Dear diocese,
I read a book a few years ago called “The Speed of Dark” by Elizabeth Moon. The book is about an autistic man and the story describes the world from his point of view. Very early in the novel the main character explains that his counselor was not at all interested in his curiosity about the dark and who the counsellor discounts him when he ponders whether the speed of dark is faster than the speed of light.
As Anglicans committed to caring for God’s creation, perhaps we should ponder that question ourselves. Just as the way the dark increased each day until winter solstice, the darkness we call the climate emergency may or may not be faster than the speed of light, the race to turn this crisis around. That depends on us.
We are now in the midst of winter, having just passed winter solstice, the tipping point, when the days begin to get longer, or Christmas Eve, and now in the last days of the Christmas seasons. As we celebrate the post winter solstice growing light in our corner of the world and birth of Christ, the light of the world, might we view this as a time to be aware of not just the growing darkness of climate change but also the potential energy from the light we radiate if we are committed to a better post pandemic recovery? A greener recovery.
In this less than “normal” time, especially in the dark of winter, we have been more subdued and more confined. That can lead to despair. But could that extra time for reflection bring with it the opportunity for us to feel the hope and inspiration that comes from the light reflected in the faces of the people who actively engage in the climate crisis?
For me, some of that light came in the form of a group of four artists and the support team who worked with them to bring about the Hope & Inspiration Art Show, now an on-going Gallery (https://www.nspeidiocese.ca/ministries/diocesanenvironment-network/pages/hope-inspiration) inspiring us to care for creation as we look at the beauty that surrounds us through their eyes and their work.
It is the faces of growing army of people connected to our Environment Network that light the way for me and give me hope. Not a passive hope, but very active hope.
The people involved in caring for creation that I get to hang out with are a light that I believe can travel faster than the speed of dark. So I realized that as people of faith, we are called to be a community engaged in active waiting and active hope. Being in community can help us overcome the darkness of despair, give us hope and empower us. As a community, we can be the light that can overcome darkness as we engage in new beginnings. My Epiphany moment.
Blessings from the outer world,
Rev. Marian Lucas-Jefferies
