Everything Old Is New Again

I should “post” days of yore articles written more frequently because we, as humanity, never seem to learn, reminding me of Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game.” This article was written in the Fall of 2008. Looking and listening to the furor around the Canadian federal budget of 2025, and the stance taken by Elizabeth May, I ponder the new rush towards the days of MAD (mutually assured destruction) while so much of importance may go begging, as it were. I have written to several politicians, who may never bother to read my concern that “we need bread but roses too” (a line from the song “Bread and Roses”).

It is true that we may need protections from the teeter totter the world has become but we simply must not lose sight of creation and all that is, and will be, lost if we set our sights only on finance, protectionism and AI (a yet to be proven blessing).

This Land Is Not Our Land

Yahweh, hear my prayer,

listen to my call for help,

do not stay deaf to my plea,

I am your guest, and only for a time.

(Psalm 39:12a)

The scientist, Robert A. Heinlein, wrote a book years ago called Stranger in a Strange Land, about a time of space travel, and a man with human ancestry who is more Martian than earthly. The title would seem appropriate to many of earth, who seem entirely oblivious to the world around them and their place in it.

This month the front page of the Devon Dispatch showed the blessing of animals on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi (October 4). We, at Holy Name, and churches within the liturgical traditions, also celebrate the feast day of this loveable and eccentric man, a creation mystic and founder of the Franciscan Order, with the blessing of animals. This service has a long standing in the Church, and serves to remind us that we are, as humans, only part of creation and are dependent, and interdependent, on the carefully structured biosphere in which we live. This service and Easter Vigil combine to remind us that Jesus, the Christ of God, died for the life of the world, all of it (John 3:16-17). If we honour that death we cannot but care for ecology and the footprint, in current jargonese, that we leave on the earth.

We seem to have lost the honouring of creation that was part of earlier societies. The recognition that the earth and its people are to live in balance begins, for Judeo-Christianity, in the stories of creation. The two Genesis stories have been used and abused, melded, and used as a rationale for power and control of the land/earth, and of women. In the original text the wordplays are cogent and even amusing. The primary theme, in both, is a world created in harmony for relationship. In the tellings, the “creatures” are human forebears and are created to care for the earth. The whole concept of subduing it, and having dominion over it, has been, and continues to be, a problem. I commend to you the work of the Hebrew scholar, Dr. Phyllis Tribble, God and the Rhetoric of Sexuality (1978). It is dated—but still a classic.

The message we are receiving in this day is that the world may well return to primordial chaos—if we do not make some serious changes in our lives and lifestyles. This has been very much on my mind of late, as the election focus has become the economy. It is easy, and perhaps convenient, for people to extrapolate from this that the environment is of secondary importance to jobs and the survival of financial institutions. However, if we do not have biodiversity, that is—the balance of life forms in nature, it is unclear where the future will take us. The economy, therefore, though important, is not the primary concern. The survival of species is!

There are a shocking number of species on the endangered list, and this despite a resistance to listing species in crisis. Apparently the grizzly bear population is less than half of the numbers needed to survive. Nothing is being done. An expert was imported in to evaluate “the problem” and his advice included the closing of logging and mining roads no longer used by industry. The human “footprint” on, and in, wildlife areas makes wilderness and protected areas a moot point.

On phoning environment and wildlife people, I heard frustration and cynicism regarding any will by governments to act proactively. This is evident even in the terms used to describe endangered species. To check out the federal listings you can go to the Government of Canada website and type in cosewic, an acronym. I asked about the recent shooting of bears, most specifically the female grizzly who killed a man. She had three cubs and initial news suggested that these cubs, too, would be shot. I’m still unclear as to the whole story behind the man’s death and the parent bear being shot. Apparently the cubs have been relocated to the Peace River area, after being tagged. Being relocated outside of the area in which they were taught survival techniques by their mother makes them high risks for not surviving. In light of the critical numbers of grizzly one needs to ask why such a choice was made.

