Like everyone else, I was horrified to see the blanket of smoke engulf the Northeast from the wildfires in Canada. It almost looked like fog, but the odor of burning brush confirmed it was smoke. We were warned to stay indoors if possible, and to at least limit our time outside and curtail exercise. Particularly at risk were the elderly and those with respiratory conditions like asthma. It lasted about three days in Connecticut, and we all took a deep, refreshing breath on Friday, June 9 when we could finally see the blue sky again.
Was it a one-time happening, or a harbinger of things to come? Many of us remember that the same thing happened a couple of years ago when smoke from California wildfires turned the sky dark and sunsets were a deep, hazy orange. Unfortunately, it appears that these events are going to continue to affect us. The truth of the matter is that we must accept that climate change is happening, and it is changing our planet and our lives in ways we hadn’t anticipated.
What should Christians do to help alleviate the life-changing, even life-threatening changes that seem to be on the horizon? We must commit ourselves to reducing our own carbon footprint on the planet. We can do this in many ways; drive less, switch to LED lightbulbs, use fewer resources like electricity, oil and gas. For those lucky enough to have the wherewithal, invest in an electric vehicle or solar panels.
The most important thing we can do is to remember that Christ commanded us to love God and love one another. In real terms, that means we are to treasure His creation and take care to be good stewards so that we can continue to inhabit it and pass it on to future generations. Remember, this is the only planet we’ve got and there is no “plan B”.
In Christ,
Pastor Sharon
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