9th May 2021 - Christian Aid Sunday

APC 9th May 2021           ‘Christian Aid Sunday’
 
PART 1
Welcome and Introduction
Good morning everybody and welcome to our service of worship.  Today marks the beginning of Christian Aid week.
Christian Aid is an international aid and development agency.  The Christian Aid family, works across 37 countries to promote sustainable development, to strive for social justice and to support poor and marginalized people.


The Presbyterian Church in Ireland has long been a supporter of the work of Christian Aid and contributes to its projects through our World Development Appeal around Christmas each year.
Many congregations also hold a special Christian Aid Sunday at the beginning of Christian Aid week in May.  Normally that involves inviting a guest speaker and holding a special lunch or coffee morning to raise awareness of their work and to give people an opportunity to contribute financially if they wish.
Due to the current restrictions we are unable to do that this year, so instead, I want to lead you in a service using some of the materials provided by Christian Aid as together we reflect on our Christian responsibility towards climate change.
But to begin, let’s worship God together as we listen to our very own Lesley and Kim Shepherd bringing us a piano and instrumental duet of the song, “Here I am to worship.”
(End Part 1)
Opening Song                “Here I am to worhship”
 
PART 2
Kim and Lesley thank you so much for that beautifully reflective piece and we look forward to seeing you all again soon.  Let’s still our hearts now as we talk to God, let’s pray…
 
Opening Prayer
Lord of all, we thank you for the world we live in – for the rich heritage if the nations, the bountiful resources of this earth, the astonishing diversity of your wonderful creation. 
You have given us so much: Teach us to use it wisely.
Forgive us that we have taken what is so beautiful and created within it so much ugliness: hunger, injustice, exploitation, poverty, homelessness, war.
You have given us so much: Teach us to use it wisely.
Forgive us that a few dine richly, whilst the many go hungry; that the resources of our world are disproportionately shared.
You have given us so much: Teach us to use it wisely.
Forgive us our poor stewardship of all you have given us, our plundering of the earth’s resources with little thought for tomorrow.
You have given us so much: Teach us to use it wisely.
Lord of all, grant your blessing on all who seek to build a fairer and more just world – those who like Christian Aid, work to alleviate poverty and hunger, who fight against oppression, who strive to bring opportunity to all.
You have given us so much: Teach us to use it wisely.
And grant finally your wisdom to those whose decisions will affect the lives of nations – teach them to work for justice, to pursue peace, to promote harmony, looking not just to the few but to the common family of humankind.
You have given us so much: Teach us to use it wisely.
Join with me now as we say the Lord’s Prayer thoughtfully and sincerely together…
Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name,
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread, And forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us,
And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
For ever and ever, AMEN.
 
Introduction to Kids Video
We come now to the part of our service that’s especially for the younger members of our church family.  So if your kids aren’t beside you right now, why not pause the recording, and call them in to watch a short video with young people explaining what climate change is and what practical steps we can take to help stop global warming.   And at the end of this video I’ve a few words to say to the children so don’t let them rush away.
(END Part 2)
 
Kid’s Video     ‘Global Warming for Kids with HUE’
LINK        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNifh-Eu_2Y&vl=en
 
PART 3
Kid’s Talk Summary
Hey boys and girls, I hope you enjoyed the video today.  You know, God made this world and He loves it, all of it.  That’s why he’s put us in charge of looking after it.  It’s also important to look after our planet so that we can enjoy it and then our children can enjoy it and then their children and so on.  The good news is you and I can choose to look after our world in simple ways.  By turning off lights, recycling, buying less new things and sharing lifts with another family.  We can buy an electric car or run the car we have for more years, use an electric lawn mower and build more windmills to make clean electricity.  We can walk and cycle more instead of using the car so often and not go on aeroplanes unless we really need to.   Sometimes it’s not always simple to work out what’s the best way to live to help the environment.  So why don’t you talk to your mum and dad about ways that you and they can look after the planet more.  It’s what God wants us to do, so it’s really important.  I’ve got some more really good news!  Next Sunday our church is allowed to be open again!  So I really hope you and your family can be there.  I’m really excited to see you all again.
Don’t forget to ask your mum or dad to download the colouring sheet from our Facebook page to help you remember today’s lesson.  I hope you have a great week in school but bye for now!
Colouring Sheet
https://www.twinkl.ae/resource/global-warming-colouring-sheet-t-tp-2665287
 
Introduction to Bible Reading
In our reading today Rob and Jean will remind us of the basic reason why we must care for our planet and all its people.  Because God made it, He loves it and has given us responsibility for it. 
(End Part 3)
 
BIBLE READING     Genesis 1 v 1-28    Rob and Jean
 
Part 4
Rob and Jean thank you for reading for us today and we look forward to catching up with you all very soon.
 
