The warnings have been issued for southeast and east central Newfoundland as Hurricane Larry is about to make landfall. As the weather map indicates, winds could top out at 130 kilometres per hour with accompanying heavy rain. I began ministry in outport Newfoundland 40 years ago and we experienced some intense weather, including the winter storm which sank the Ocean Ranger oil rig. Older Newfoundlandes concede that weather has become more unpredictable and storms from the south which would once have cycled more or less harmlessly out to sea are now more likely to hit Atlantic Canada and create havoc.
Two years ago at this time we were on Change Islands, adjacent to Fogo Island and fortunately beyond the path of Larry. Actually, on this precise date the remnants of Hurricane Dorian swept across the province and it ended up being a wild night. We were in an old saltbox house which shook and moaned beneath winds of 100 kph. While the storm put the "fear of God" in us it was also exhilarating -- we still wonder how we fell asleep that night!
I was reading a book called Wisdom's Wonder by one of my favourite theologians William Brown. In it, and elswhere, Brown explores the chapters in Job in which God challenges the poor schmo whose desire is to faithful despite losing everything that matters to him. Yahweh speaks to Job out of the storm and doesn't exactly offer comfort.
There is a virtual scientific consensus that it is humans who are intensifying weather events by altering climate patterns. It ain't God who is doing this, and, yes, life as we know it may be on the verge of drastic and even irreversable change. There is still a glimmer of hope that we'll wake up in time, but we are a stiff-necked species and not inclined to pay attention to the signs of the times.We would do better to fear our own hubris than the Creator.
Meanwhile, we can say a prayer for the folk on the Avalon Peninsula as Larry comes close to home. And could we add a prayer for humility and wisdom while we're at it?
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