– Ray Makeever, Holy One, In You Alone. © 1993.

Beloved of God,

There are times in our lives when events or threads come together in such a way that we discern a shared meaning behind them.  (I say “we” because I know I’m not alone in this experience.)  At such times, elements that at first seemed separate become intertwined in a way which is beyond coincidence.  It was Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung who first put a word to this experience: synchronicity.  One of the features of this felt experience is that it can be crystal clear and at the same time fiendishly difficult to put into words.  There is a sense that an array of events/connections/ideas—some conscious and some below the surface—are engaging each other in such a way that the sum is greater than the parts. For people of faith through the ages a much older word may often apply – “providence” – the guidance, care and wisdom for our lives provided by God.

Four personal experiences over recent weeks have gathered themselves into a critical mass within me:  our communal marking of the Season of Creation; UW Professor Paul Johnson’s address on global climate change at the Greening Your Congregation workshop; my attendance at PLU’s Water Conference; and my encounter with songwriter Ray Makeever and his eloquent hymn Holy One, In You Alone at Holden Village. 

As I write to you, four facts on global climate change stand out for me.  (1) Carbon dioxide concentrations in earth’s atmosphere today are higher than they’ve been in 50 million years.  Decisions that human beings and human governments make over the next decade will determine whether the global temperature 100 years from now is 4 degrees higher than currently, or 12 degrees higher.*  (2) Climate change on planet Earth during our era is taking place at a pace 10 times faster than at any other period in the history of the planet.  (3) As the global average temperature rises, raising the freezing level in winter and reducing mountain snowpack, the average water flow in the Columbia River is projected to be 43% less than current levels by the year 2030.  (4) Less than 0.08% of the earth’s water is available for human use, yet over the next decade, human use will increase by at least 40%. 

The facts are numbing—and depressing.  And there are plenty more.  On such a scale, what difference can one person possibly make?

Throughout our Season of Creation we have sought to connect our faith life with the fate of Earth and all its inhabitants; to take God’s enfleshment in Jesus seriously enough to see how this whole garden planet has, from the beginning, been the sacred sphere for God’s unfolding plan of healing and restoration.  God’s deep incarnation in Christ leads us to deep affirmations of our purpose and mission as stewards of this world.  As we commit ourselves purposefully to this task by joining with congregations and faith communities around the world in the Green Faith movement, we will move from hand-wringing paralysis to crucial and purposeful action.  There’s the “we” again.  It’s about community, and the power of common minds and wills bent on making changes—personal, local, and global— that will leave this pale blue dot of a planet, this unparalleled gift from the Creator, habitable for future generations. 

This mission is daunting; and humbling, too; a road we can only travel together.  Information is an important ally.  Good science is essential.  That’s where efforts like the CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT come in.  But information is not by itself enough. A deeper process of conversion is called for.  And that’s where Ray Makeever’s poignant and powerful song Holy One, In You Alone comes in. 

When I encountered Ray at Holden during the Theological Symposium last month, I found myself recalling the impact of his music on my life and ministry over the course of 30+ years.  At the closing Eucharist service, Ray on his guitar, with wife Linda and daughter Sophie on their violins, introduced us to his hymn HOLY ONE, IN YOU ALONE.  I can’t speak for anyone else, but the effect the song had on me was immediate and has endured.  I am so struck by the simple, reflective melody, the way it moves and rests within its own rhythm, the hymn’s humble frame, and the sense both of relinquishment and hope it embodies.  Here—take in the words:

It’s that final verse which speaks in a particular way to the call we share as earthkeepers, and to the hope we share in the presence of the risen Christ!  This month, as we participate in the CROP WALK, as we write letters to Congress in Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters campaign; as we launch our Confirmation program and our Journey of Faith process; as we remember once more the young German monk who had the gumption to confront the powers-that-be and so begin a reforming movement that shook the world, we do it all with hopeful expectation.  For the risen Christ is with us still.

Hubris and bravado, which seem in some quarters to be in plenteous supply, will get us nowhere.  Ideological skirmishes will accomplish nothing.  Denying the realities that we face as our climate changes is worth about as much as sticking our heads in the sand.  Maybe even less. Leaders who can’t or won’t see the bigger picture won’t get my time, my dime, or my vote.  People like us who have stood at the cross and seen the empty tomb know better and we expect better.  We, with “hopeful hands,” put our trust in the one who says I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.  We make no claims for ourselves or for our project—but we stake everything on our belief that the Word who became flesh, the one we call Immanuel, is with us still, and still cares about this world and everyone and everything in it.

The words of Ray’s song Holy One, In You Alone have settled in a place deeply within me, a providential response to some harsh challenges these recent weeks have brought.  When we sing this song on October 2nd, perhaps you’ll agree.  I hope so.   But more than that, I hope you will join me in committing our congregation to a Green movement that calls us further on this journey of renewal “In You (God) Alone.”

Your companion on the Way,

Pastor Erik

*Figures are in Fahrenheit.