Kingdom Building

June 26, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 77:1-2, 11-20

When the waters saw you, O God,
   when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
   the very deep trembled.
The clouds poured out water;
   the skies thundered;
   your arrows flashed on every side.
The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
   your lightnings lit up the world;
   the earth trembled and shook.
Your way was through the sea,
  your path, through the mighty waters;
   yet your footprints were unseen.
You led your people like a flock
   by the hand of Moses and Aaron. –Psalm 77:16-20

The weird weather we are experiencing raises questions about why. We humans are not comfortable with facing the consequences of our actions, so we are quick to say strange weather is just an oddity this year. Of course, we have been saying that for a while now despite information to the contrary:

The warming trend over the last 50 years (about 0.13° C or 0.23° F per decade) is nearly twice that for the last 100 years*.

I do trust that it rains on the just and the unjust. (See Matthew 5:45). It does, however, not make sense to me that people who do not believe humans contribute to global warming think we should not do everything in our power to reduce it when it is measurably occurring.

So, when I read the above scripture for today, it did make me wonder if God is trying to once again save us from ourselves by sending weird weather to open our minds to caring for the earth God graciously gave us as a home.

Prayer: Lord, open not only our minds but our hearts to the commonsense actions we can take to care for the Earth you provide for us. Ame.

*https://www.nasa.gov/topics/earth/features/upsDownsGlobalWarming.html

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.