“God saw everything that he had made and indeed it was very good.”
Sermon for Sunday 16 February 2nd Sunday before Lent
Genesis 1.1-2.3, Romans 8.18-25, Matthew 6.25-end
“God saw everything that he had made and indeed it was very good.” This is the fundamental quality of Earth described in this morning’s reading from Genesis.
God also gave humankind dominion over the Earth. This gift has permitted us to create and produce. Note that in the Eucharist we bring to the altar, not grapes and grain, but bread and wine –“the work of human hands.”
How we handle this gift of dominion is being increasingly questioned and monitored. The International Energy Agency this week reported that growth of carbon dioxide emissions flatlined in 2019. In the US and Europe they fell but growth in India and China continued. China now produces more CO2 than Europe and the US combined.
The reading from Genesis is a timely reminder of our dependency on the planet. “Who is my neighbour?” Our neighbours are those we live alongside and perhaps it is no exaggeration to say that the neighbourhood that we are most dependent on is our planet.
This coming Lent, the Church of England is encouraging us to reflect on global warming. You will hear about the Archbishop’s Lent Book “Saying yes to Life.” by Ruth Valerio of Tearfund. She wrote in The Times yesterday “The world is way off track – the action plans that are being put together in response to the Paris Agreement add up to a rise (in temperatures) of 3.2C against a target of 1.5C.”
Against such a backdrop, perhaps today’s Gospel (Do not worry about your life) may seem strangely out of touch. But perhaps, this Gospel’s message is to focus on those elements of life directly in our control rather than those we cannot and to retain energy to live out the Gospel in our lives to the best of our ability.
I can’t comment of whether change in behaviour is going to be enough to combat rising temperatures. But change is certainly afoot. Organisations as diverse as BP and the Church of England have this week announced targets for becoming Carbon Neutral (BP by 2050 and the Church by 2030).
And IEA also reported in its survey on global emissions: “The United Kingdom continued its strong progress with decarbonisation as output from coal-fired power plants fell to only 2% of total electricity generation. Rapid expansion of output from offshore wind, was a driving factor behind this decline. Renewables provided about 40% of electricity supply in the United Kingdom, with gas supplying a similar amount.”
Looking ahead, by 2040, Bloomberg New Energy Finance forecasts over 80% of the UK’s power will be generated by onshore and offshore wind and solar.
What then is the answer? The attitude of China and India to the control of emissions will be key. So I suggest it is for global policymakers especially that we must pray.
And for leaders of large organisations tasked with adaptation to a carbon neutral future as they recognise that creation is “good.”
St Benedict in his Rule writes that all the monastery’s possessions should be handled as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar. This should be our attitude to the Earth’s resources.
But is also a rule that we should also follow in our own lives with regard to our own possessions.
When we consider how we live, or whether to purchase a good or experience, or when we metaphorically (to quote the Gospel “gather into barns”) and hoard unwanted possessions, let ask ourselves whether God would say: “Indeed this is very good.”
Fr. Peter Wolton