Reflection               Christian Aid Sunday -    ‘Climate Chaos’
Earlier this week we sat down and watched the Netflix documentary called “Seaspiracy.”  It highlights the impact of the global fishing industry on current fish stocks and the entire marine environment.  Ultimately it warns that the more we destroy our marine environment the more we threaten the future existence of all humanity.
It is shocking and eye opening, but it’s definitely worth a watch.  Certainly the movie has its critics who suggest that some of its claims are exaggerated, that it has misrepresented companies and individuals and that it has over-simplified complex issues.  These are allegations that its director…..flatly denies.
Whatever you think of it, what cannot be debated is the truth the movie highlights that in so many ways we as a global society are in danger of destroying the beautiful planet that God has given us and that if we aren’t careful, in the not too distant future we may just make our world uninhabitable for all of creation.
This year’s Christian Aid Week seeks to bring our attention to this issue by encouraging us to reflect on the realities and impacts of climate change in our world, especially on those who are the poorest and most vulnerable.
As I’m sure you are aware by now, the temperature of our planet has been steadily increasingly largely as a result of the impact of our industrialised living.  Many things which we desire for our lives, unfortunately necessitate the creation and expenditure of large amounts of energy.  The privilege of being able to see and hear me now on your phone or TV screen is just one example.  Whether its travel, the transport of goods, the powering of our devices or the creation of food, so much of what we do and how we live, requires energy. 
While the creation and use of sustainable forms of energy are increasing in many countries in our world, for too many years most of our energy has come from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas.  Unfortunately this has resulted in large amounts of Carbon Dioxide being released into the earth’s atmosphere.  Plants and trees are able to remove this from the air to make food, but unfortunately they aren’t currently able to do this sufficiently to prevent an excess of C02 building up in the atmosphere. 
When the sun shines on the earth the heat rays are reflected from the earth’s surface back into the atmosphere.  The problem is that the excess Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere forms a barrier which prevents this radiated heat from escaping into space.  So over time this trapped heat is causing the temperature of the earth to increase.  This rise in the earth’s temperature is causing climate change throughout the world.  In some areas it is leading to drought and famine.  It has melted polar ice caps leading to a rise in sea levels.  In some parts of the world this has resulted in terrible flooding and in an increase in unstable whether conditions such as destructive storms.  Since minute changes in temperature have a significant impact on all aspects of biological life, this global warming is having a devastating effect on plant and animal life.  Ultimately it threatens all life on our planet.
Often it is the poorest in our world who are most affected by the impacts of global warming.  For example the climate crisis is having a significant impact on communities in Kenya. The main problem is the lack of access to a reliable source of water to help them withstand the unpredictable weather made worse through the climate crisis. The weather has become more extreme. Drought has become more frequent and intense, resulting in millions of people being short of food as they are unable to grow crops. In parts of Kenya in 2020, drought was followed by relentless rainfall and flooding, which damaged crops that had struggled to grow. With no access to reliable water sources, or a way to capture rainfall, many communities are struggling to survive.  The coronavirus pandemic has only increased the urgent need for families to access a reliable source of water for handwashing. In Kitui county, eastern Kenya, 8 out of 10 people depend on water to grow crops, for food and to earn a living. Without a reliable water source, staple crops like maize and beans are damaged and destroyed. The lack of water forces people to walk further and further to find a dependable source. Cows, sheep and goats are becoming weak without access to water, and can’t produce milk or be sold. People are struggling to cope. Lives are at risk.  But even in the midst of such sadness through the work of organisations like Christian Aid people have found help and hope, people like Florence.
Florence is full of life, love and laughter. The women in her farming group look up to her. She’s courageous, kind – a survivor. A few years ago, her husband died, leaving her a widow. At that time, she had no water to grow crops. Her children were hungry. She had to walk for hours on dangerous journeys to collect water. ‘Life was miserable,’ she said. But things have changed for Florence. Next to her farm, Florence is proud to show something remarkable – a dam, full of fresh water. It’s thanks to the work of Christian Aid that Florence and her community have built this water dam, with the help of their partner -Anglican Development Services – Eastern (ADSE), just a short walk away from their village. Sit back and enjoy this short video which shows how this dam has helped Florence and many people in her village to find hope and happiness again despite the challenges of climate change…
(End Part 4)
 
