No COP out now!

As the worlds' leaders and their teams gather in Glasgow for COP 26 this weekend let's be praying for action instead of merely words and grand gestures. The need for urgency is clear, despite the protests of those with huge vested interest in keeping things the way they are. Certainly our young people seem to understand the message even if their forbears have literally grown deaf. Of course, such action will hurt the lifestyles of those who have become used to the luxury of multiple vehicle ownership and the mass consumption of fossil fuels, but is there a Plan B? I think not.

One aspect of all this that does concern me is the lack of balance between the haves and the have-nots of climate change. Many of the world's poorest communities are experiencing the effects of this period of human tenancy on Earth. From widespread drought in sub-Saharan Africa to wild fires on Greek islands, the threat to the very existence of homes along the rivers in Bangladesh, and the potential disappearance of whole communities into the sea in low-lying island nations like the Maldives, this imbalance is clear. The Western and developed world has made its fortune extracting ore, minerals and fossil fuels from the Earth and it is, quite literally, payback time. The time has come to recognise the essential unity of mankind and the responsibility placed upon us all to be stewards of God's creation.
 

When stuff goes wrong with any piece of equipment in my life, I often refer to the maker's manual. Whether online or in a booklet, I pay attention to the original purpose for the item in question, seeking answers from the one who made it. This is what God has said in his Creator's Manual that goes with the Earth, and reflects His plans for mankind: God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature, so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.

God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God’s nature.  He created them male and female. God blessed them: 'Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.'" (Gen. 1:28-30 The Message).

Shortages? What shortages?

 

During our visit to the UK last week we were amazed by the long queues at petrol stations and the empty shelves in some shops. It seems that panic buying has a lot to answer for, but the underlying problems are more complicated than that. The aftermath of Brexit followed swiftly by the pandemic has disrupted supply chains across Europe, and certainly in the UK. So we see troops driving tankers instead of tanks, and 80 year-olds being begged by the government to drive heavy goods vehicles again! You couldn't make it up!

Apparently it doesn't take much disruption to affect supply chains. A container ship stuck in the Suez Canal for a few days was a big part of all this. Yet, if it wasn't for our human tendency to panic and hoard, a lot of this pressure would be a great deal more manageable. What lies behind this feature of modern life?

Well, fear has a lot to do with it. The fear that what I want, or even what I need, might not be available or perhaps affordable in the future, leads to panic buying. Fear is a powerful force, and as we saw in the early stages of the pandemic, can affect human behaviour in profound ways. Some are positive, like the fear that makes us aware of speeding traffic around us, or a threat posed by hostile groups of young men as we walk about. But fear can also paralyse us, or drive us to irrational actions such as panic-buying or hoarding. In certain circumstances fear can rob us of joy and peace, even causing distressing symptoms in our bodies and minds.

It is for these reasons that he Bible says so much about fear. Some people say there are 366 'don't be afraid' phrases in the Bible - one for every day and one more for a leap year! Jesus spoke about fear a lot, urging his followers to try and let go of anxiety about having whatever they need. Here's a sample, taken from Matthew chapter 6;  “What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met".

Living with a bit of trust in that kind of relationship with God should surely help us to avoid panic. St Paul had lots to worry about, yet whilst languishing in a Roman prison he wrote "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil 4:19). No shortages there then, and no blinding fear either. Handing our lives and our future over to a loving heavenly Father makes so much sense in a world of increasing uncertainty.

Who can we trust anyway?

 

When PC Wayne Couzens pulled out his police warrant card there was no point Sarah Everard running away. If she had done, she might have lived, as the monster was depending on her subservience. She knew that running from an arresting police officer was a criminal offence, and like so many of us would in similar circumstances, she bowed her head and complied. It was the last decision she would ever make.

The judge who sentenced Couzens this week to die in jail rightly pointed out that the murder of this innocent and beautiful soul was compounded by the betrayal of her trust, and ours. We appoint these officers to be guardians of our society and the abuse of that trust horrifies us. But sadly, this is not an isolated betrayal, as the dreadful murder of George Floyd by a policeman in the USA in 2020 shows. 

The abuse of trust by people in power over us, who ought to be protecting or helping us, stuns our
minds, shocks our hearts, and shakes our confidence to its core. Whether teachers, or clergy, or football coaches or broadcasters, the issue of breaching trust can lead us to doubt the value of trusting anything or anybody ever again. Cynicism grows like bacteria in our souls in an atmosphere of mistrust and is fed by the curdled regurgitation of evil in the media. I have not read the sordid details of the Couzens case in the papers, and I don’t intend to, for this very reason.

But we cannot let this evil rob us of the power and hope that flows from trusting something or someone outside of ourselves. Over the years I have had to put my trust in doctors and surgeons who warned me that the upcoming procedure might kill me, and the only way I could make the choice to go ahead was to recognise that higher hands were holding theirs as they operated on me, time and time again. Bowing my head and signing the consent form was only possible because I had previously bowed my head to the Great Physician and put my trust in him. Of course, they could have made errors and sometimes did, but in the end my trust was not in the professionals alone, but in the God who loves me and has a plan for my life.

A very moving verse from the Bible letter of James says: ‘So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle’. This tells us that there is not an iota of abusive intent in the heart of God. He can be trusted. At my baptism as a young teenager, I was given the Bible verse Proverbs 3:5 ‘Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track’ (The Message).

‘There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced’ – but tragically there often is in people. As we put our trust in higher hands, let’s also pray for the family of Sarah Everard who showed such courage and dignity in the courtroom at the Old Bailey this week. And let’s not allow a murderous fiend like Couzens to steal our ability to trust others as well as well as trusting the God who loves us. And may God help any of us in leadership or places of authority to be trustworthy in thought, word and deed.