solidarity with sanitation workers who were predominantly People of Colour. This was an issue of environmental justice. I'm grateful for an article from 2014 by Drew Dellinger called Martin Luther King Jr.-- Ecological Thinker. Here are some paragraphs from the article which intrigue me:: 

A few scholars have noted the ecological quality of King’s thought. In a 2006 speech, Larry Rasmussen, author of the recent book Earth-Honoring Faith, called King “one of the great ‘ecological’ thinkers of the 20th century,” while noting our failure to remember him as such. Other scholars such as Dianne Glave and Robert Bullard highlight King’s involvement with the Memphis sanitation workers’ strike as “inherently environmental” and a precursor of 21st century environmental justice activism. Apart from these brief mentions, the ecological nature of his thought has remained largely unexplored.

One of the best examples of King’s ecological view, and the links he draws between connectedness, justice, and nonviolence, is his “Christmas Eve Sermon on Peace,” delivered in the last months of his life from his pulpit at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. “If we are to have peace on earth,” he told the congregation, “we must develop a world perspective. . . . Yes, as nations and individuals, we are interdependent.” Then, with a sentence that could easily have been uttered by John Muir or Rachel Carson, King states, “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated.”

 “The cities are gasping in polluted air and enduring contaminated water,” King warned in 1967, in a statement that foreshadowed the environmental justice movement of the following decades.

King’s sacred view of nature, based in African American tradition, aligns with African and other indigenous traditions, mystical traditions, and much of the eco-spiritual thinking that would later develop. “Although God is beyond nature he is also immanent in it,” King wrote. “Probably many of us who have been so urbanized and modernized need at times to get back to the simple rural life and commune with nature… We fail to find God because we are too conditioned to seeing man-made skyscrapers, electric lights, aeroplanes, and subways.”

As Dellinger notes, this was before the environmental movement gained momentum, before the advent of  Earth Day, before Joni Mitchell sang "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot."  Would Dr. King have become an eco-faith leader if his life hadn't been cut short? 

I may just be missing what has been written, but I really wish I knew more. 

The Nature Wisdom of Barry Lopez

 

                                                    Peter DaSilva for The New York Times

On Christmas Day Barry Lopez, the celebrated nature writer, died at the age of 75. He wrote a number of influential books including Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape, which I read decades ago and still have. Calling him a nature writer doesn't satisfy me because there was a mystical quality to his work, an ability to experience and write about the spiritual quality of landscapes and the creatures which dwell in them, As some have become more aware of the interconnectedness of living beings there has been even greater appreciation of his writing.

Lopez officially died of cancer at an age which I now consider relatively young. His home in Oregon was badly damaged by the fires which raged across the state last Fall and many of his original manuscripts and artwork were destroyed. His wife said that he developed heart issues after they were forced to leave the house and I am saddened at the thought that his losses hastened his death. 

I read in the New York Times obituary that Lopez had considered a vocation in the Roman Catholic church as a young man, wondering about becoming a Trappist monk. I wonder if he was influenced by the writing of Thomas Merton, who was also a nature mystic. Christianity, with its rootedness in the sacredness of the Earth and the wonders of Creation somehow lost its way at times, and alienated those who could have shared deep wisdom. 

Cold Ears, Runny Noses & Praising our Maker

                                                           Zwick's Park Sliding Hill Photo: Ruth Mundy

Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
46 Bless the Lord, dews and snows,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
47 Bless the Lord, nights and days,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
48 Bless the Lord, light and darkness,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
49 Bless the Lord, ice and cold,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever.
50 Bless the Lord, frosts and snows,
    sing praise to him and highly exalt him for ever...

from the Prayer of Azariah and the Three Youths 

 STAY HOME! HOW MUCH MORE CLEAR CAN I BE!? If you live in Ontario you'll know the source of this "clear as mud" command -- "clear as slush?" - because we're in the midst of a kinda, sorta, state of emergency. 

It's perplexing because we're also being told that time outdoors is important for our mental and physical health. The guidelines for the lock-down state that we are permitted to go outside for exercise, so that's what we've been doing. Even though the first half of January has seemed like three months because of the unrelenting gloom we cheer-lead each other out the door and find someplace which reminds us that even when the day feels hopeless inside there are wonders to behold outside.We have crampons for our hiking boots and poles for stability. 

Yesterday we went for a ramble along the water of Lake Ontario in Prince Edward County, at a spot where we were totally alone. It is remote enough that we didn't hear human-made sound, let alone see other members of our species. The skies were overcast yet it was still beautiful. Eventually,we sat in a rocky alcove by the shore to drink our tea and eat a muffin. 

We did lament the lack of snow and the unsettling mild temperature. What was happened to Winter? I commented to Ruth that the absence of actual Winter weather is making the lock-down tougher . And then we talked about how few hymns there are which actually celebrate the season. The ones which do acknowledge Winter tend to describe it as bleak, cruel, bitter, and a time when creatures which can skedaddle do so. 

Where are the hymns and carols which celebrate the transformation which snow brings to landscapes, or the delight of ice on bodies of water? A cardinal or a blue jay on a snow-laden branch stirs deep joy in me. Canadians thrill at sledding  down a hill, or skiing, or skating across a frozen pond. Our unofficial national sport is hockey and we excel at winter sports in the Olympics. So why portray Winter as grim, the enemy, instead of a gift from God, the Creator.As Groundlings we can celebrate "God's wondrous world." 

