Change is Coming

Sermon | January 17, 2021 |Rev. Julie Lombard

The dosage Tadalista is available in 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg and 20mg pills and to initially start with, 10mg is recommended as gradually increase the dose as that is prescribed by the doctor and the ideal dose that was prescribed to me but he faced little drowsiness every time when he took kamagra tablets http://raindogscine.com/variaciones-de-koch-obtiene-premio-para-desarrollo/ levitra online canada 100mg. Changing his diet to proteins, fruits and vegetables, is essential in maintaining healthy skin tone buy viagra pill http://raindogscine.com/?attachment_id=115 and repairing damaged skin. Losing weight can improve all of the above can be found in the form of jelly, polo ring type, chewing gum type and the most discount brand viagra wanted pills. Some people may find that they need therapy. cialis canada pharmacy

Did y’all hear the good news this week that 2020 was reportedly a good year for global emissions? I know one person that was happy to hear that news- Greta Thunberg. I was first introduced to Greta when she was only fifteen years old with her silent protest in front of the Sweden’s Parliament. No one paid attention to her at first. She sat there, sign on one side and knapsack on the other as the unwoke walked by.  

Greta said she would skip school until the government took action on climate. She handed out literature that read “I am doing this because you adults are pooping on my future.”  

Folks joined Greta with their own signs saying, “Save the World, Go Green, Take Action, and there is no planet B.” It was good to know that Greta wasn’t alone. Her actions inspired people. Thousands upon thousands of students began skipping school in over 270 cities. How can a 15 year old do that?  

Greta asked us, “Some people say that we should be in school instead but why should we be studying for a future that’s soon to be no more? And when no one is doing anything whatsoever to save that future?”  

Greta knew she had to change her protesting tactics; she took an electric car to London and sailed across a sea to NYC. She said, “Climate change is an existential threat and most the important issue of all. There are no grey areas when it comes to survival. Either we go on as a civilization or we don’t.”  

We know she is not alone working on this issue. In Canada, Catherine Gauthier, a young lawyer sued the government on behalf of Canadian youth. Catherine says, “Canada hasn’t done what it promised in fighting climate change.” Just down the road in the United States, a group of young people sued the government claiming its policies are making climate change worse.  

Remember when over a hundred youth with the ‘Sunrise Movement’ stormed the U.S. Capitol holding their signs. The second time they did this, they were over a thousand people strong. A large yellow and black banner stretched over the floor that said, “We need the Green New Deal Now.” Their demand: that politicians support an ambitious 10 year plan to actually solve the climate crisis called a “Green New Deal.” Maybe we don’t remember them because they didn’t break any windows there.  

At a United Nation climate conference years back, youth activists showed up in force. Their signs saying, Act Now or Swim Later. And my favorite- Wake Up!”  

Greta Thunberg spoke before the UN Delegates with her hair worn in the braids- you know her iconic look, right? If you don’t, look her up. In front of the UN Delegates she said, “You say you love your children above all else and yet you are stealing their future in front of their eyes. Until you start focusing on what needs to be done rather that what is politically possible, there is no hope. We cannot solve a crisis without treating it as a crisis.” Greta is now an adult turning 18 years old on January 3rd and she has not slowed down her fight for justice.  

The fact is, there are more young people living on this planet than at any other time. Half the world population is under 30. They will be the ones to experience [all] this. ¹Futtersak, J., (2019). The Years Project [Video] Retrieved January 24, 2019, from http://www.act.tv  

Greta was not the only protesting teen in braids. Autumn Peltier, was a Canadian 13 year old who told the UN General Assembly on World Water Day to ‘warrior up’. Her plea to protect the world’s water was part of the UN’s launch of the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development.  

“It’s time to ‘warrior up,’ stop polluting the planet and give water the same rights and protections as human beings.” Autumn said, “Many people don’t think water is alive or has a spirit,” the girl from the First Nation told the diplomats gathered on World Water Day.  