Scripture, throughout time, has been used to—variously—bully, cajole, threaten, guilt, or enlighten people. The text and the context must come together. There is a distinct pattern within holy scripture, that people can trace. The pattern is the stewardship of creation, human responsibility and answerability, and acting for those least able to defend themselves (Mt. 25:31-46). This would include the ones St. Francis called “my little brothers and sister”, the birds, bees, and animals. He did not allow any live tree to be cut in its entirety, because Jesus had died “on a tree”. He walked gently over stones because Christ was spoken of as a rock. Franciscan houses were to grow flowers because Christ held up a lily as an example. Because of Jesus’ use of metaphor and allegory, using things in nature as examples, Francis believed that God loved all that was created and that all creation was to be honoured and celebrated. He walked gently on the earth, believing himself to be both stranger and sojourner, a guest in a world created good.

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One can see, from the above article, that not much has changed. In this crisis moment, worldwide, governments seem to sacrifice environmental protections, thus making the next generations worldspace less secure. The ongoing wars, creating mayhem generally, add yet more pollution, the death of creatures, and generations of poisonous waste and land mines to clear up.

The appearance of a cave-in to/for yet another pipeline from Alberta to B.C. And possible, likely probable, destruction of land habitat, and old growth forest, coast lines, is appalling. It may be a silencing response to a loud minority in Alberta but, if actively pursued, it is just one more domino falling for environmental protections and the further undermining of the Paris Accord — and by Canada.

The Second Sunday in Lent

Readings:

1st Reading: Genesis 12:1-4
Psalm: Psalm 121:1-8
2nd Reading: Romans 4:1-5, 13-17
Gospel: John 3:1-17

Hymns:

Kyrie: “Your Heart, O God, Is Grieved”
“O Trinity, O Blessed Light”
”Spirit, Spirit of Gentleness”
“Your Kingdom Come”
“Gracious Spirit, Hear Our Pleading”
“The Spirit Sends Us Forth To Serve”

There is hardly a child who has attended church, even moderately, or who has gone through confirmation, who does not recognize John 3:16: “For God so loved the world — that an only Son was given — so that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish but have eternal life.” Except the word, “world” is “cosmos”: for God so loved the cosmos, the whole of creation variously out of kilter.

For God — the Godhead — concerned God-Self — the Trinity — that God must come among us in the person of Jesus — Son, and Christ of God; and for all persons — Saviour.

Today’s gospel pericope, for this 2nd Sunday in Lent, takes us to a midnight dialogue between a religious leader and Jesus. He does not want to be seen. He holds a position in the High Court of Judaism, the Sanhedrin, which would not be impressed by any contact with this itinerant rabbi. But something about this Jesus is attractive and draws him to become a furtive seeker. He will become a committed and risking disciple, but, at present, he lacks courage, has doubts, and acts to protect his community standing. So, he comes at night to raise a theological debate, a form of rabbinic argument which seems, to us, purposefully obtuse.

His opening statement is both a recognition of why he has come and a theological approach. He is blown away by Jesus’ response which seems to establish a topic that is off topic to us: “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom (or reign) of God, without being born from above.”

And Nicodemus responds: “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can anyone enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?”

And Jesus makes clear the metaphor being used. Such birth is not literal, as Nicodemus well knows, but spiritual. The words used before translation — as it is — mean “begotten from above,” “born from God.”

If one is not born from God, one cannot be part of, or “see,” the reign of God. It is a matter of comprehension, of epistemology or experience, to comprehend and to have insight, regarding the Reign of God breaking through.

Then, Jesus seems to go off on a tangent about the Holy Spirit, who hovered over creation, and a world was begun, as the Godhead spoke, “Let us create….”

There are various places in Scripture that address how God manifested God’s-self. The New Testament reveals that the Holy Spirit — the creating and birthing spirit of creation — came to Mary to tell her that she has been chosen to birth the Messiah. Then, the Spirit, in the form of a dove reiterated His chosenness naming Jesus Messiah, Child of God and Human Son, and was part of His desert aloneness and testing.

