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| Image by Daniel Peckham |
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A GREETING
You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God.
(Psalm 40:17b)
A READING
I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favour to the skilful; but time and chance happen to them all. For no one can anticipate the time of disaster. Like fish taken in a cruel net, and like birds caught in a snare, so mortals are snared at a time of calamity, when it suddenly falls upon them. [But] just as you do not know how the breath comes to the bones in the mother’s womb, so you do not know the work of God, who makes everything. So, in the morning, sow your seed.
Banish anxiety from your mind.
(Ecclesiastes 9:11-12; 11:5-6; 10)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
When I thought, ‘My foot is slipping’, your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up.
(Psalm 94:18)
A POEM
What are you—
a little triangle of earth
lost in the middle of the world?
What are you—
a flight of birds
guardabarrancos
cenzontles
hummingbirds?
What are you
a roar of rivers
bearing polished, shiny stones
leaving footprints of water in the mountains?
What are you—
Singing of leaves in gigantic trees
Green, tangled and filled with doves?
- from "What are you, Nicaragua?" by Gioconda Belli
VERSE OF THE DAY
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.
(Psalm 46:2)
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The book of Ecclesiastes belongs to ‘wisdom literature’, those books of the bible which reflect on what it means to be human within God’s creation, and which help us find our way within the trials and challenges life brings us. Today's reading selection reflects the spirit of the book as a whole, which invites us all to stare life in the face, acknowledge the hard passages, and also be encouraged to rest in God’s love, trusting in God’s accompaniment. As we already saw on Day 3, some of the first impacts of irreversible climate change are on coastal communities. Devastated by melting permafrost and rising sea levels, extreme weather and dwindling ocean stocks, coastal communities around the globe are forced into challenging decisions: whether to stay, rebuild and fortify, or move inland, away from the sea, where not only the topography is different, but where a complete upheaval in a way of life awaits. In the small community of Haulover, Nicaragua, featured in today’s video, two back-to-back hurricanes in 2020 left the Miskitu people devastated and in deep crisis. Not only were homes destroyed, but the mangrove forests and the coconut groves, both essential to the community’s wellbeing, were ravaged. The mangrove forests act as a “place of refuge, reproduction and food” for the ecosystems they support: if the fish can’t feed, they can’t become food for the people. The increasing severity of hurricanes and tropical storms, and their vulnerable location, mean that the community must consider moving, and potentially trading in a cultural way of life that depends on the sea -- for farming, which they have never done before. While some are prepared to make the change, others cannot imagine a way of life different from what they have always known. Our home is more than just the dwelling we live in, it is the landscape and community in which we form our very identity. “Indigenous people view the land as part of themselves,” Marcos Williamson, the ecologist working with the people of Haulover says in the video, “but with climate change we’re going to see hurricanes of greater intensity and frequency.” The changes affecting coastal communities cannot be reversed. Like the people of Haulover, how can we start to live into that change, by challenging ourselves to rethink the choices in our own lives that lead to climate crisis, and by looking ahead to ways we can assist those in the throes of change?
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| Image by Linda Tanner |
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LC† Tending the Vineyard is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year. Thank you and peace be with you!