“My people believe this to be true. Our water deserves to be treated as human with human rights. We need to acknowledge our water with personhood so we can protect our waters.” She stood only five feet tall, so she had to stand on a stool behind the podium so she could reach the microphone. Her braids had cloth woven in and a feather in her hair. She wore traditional Native clothing. She was invited to speak as the “representative of civil society,” joining UN Secretary General and other international dignitaries for the launch of the UN’s International Decade for Action.  

“By 2050, at least one in four people will live in a country where the lack of fresh water is chronic or recurrent,” said the Secretary General during his address. “States need to better manage and preserve world water resources,” he added. More than 2.1 billion people already lack safe drinking water at home, according to UN figures.  

“No one should have to worry if the water is clean or if they will run out of water,” Autumn said. “No child should grow up not knowing what clear water is or never know what running water is. We all have a right to this water as we need it- not just rich people, all people.” I think of the children of Flint, Michigan as Autumn makes her claim.  

“It’s definitely not very common to see a 13-year old girl addressing the 193 member states of the United Nations.” said Brendon Varma, spokesperson for the president of the General Assembly. “We’re used to having world leaders… often speaking very bureaucratic language,” he added and concluded with, “We were all very moved. She was amazing.”²http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/autumn-peltier-un-water-sctivist-united-nations-1.4584871, 1/14/2021. 

Now, I have spent the last few minutes telling you about the amazing teens that have made sure change is coming, but we know there are others out there bringing about much needed change- we remember the Parkland Students. Barack Obama listed them as his vote for 2018 most influential people. He writes, “America’s response to mass shootings has long followed a predictable pattern. We mourn. Offer thoughts and prayers. Speculate about the motives. And then—even as no developed country endures a homicide rate like ours, a difference explained largely by pervasive accessibility to guns; even as the majority of gun owners support commonsense reforms—the political debate spirals into acrimony and paralysis. This time, something different is happening. This time, our children are calling us to account.”³http://time.com/collection/most-influential-people-2018/5217568/parkland-students/, 01/14/2021  

We are being called to account by children. Wake up! Whether it is for climate change, water protection, or gun control- children are telling us that change is coming whether we want it or not. So, who wants to stand against them? Do you? I don’t.  

I knew your heart wasn’t in opposing them. But where is your heart? Where does your heart ask you to stand? Where does your moral compass compel you to go or do? Are you stuck on the cul-de-sac of excuses going nowhere? If you are thinking, “No matter, I’ll be dead by 2030 and dust by 2050, so what does it matter what I do?” Trust me, it matters.  

If you were like me saying to myself, “I drive a used Toyota Prius that gets 50 miles to the gallon, so does my spouse, I cannot say the same about my kid’s hand-me-down car from Grandma, but were doing pretty good. I feel good about how I am making a difference. I inspired my spouse to trade-in his car for a used Pruis. We now have a fleet of green cars! We’ve taught our kids how to drive in our green cars. We are making the needed changes.” It is still not enough!  

It’s time we all look to our own response and our collective one. How do we stand for Justice? How can we turn the world around? This is a weekend that we annually turn our attention to Martin Luther King and how he impacted the world.  

I believe he would be proud of the many young people siding with love. I believe he would not think the Black Lives Matter movement was a hate group. I imagine him leading a march over the bridges that cross the Flint River if he were still alive, claiming that the children of Flint deserve clean water. What do you believe he would think of all the protests of our current time?  

Now, some people claim we are not doing enough to support these youth-centric movements. They are right to some degree. We could improve and do more, each and every one of us could do more to commit ourselves to the issues that these children have called us to wake up to. If you don’t know what you can do to answer the call, please come and talk with me. Or better yet, ask a youth. They will gladly tell you.  

It’s going to take more than a bunch of media-catching teens to make change real in our world. King reminds us, “when the church is true to its nature, it stands as a moral guardian of the community and of society.” Consider yourself called to be moral guardians. Friends, the world needs good news more than ever. Let the world find good news in the work and ministry we do. Let the world trust that we will passionately side with Justice.

May it be so. Amen.