A Message from Archbishop John Stephens
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A Message from Archbishop John Stephens
Every year on the tiny island of Easdale in Scotland they have the stone skimming world championships. People come from all over the world to skip stones and see who will be named the year’s champion. The competition is fierce and competitor’s train for months, at least some do, while others simply wander by and give it a go.
But it seems that this year there were people caught cheating in the competition. You see the stones used for the skimming (or skipping) contest must, according to the rulebook, be naturally formed on Easdale Island. It turns out that a few competitors were using non-natural means to reshape the stones and give themselves an advantage. It seems an odd competition to find cheaters, but I guess there are no limits to that.
I was thinking about this story because we are in the midst of a climate emergency and many voices are wanting to hide from the science, or question the results, or ignore what is taking place. Despite massive amounts of data along with our own observations, people are trying to cheat in this competition in which we will all lose. Cheating this earth of any ability to adapt to the massive change that increased carbon dioxide brings, is destroying the very surface on which we live and breathe. To that end the Anglican Communion Office is asking us to protect the lungs of the earth in forests, oceans and ice caps.
The 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference, often simply called COP30 will be taking place in Brazil November 10-21. The world of our time seems to be swamped with all sorts of other distractions and so once again the climate emergency is being placed on the back burner (pun intended). So many other items on our newscast like Gaza, Ukraine, tariffs, gun violence, economic disparity and a whole list of other things that also have great urgency, have pushed climate change into the background. And this has allowed us to cheat ourselves on what is really happening. Humanity needs to be coming together to seek new ways that bring justice, peace, and hope in these times and not the opposite.
Meanwhile this past summer it was estimated three times as many people died in Europe than would have done in a world without human-caused warming. This is not only significant but should be creating an emergency-like response.
The world’s oceans are being severely impacted by changing temperatures. The Arctic ice is melting, overfishing is greatly reducing fish stock, and coral reefs continue to be lost. In The New York Times, I recently read that “Under the world’s current trajectory, by the middle of the century about three percent of the total global ocean is at risk of changing beyond recognition. But in the nearshore ocean, which most people are more familiar with, the number rises to more than 12 percent.”
Those are a few images related to the concern. And there are many, many more.
COP30 is coming together in November to try to put a stop to the cheating. To see the emergency that is at hand, and recognize the need to come together toward a common task. The stated goals are to focus on the efforts needed to limit global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celcius, the presentation of new national action plans and the progress on the financial pledges made at COP29.
That is what is happening in the world.
In the Church we have been moving through the season of Creation since the beginning of September, we are also setting our sights on the Thanksgiving Weekend. These two things are linked, it seems to me.
In Isaiah chapter 32, we hear these words: “until a spirit from on high is poured out on us, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest. Then justice will dwell in the wilderness, and righteousness abide in the fruitful field. The effect of righteousness will be peace and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust for ever.” There is a link between justice and how we treat the planet. We cannot cheat this world and we cannot cheat one another. Our faith in God calls us to see this link but also speak to this link.
Thanksgiving Sunday is about tying together the world that we see around us and God’s gracious gifts that we have received. In Canada, it is a Sunday focusing upon the harvest, as we give thanks for the gift of life that is for us and all creatures. It is about seeing that we are called to be thankful for all that we have received and live our lives in response to these gifts. How we treat this planet is all wrapped up into this.
I encourage you to make a list of all that you recognize as gifts in your life: family, friends, beauty, food, water, shelter, health care, kindness, wisdom and the many other possibilities. Bring them to mind, offer thanks, and consider how they might shape how you live in gratitude. How they shape you so that you do not cheat this world but stand up for this planet in the emergency that we face.
May loving God and loving our neighbours as ourselves (including how we love this planet) be our goals as we live into being Thanksgiving people. People of gratitude and concern for justice. People praying for this planet and recognizing that all for which we give thanks has been offered to us by God’s gracious hands. People recognizing that our faith in the God of love calls us to care deeply for this planet and all life that is found here. May we not cheat in our response.
+John Stephens
Archbishop, Diocese of New Westminster