Prior to COP 28 the head of the International Monetary Fund, Kristalina Georgiva, called for an end to an attitude of “business as usual” if the world wanted to manage global warming. Beyond ecotastrophe can a more inspiring vision motivate us? What about the concept of eucatastrophe created by Tolkien?
The phrase ‘King for a Day’ and the tradition of April Fool’s Day are intertwined. Jesus rules a Kingdom with no borders to defend, no soldiers to defend it. It is a kingdom that inverts our very understanding of power. But it’s no joke.
The British are known for some unusual habits, one of them is the ability to queue. Some say it comes from the days of rationing during World War Two. Whatever the case, standing in line is like a form of limbo. We are neither here nor there, and just have to wait. This is Advent Limbo.
Times of collective fear and terror are nothing new – it’s just that the object of our collective fears may change. When we have witnessed our world come to an end, we have to face the ultimate, apocalyptic question, who or what, do we really trust?
Next month the UN Climate Change Conference will convene from 30th November to 12th December in Dubai. It will comprise the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 28). Continuing targets comprise of emissions reduction targets that align with reaching zero emissions by the middle of this century. And protecting communities and habitats vulnerable to the effects of climate change, mobilise finance to this end, and encourage new patterns of international co-operative working. These two very different, but related subjects, come to mind as I read the words in Mark’s Gospel in Chapter 12.
During the past year, this idea of ‘lost and found’, has come into my thinking time and again. Many people have often spoken to me about a year that has been ‘lost’, due to the Covid 19 pandemic – and I can understand why. I do not underestimate the precious treasures people have lost – be that family members, friends, jobs, or a sense of security and purpose. But some people have also spoken to me about what they have found.
For anyone who wishes to follow Jesus, the pivotal question is not, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ Instead, it’s implied by Jesus’ words that ends Mark chapter 8. That pivotal question is, ‘Who will you be now?’ In other words, what will we do that is different once we recognise Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of the Living God? If we do nothing that is different, have we even answered the question: ‘Who will we be now?’
During last summer I got around to some of those getting ‘A Round Tuit’ jobs – that at other normal times maybe we never quite get around to – do you know what I mean? Well for me it consisted in clearing out the loft and the garage. And what a clear out it was! No wonder I hadn’t quite got around to it before. And it was then that I found Edward in an old suitcase.
I want to talk about brief encounters. Not ‘Brief Encounter’ the 1945 classic British film scripted by Noel Coward and starring Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. But the brief encounters we experience and that Jesus experienced in the gospels. Brief and potentially life changing.
Beyond the legend, St. George had to face a question. Was he the centre of his own universe or was their something more worth defending? A dragon that needed defeating?
I grew up going to a church with bullet holes in the walls. What I should explain is I grew up going to a church with bullet holes in the walls that originate from the English Civil War (1642-1651). All I can say is that it was something of a surreal experience as a child to sing hymns of peace and love while surrounded by these historic reminders of divided humanity.
In many religions there is a ‘Tree of Life’ and in the Bible this is also true. In Revelation 22:2 it says, “The leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.” I look at this verse differently now as I think of the hidden life of trees.