VIDEO              Florence’s Story
 
 
Part 5
Sadly, millions of people in Kenya are still desperately struggling to survive climate chaos.  Most of the gases responsible are created by those of us who live in the more developed parts of the world.  That means that you and I and our lifestyles are a significant part of the problem.  But why does it matter?  Well very simply, it matters because from our reading today we learn that God made this world and everything in it.  And at every stage of its creation, God paused and said that “it was good”.  What’s more, we discover in many parts of scripture that because He loves this world, God sustains it and does His best to look after it.  Part of God’s care for this world involved delegating the task of caring for it to the first man and woman.  God gave humanity dominion over the world.  That meant they were given the responsibility of caring for the world and using its resources wisely and for the benefit of all.  Ever since, that responsibility has been handed down through the generations.  So if you and I want to love God and be like Him, we have a duty to look after this world – that includes every part of it- its plants, its people, its animals, it seas, its soil and everything in it.  If we claim to be Christian, then we cannot be careless about how we live and the impact our footprint is having on our world. 
Whilst none of us can be perfect, there are many things you and I can and must do to care for our world.  One of the best things we can do is to live as simply as we can so that we use energy and resources sparingly.  We can do this by reducing the amount of stuff we have or consume, by reusing things for other purposes, and by allowing things to last us for as long as possible rather than always buying new.  We should recycle as much as much as possible and switch to using sustainable energy resources.  We must limit the amount of pollutants we allow to enter the environment down our drains or on our farmland. 
Look there are so many specific ways that each of us can play our part in caring for the gift of this world that God has given us.  There will be areas of my life where I need to change and areas of your life where you need to change.  You know one of the silver linings of this terrible pandemic is that for the last 18 months our world has been allowed to breathe.  Already the restrictions on global travel have allowed the environment to recover in ways that are visibly noticeable even from outer space.  Now I’m not saying that you or I should never board an aeroplane or take a foreign holiday.  For what it’s worth I’ve only flown once in the last 20 years!  But what I am saying is that we shouldn’t see anything that we do as an automatic right, if the impact of everyone exercising that right means that someone in the poorest regions of our world can’t get food or water!  What I am saying is that all of us need to take a look in the mirror of our current lifestyles and ask, “What can I do, to make a difference?”  What I am saying is that when this Pandemic comes to an end and our freedoms return, let’s be careful how we live.  Let’s learn the lessons from this sustained period of simplicity and reflection.
And in addition to taking care how we live, in the meantime, we can also help another community build a dam by giving generously to the work of Christian Aid.  Through our contributions and the work of their contacts on the ground, many more people like Florence will have the water they need to sustain their families.  And by giving to these organisations regularly, we can help Christian Aid to be there for people like Florence in the long term.
There will be further opportunity to contribute to the work of Christian Aid through our World Development Appeal at Christmas time, but for now let me encourage you to go to the Christian Aid Website or go to the link on our Facebook Page and Website where you can find out how to donate directly to the work of Christian Aid.
Let’s take a moment to pray for the people in our world most affected by climate change as Christian Aid’s global theology advisor, Bob Kikuyu, leads us in prayer….
(End Part 5)
 
VIDEO      Bob Kikuyu leads Prayer
 
Part 6
 
Closing Words
It’s been a joy and privilege to share with you again today.  Thanks again for logging on.  I hope you’ve felt inspired and challenged to reflect on the amazing gift God has given us in His Holy Spirit. 
 
The exciting news is that the government has confirmed a date of 10th May for the reopening of Masses and church gatherings.  Since that is a Monday we will be reopening on Sunday 16th.  Again we are allowed up to 50 people.  So if you would like to book a place at church on Sunday 16th May please do text Aleida as soon as possible.  You will shortly be receiving a reminder text about the 16th which will include the essential safety procedures to ensure we all stay safe and well as we worship.
 
I hope you can tune in again on Wednesday morning for our Pandemic praise as we reflect on another spiritual blessing that God has given us in Christ and give thanks.
 
But for now, let me close with a benediction after which some of the youngest members of our church will remind us as to why our response to climate change is so important….
 
Benediction
May God bless us with wonder at creation’s glory. May God bless us with fury at creation’s spoiling. May God bless us with courage at this critical hour. And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon us and on all creation, this day and for the future to come. Amen.
 
CLOSING SONG      He’s got the whole world in His hands
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