Hymn Suggestions:             ELW 790 Day By Day        

ACS 1051 For the Troubles and the Sufferings

Children’s Message:

Book:  I’ll Hold Your Hand  by Maggie C. Rudd, illustrated by Elisa Chavarri

With simple text and engaging illustrations, this book reassures that whether we feel happy or sad, scared or uncertain, reaching out to hold another’s hand gives us assurance that we are not alone. Today’s psalm references God’s hand, and we trust that we are held in God’s loving hands no matter what and for always.

Look for the Helpers

Floods, hurricanes, wildfires, mass shootings, war, etc. – these are reality in today’s world. Jesus warns of hardships and challenges, and Jesus calls for our endurance throughout these tough times. In regard to climate change, we see much that is getting worse and not better, and we might be tempted to withdraw and give in to despair. When bad things happen, we are wise to follow the advice of Mr. Rogers and look for the Helpers. No matter how awful the situation, there are always people who step up to act and to help. We need to look for them. And once we see them, we need to do what today’s reading from 2 Thessalonians urges us to do – imitate the Helpers. And together, we can join forces to not become “weary in doing what is right.” Is that not an important blessing of this EcoFaith Network? That we inspire and support one another, so that none of us feels alone in doing this important work.

Think Globally, Act Locally

One of my favorite take-aways from Katharine Hayhoe’s book Saving Us: A Climate Scientist’s Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World is her urgent reminder that we are not powerless. Hayhoe stresses that: The most important thing any individual can do is to NOT think and act like an individual.

I offer this story from my own life:

A few years back, when I heard the unsettling news proposing the addition of Monarch butterflies to the endangered species list, my heart sank. At the same time, that possibility jolted me to realize that I was not helpless. I had a small pollinator garden on a fairly large front lawn, but what if I invested a whole lot of my time and energy and some money to turn that space into a small lawn with a large pollinator garden? It was one thing that I could do to make a difference, and so I did it, and that garden has brought so much life and joy ever since – life and joy for me and for the neighborhood and definitely for all sorts of pollinators. One day this past August, I counted over 50 Monarchs at one time!

Life Beyond Me

When we think and speak and act for the benefit of us and not just me, we move closer to the life that God envisions. Ultimately, Jesus’ words today challenge us to remember that the values of the world are often NOT in sync with God’s vision for our life together. We can choose to speak and act in ways that perpetuate the ways of the world – conflict, division, distractions, greed, fear, entitlement – OR we can choose to speak and act in ways that perpetuate love and regard for the dignity of all people and cultures in all of our wonderful diversity and that perpetuate love and regard for this planet, filled with abundant creatures and resources to be valued and treasured and shared responsibly.

The End of the World

Jesus speaks of the destruction of the Temple which will, indeed, come to pass, and with the falling of those stones, it will feel like the end of the world to God’s people. For us, the loss of a job, a medical diagnosis, the death of a loved one, policy changes that undo environmental protections – any of these can feel like the end of the world. Reflecting upon my own experience, when I was in a congregation going through a crisis, the particulars of the situation are not nearly as important as the lessons learned when we focused on us together, facing the challenge.

The world as we knew it had ended.

It would never be the same again.

We didn’t know how we were going to endure,

but we trusted that God would lead the way,

and our instincts told us that sticking together was key.

Consider what experiences from your own life or that of the congregation illustrate similar insight, and share reflections on how God sustained you and led you through that challenging journey.

In God’s Hands      

In the midst of the gloom and doom in Jesus’ words today comes the assurance that no matter what happens, we are in God’s hands. God is holding on tight and will never let go, because nothing – absolutely nothing – is strong enough to separate us from the love of God. And with that assurance, comes freedom – the freedom to live not just for me, not just for those who are like me or whom I like, not just for those who agree with me, but the freedom to live for the benefit of all of creation.