"Climate change- the end of the world? A Christian response" Lk 21:5-32. WBC 22/05/05pm
Again- apologies. I am ill prepared for this! Not an expert. Ran out of time this week.
- always think "why did I decide to cover this?!"
- I’m not going to be able to do this justice. Certainly not on the ’sign of the times’ bit. Need to look at my ’2006 end of the world?’ sermon (on web)
4 points all beginning with ’Qu/Kw’!
QUESTIONS
Firstly: I have lots of questions about this:
- is climate change some of the fear/terror/judgement/prophecies in the Bible?
o Sign of the end of the world? Jesus’ immanent return?
o If it is: why is it so conspicuous by its absence in the Christian world? Why isn’t anyone addressing it?
" Could be of HUGE importance!
o Why isn’t this stuff addressed? Could it say something about Christians?
- Why, when it is addressed by the few Christians, do I always want to run a mile?
o Is it right to scare people into the Kingdom, as folks did with ’thief in the night’/ ’late planet earth’ (Hal Lindsey)
o What of the fear of ’being caught in the cinema when Jesus returns?’
- Is this another ’scare’? Was ’nuclear war’, then ’Ice Age’ now- ’Global Warming’
CONFIRMATION
Well- Climate change seems to be a confirmed fact!
- our winters and summers are different! Undeniably
Whether it is ’global warming’- that laden terminology that places the blame on mankind and the burning of hydrocarbons- is still in debate… though listen to this!:
The State of the World? It Is on the Brink of Disaster The Independent UK Wednesday 30 March 2005
An authoritative study of the biological relationships vital to maintaining life has found disturbing evidence of man-made degradation. Steve Connor reports.
Planet Earth stands on the cusp of disaster and people should no longer take it for granted that their children and grandchildren will survive in the environmentally degraded world of the 21st century. This is not the doom-laden talk of green activists but the considered opinion of 1,300 leading scientists from 95 countries who will today publish a detailed assessment of the state of the world at the start of the new millennium.
The report does not make jolly reading. The academics found that two-thirds of the delicately-balanced ecosystems they studied have suffered badly at the hands of man over the past 50 years……
Certainly the fact is: our climate is changing, faster than it ever has in recorded history- and it’s going to change all of us
- changes of 200 years now happen in 10
- some variations ARE there in our history (Thames freezing over in 1700s. Gulf Stream shutting down or volcanic haze?)
o but they have never happened like this before
- the ’cold pump’ of descending water at the arctic has slowed dramatically!
But- question one- is it the end of the world?
CLIMATE CHANGE- END OF WORLD?
I do think these could be some of the things spoken of in the Bible. Waves. Sun rising with scorching heat.
- in spite of me thinking most of the ’shaking of the heavens’ is apocalyptic language rather than geological fact (See ’2006 end sermon’)
But this does not mean it’s the end of the world, nor irreversible, nor unavoidable!
To me they fit into the ’signs of the end times’ that Jesus speaks about:
- the ’end days’ that have been in place since Jesus ascended
- the ’birth pangs’ that He speaks of…
…but His word is:
Mt 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
Interestingly enough- Jesus plays down the hype of the whole thing and says
- these events are nothing unusual
- "if someone says ’the date is… here He is… buy this book’- don’t panic or pay much attention to them. The end is still to come"
Even in the early church (very much characterised by ’eschatological expectation’… immanence) Paul’s advice was
- get a job. Get married. Get on with it. Get on with spreading the good news. DO something…be practical
- 2TH 3:11 We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. 12 Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat. 13 And as for you, brothers, never tire of doing what is right.
- And I fear that is what WE are going to have to do
- (and therein lies the challenge for Christians)
They are SIGNS OF THE TIMES (SEASONS) not a SIGN OF THE END (
- PPT Climate change - End Times- Signs
And… think about it: they can’t be the ’end of the world’- as they will increase chaos and suffering but can’t precipitate the END
- to me they are sign of seasons and incentive to act
- (and we’re going to have to… and adapt)
CATACLYSM- END OF THE WORLD
I do believe the world will come to an end- but it won’t be us who end it.
- It’ll be Jesus. It’ll be sudden, spectacular and when we least expect it.
- 1TH 5:1 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, 2 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
- PPT CATACLYSM- End of the world- Sudden
I’m not sure I understand the universal perspective on this (as I ask- "is God going to wind up 15Bn light-years of space because of US?")- but it wouldn’t surprise me if it is a meteor or something
- but then again I don’t know! And no-one knows when!
- And don’t have to be a prophet to tell me it’s soon and the time is short-
o (in the sense of earth-life, God’s timescale, salvation history it could be very soon-
o but in the sense of OUR lives it could be a long time
" and there’s the frightening thing!
" Society has thought it was invulnerable, before, and then taken a huge step back)
So- I’ve ’fluffed’ my way around issue one, the ’end of the world’, suitably
- now there is a second, separate, but linked issue
CHRISTIAN RESPONSE?-
What is the Christian response to all this?
Well- not to get hyped. Not to follow scaremongers or false messiahs.
It is to get involved in a sensible, stewarding way
Some might say: "if this is God’s judgement- then we ought not to get involved, stay His hand or delay the inevitable! We ought to ’hasten the day!"
- well: the Bible does speak of hastening the day of His return, but it’s not by precipitating catastrophes.
o That only increases suffering
- 2PE 3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
How do we hasten the day?
o Mt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
And how did Jesus tell us to preach the kingdom?
- with words and deeds. Like He did. Lk 4- "the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because…."
- Historically Christians have ALWAYS been the first there in time of disaster- even if it was seen as God’s judgement
o Illustr: Rome in time of Diocletian.. The Christians stayed to care for those dying of plague (which was no doubt seen as God’s judgement of Rome’s crimes?)- and died of plague and persecution. But the gospel became an unstoppable force- until Christianity was legalised
So- we get involved
- and here’s, maybe, why there is so little about this ’climate change’ on the ’prophetic wires’…. False or true
o Christians have ’escaped’ from global ecological issues, not engaged with them!
o Sent out mixed messages: Bush & USA claim "Christian right" territory: yet won’t sign up to Kyoto or engage with this in any way!
Christians have "conveniently" misunderstood the charter God gave us with the world
- He ’saw it was good’
- WE have seen His command to ’subdue and rule over the earth" (Gen 1:26 repeated) as one of exploitation and sucking it dry
o "because it’s the Spirit that matters, isn’t it?"
o "God’s going to replace it, isn’t He?"
Well- how wrong is that! "God so loved the WORLD… which He made GOOD… that He gave His only Son"
- and the charter we were given was one of Stewardship (not exploiter!)
- PPT- add SENSIBLE STEWARSHIP & SALVATION to title
So- here, to me, is the bottom line: a Christian response:
- Christians will switch off lights that are not needed!
- They will get cars with engines only large enough for what they need- and they will check the spec, as well
- They will recycle! Everything they can
- They will have to get used to living with less… using their bikes… and putting pressure on their workplace to work from home…
o And they will walk the kids to school!
- And they will be at the forefront of ecological issues
In fact- I’m building this into our discipleship course
In this world- who is my neighbour? - Answer: the whole world
- it just shrunk…….
- ……… and we just got a wake-up call
- and we will have to help ecological refugees, one way or another
AND- we speed the day- by telling all about Jesus in the hope…desire… that all people groups will hear before this all gets too bad… and the Lord will come back
OPEN DISCUSSION/QUESTIONS
Songs:
Who can sound the depths of sorrow
Beauty for brokenness