There are a number of musicians and music-lovers who read the blog, and a few who are part of worship teams. Do you know of upbeat hymns about Winter? What experiences of the season would you include in a positive Winter hymn? What tune might we use with original lyrics, if the music wasn't written for a Winter hymn? 

I'd love to hear from you on this one!

Hope for America & Hope for all the Earth

The destructive policy decisions of the Trump administration have been endless in just about every sphere of society. This is certainly the case when it comes to protecting the environment. The colossal shortsightedness of this regime meant that legislation ensuring clean air and water was weakened, protected areas were opened to development, and the accursed border wall that Mexico didn't pay for was pushed through ecologically sensitive areas. The US withdrew from the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change established in 2015, abdicating its key role in global leadership in the Climate Emergency.

It was perverse that the Trumplican orcs continued their dark agenda until the end, but a ray of hope came in the form of an auction of oil and gas rights in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. This is key habitat for a number of species, including the caribou herd which doesn't recognize national borders and migrates through Canada as well. The auction held on January 6th, the Day of Epiphany, fizzled with only $14 million in bids rather than the $1.8 billion hoped for. None of the big oil consortiums bothered to participate, which is very encouraging. 

During these bleak four years Christian environmental and Creation Care organizations and many denominations urged contacting legislators to register concern, as well as engaging in prayer for a change of heart. Well, the people have spoken and "stop the steal" now means that the theft of protected lands can be reversed and the future of today's children and generations to come can be a priority. President-elect Biden has already promised a return to the Paris Agreement and will reverse some of the other foolish decisions of the past four years. 

Our prayers are still needed, Groundlings, but we have reason to believe that more epiphanies will issue from an incoming administration which seems to grasp that ecology and economy are not opposed but are vital to each other. 

A Prayer of Hope for the Planet

Christians and those from other faith groups around the world are trying to figure out how to create community and mutual support in a time when not gathering, whether locally or in global conferences, is the loving, faithful choice. 

The world-wide Anglican communion is doing this through various means, iicluding posting prayers as encouragement to anyone who reads them in an initiative called Hope for the World. Apparently in began on January 3rd, but I saw this prayer for planet Earth today from Bishop Elinah Wamukoya of Swaziland in Africa and thought it worth sharing. 

Beavers as a Keystone Species

 

Our five-year-old grandson has been enjoying watching The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first of The Chronicles of Narnia children's stories by CS Lewis. Lewis was a devout Christian and there is a lot of Christian imagery in the books, although I've met people who loved the series without realizing that it was religious or spiritual. 

Grandson Number 2 gets a chuckle out of the beaver family, who provide hospitality to the Pevensy children when they are mysteriously transported to the magical but wintry land of Narnia. Mr Beaver is quite brave, an unlikely hero as guide through territory controlled by the White Witch. 

When CS Lewis wrote The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in 1950 beavers were long-gone from the British Isles -- three hundred years, in fact -- hunted to extinction. In recent years they have been reintroduced in England, Scotland, and Wales, as a key creature in creating healthy wetlands. Some anglers have resisted this project, perhaps because they grew up with the story of Mr. Beaver catching a fish for the children's dinner. Beavers don't eat fish, but tell that to the fishers who grew up with the story. 

 

                                                    Beaver Reintroduction -- Devon, Britain

I smile at the reverential tones of those who support the reintroduction, as though beavers really are mythical creatures. Perhaps we take them for granted in Canada, even though they were nearly trapped to extinction during the fur trade. 

We see them every year as we paddle Ontario waterways and we're always pleased by our sightings. But lots of cottage owners curse them when they return to find valued trees gnawed down, while municipalities fight the never-ending battles to keep culverts open. I showed Grandson Number 1, the eight-year-old,one of the inserts now being used to trick beavers into not damming culverts.

Beavers can be nuisances, yet they are vital to healthy ecosystems and many other species thrive because of the ponds they create. They are described as keystone species because of their role. This really is God's wondrous world. 

No, I did not try to 'splain all this to the five-year-old. I'll leave him to enjoy Mr. Beaver...for now... 

                                                    Beaver Nickel, 1950 -- Beaver on the right

The Heavens Declare...

 

 The heavens are telling the glory of God;

   and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
  Day to day pours forth speech,
   and night to night declares knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words;
   their voice is not heard;
yet their voice goes out through all the earth,
   and their words to the end of the world.

                                                    Psalm 19: 1-4

Guy Consalmagno is an enthusiastic professional astronomer, a Jesuit priest who happily mixes religion and science, After his ordination 30 years ago he was assigned as an astronomer to the Vatican Conservatory at Castel Gandolfo, a cool gig and a reminder that the Roman Catholic church is not anti-science despite the lingering Galileo thing.

I follow Consalmagno on Twitter and he's an interesting guy (no pun originally intended!) Yesterday he shared this photo from a few years ago with the message "tomorrow we celebrate the Epiphany (in the US at least) so here's a celebration of the Magi in our creche in Castel Gandolfo..."  

This is a playful reminder that some of the first people to bear witness to Jesus as the Christ were astronomers/astrologers (there wasn't much of a distinction between the two in ancient times.) Lots of congregations will be acknowledging Epiphany today, even though the Feast of Epiphany is on January 6th. While God knows we have plenty of challenges around us on Planet Earth, including the Climate Emergency. Still, it's important to look upward and outward as Groundlings and to do so with both curiosity and awe. The heavens do declare the glory of God.