SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Have you ever thought about the word "revelation"? How about the word "apocalypse"? In Christian circles, these words have become almost entirely boxed in with particular books of the Bible. Revelation, of course, is a book. It's about a vision that John of Patmos had and wrote down. It's about the end of time. And that end of time is called the apocalypse. BUT both words have so much more to offer. They remind us that reality might be different than how we have understood it. The Greek word that became apocalypse, means uncovering.

We are currently in an apocalypse. An uncovering. One of the revelations is this: The health of our planet and the health of humanity are completely interwoven. The pandemic is a result of environmental degradation. The effect of the pandemic is the death of millions. A majority of those millions have been locked out of proper health care, nutrition and stability. We are now seeing that the people who are paid least and assumed-upon the most are among the most necessary workers in our web of well-being. Farm workers, nursing home workers, grocery store clerks, pre-school teachers, and so many more create the foundation for American prosperity. Yet they are paid so little.

As the Editors of Scientific American wrote this month:
"It is not only the exploitation of nature that undergirds modern civilization but the exploitation of humans. Systemic inequality, injustice and racism resulting from centuries of colonials and slavery provide the scaffolding of the global economy."

I invite you to consider how we at St. Paul's might respond to such a revelation. Your vestry met last night (11/11) and voted to install solar panels on our flat roof. To my knowledge, we are the first church in the Diocese to do so. Solar panels will save us money as they offset our electrical costs. They will also make a small contribution to the huge crisis of climate change.

What else might we do? Could we pool our money into a micro-loan fund to help those in need with small home repairs? Could we join as a parish in advocating a living wage? What do you sense God calling us to do in response to this time? Let's have a conversation and consider our options. The one thing we cannot do is ignore the signs of the times.

In Christ's Love,

Rebecca

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