Arise! Shine! God’s Light in the Climate Crisis: A Sermon for the Season of Epiphany

And what to say when the wildfires are raging in LA?

I have updated my logo and other design elements of this newsletter this week! Here is my new logo, and you will notice, if you read this in your inbox, that there’s a new email banner. Many thanks to

Kristi Keller

who took the vague ideas I had in my head and turned them into visual details that help convey what Faith. Climate Crisis. Action is about.

(Quick note: This is a long newsletter, so if you’re reading it in your inbox, click on the title and it will open in a new page so you can read the whole thing.)

What to Say When the Wildfires are Raging?

Bill McKibben

says it well in his newsletter that went out yesterday: “What’s happening right now in Los Angeles is almost too painful to write about.”

He’s right. I’ve been trying all week to find words to share. What to say while the wildfires are raging? At first, I tried to offer some insight into what makes the LA fires so devastating. John Vaillant’s book Fire Weather explains how climate-change-fuelled wildfires are different than previous wildfires, and how urban firefighters do not have the training or tools for fighting inland wildfires, leaving them desperately unprepared in this situation.

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Then, I considered sharing some of the ways that the wildfires intersect with other systems of oppression, such as the use of people who are incarcerated to fight the fires, earning less than $27 a day.

“Incarcerated firefighters have some of the highest injury rates among all prison workers and are four times more likely to sustain injuries compared to other firefighters. Also, they work some of the longest hours and have some of the hardest tasks to execute. They don’t shoot water hoses; they use powered chainsaws and manual hand tools, such as axes, with the goal of starving the fire of fuel to continue to burn.”

Then, I tried to write a prayer that we might pray at this time. Let us remember the most vulnerable in the LA area, especially the poor and unhoused who lack the means to flee, as well as the more-than-human world that is being devastated by this fire. Let us pray for rain and a break from the winds. Let us pray that this be the wake-up call that industry and government need to make the radical shift away from fossil fuels and a capitalist system that is at the root of these fires.

But none of these efforts fully panned out in time to send you this week’s newsletter, so instead let me take their snippets and say this:

The wildfires in LA and elsewhere are hotter, stronger, and more powerful than we’ve known in the past. This is our new reality.

The relationship between climate change and social injustice continues, and we must fight both together.

The need for prayer, for the victims of this fire, for the Earth community as it continues to suffer, for tranformation in the energy and political systems of our time, is essential.

I invite you to keep praying. Prayer does not replace action. Prayer is not the action itseslf; it is both preparation for and grounding of action. As we witness the LA fires (and for some of my readers, this is impacting you, your families and friends directly), let us ground ourselves in prayer in preparation for the climate action we must take, grounding ourselves in the love and power of God.

This prayer from the United Church of Canada may be helpful to you:

Ever-present God,

We pray for those affected by the ongoing wildfires in Southern California,

We pray for the people, livestock, wildlife, and lands impacted by these firestorms; for those who have lost everything, for those fleeing from danger, and for the firefighters, farmers, and other first responders who are faced with immense challenges.

When we are forced to fight the powers of climate in crisis for survival,

when the destructive winds rip away security and shelter, and

when the raging fires devastate homelands;

We come to you in prayer,

heartbroken and afraid,

and you remind us that we are not alone.

You comfort those who are suffering,

gathering close those most afflicted.

You mourn the suffering and loss caused by these infernos:

the catastrophic damage in Los Angeles and the surrounding areas being threated, and

the wake of destruction left in Southern California.

You stir those who are able to offer humanitarian aid,

so that we, your people, can move onward together.

And you teach us that, when the storms of life rage,

Whether we are facing fires or storm,

We are never alone—because you and your children

Will always be with us, comforting the mourning and mobilizing the helpers.

Amen.

I wrote a sermon on Pentecost 2023 during a time of wildfires in Alberta in 2023. Its words are relevant today, too:

Lament as the Fires Burn

Arise! Shine! God’s Light in the Climate Crisis

This is a sermon I preached last year to mark the season of Epiphany in the Christian church. God’s light is needed now more than ever. I have updated it to reflect what’s happening in the world this week.

I have also recorded the sermon as a podcast, for those who prefer to listen. Sermons are meant to be listened to, not read! This is available to paid subscribers, so please upgrade if you haven’t already. Here’s the podcast link:

Arise! Shine! God’s Light in the Climate Crisis (Podcast episode)

Photo by Yan Krukau: https://www.pexels.com/photo/icy-tree-branches-in-city-at-night-6615652/

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6

Let us pray:

God of Life, may the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our minds and hearts lead us to deeper understanding of you and the love you call us to live. AMEN.

On Monday it was Epiphany. January 6 marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas in many Christian denominations,¹ the day when we mark the visit of the magi to the Jesus, who they have found by following a star in the sky, the star that shone when Jesus was born, to lead the magi, and all of us, to God born among us.

On the Sunday closest to January 6, we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, which is actually one of the three most important holidays in the Christian calendar – along with Easter and Pentecost. Notice that Christmas is not on that list! There are three feasts that mark the seminal events of our faith; Easter is the resurrection of our Lord from the dead. Pentecost is the descent of the Holy Spirit onto the disciples, onto all of us, marking the beginning of the church as we know it.

And Epiphany, which is not just the end of Christmas, but is God’s self-revelation, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to the world.

Epiphany is God’s is God’s self-revelation, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to the world.

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