And here Jesus seems to bring all of this together in terms of what it means to be a follower, a disciple, which entails a birth from above, the troubling of the waters of Baptism by the Holy Spirit, creating a newness, a rebirth. We recognize this as an extended call to Baptism, the Sacrament through which one is born from above.

Then, at the moment of dialogue with Nicodemus, these words seemed oblique. He did not understand what Jesus was conveying — then. Judaism’s purification rights regarding ritual cleansing he understood, but this linkage to a requirement of rebirth was not comprehensible to him, despite his scriptural and traditional understanding, as religious leader, of a name for the creating spirit, ruah — womb and creating Wind of God. He initially saw Jesus as a profoundly interesting rabbi, and had heard much of him that stirred his interest and unsettled him. He had come to question Jesus, to hear what Jesus had to say, and left to ponder and parse what he heard that night.

The Spirit— the Creating Wind — blows where She will. In translation, Greek and Latin are neutral regarding the Holy Spirit linguistically, but in Hebrew and Aramaic the Holy Spirit, the Creating Spirit of God, the Comforter and Legal Guide in our lives, is feminine. The winged Spirit of God, Wisdom of God, blows where She wills and one can even hear the sound without understanding whence it comes or whither the Spirit blows — as wind of change. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. This Spirit is freshening, invigorating, cleansing, and then seems gone, but the change is left behind —a newness has begun.

The sentence structure caught me up. It is echoed in the movie, Chocolate, where the wind drives even the chocolatier, a change agent despite herself, who must acknowledge that she is an agent of the wind. The wind, of which she becomes part, brings/drives people to rethink, relook — and change.

In this Gospel Jesus seems to say that the changes brought by the Holy Spirit are unpredictable, mysterious and divine, leading persons, and persons such as Nicodemus, to question their lives and the structure of their beliefs, causing discomfort until the questing and questioning are embraced.

Nicodemus listened in amazement but seems to have missed the point, so much so — that Jesus says to him: “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”

But the teachings of Jesus need to be pondered and embraced as Jesus himself said. “I tell you, we speak of what we know, and testify to what we have seen…. If I told you about earthly things, and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things?”

Jesus is pushing Nicodemus to see beyond his world view, to re-orient his point of view which, despite his position as religious leader, has missed the mystical and divine works of heaven. The word Jesus uses in this lesson on spiritual guidance is pneuma, which means Wind and Spirit, a power beyond human comprehension, or earthly, regular and comfortable, beliefs.

In order for this comprehension to take place, Jesus says, there is need for a new focus, much as with the caduceus, the bronze serpent of healing in the wilderness (Nb. 21:8-9).

He himself is that symbol — for the love of creation — not for condemnation, but salvation, re-creation. Just as Moses lifted up the caduceus so must Jesus be lifted up, a metaphor of crucifixion used by the writer of John’s Gospel. This new focus will bring authentic life and newness for those who accept, who believe in the Son of Humankind. All such will have eternal life, born anew.

For God so loved all things created good. Amen

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A Letter Regarding Greeenland

January 16, 2026

To our dear siblings in Christ,

As the national bishops of Lutheran churches in the United States, Canada and Denmark, we wish to send the Greenlandic people our full support in an unusually difficult situation. We pray for and encourage our own congregations and people to pray for and stand with Greenland and the Greenlandic people who want to maintain their independence. We pray for peace and respect between nations.

We unreservedly support the Church of Greenland and Bishop Paneeraq Siegstad Munk, whose statement has been quoted in several media outlets: “This is a question of human rights, dignity, and respecting international laws and treaties. We are a small people, but we are not invisible. Our future is not something to be decided over our heads. We have language, culture, ancestors, children, and a future tied to this place. We are people, not property. Greenland is not land to be bought. It is our home and it is not for sale” (Christian News, Jan. 14). The Church of Greenland works closely with dioceses in Denmark and plays an active role in international affairs as a member of the World Council of Churches, the Lutheran World Federation and other organizations. We wish that this close cooperation will continue and bring joy and benefit to the people of Greenland.

We invite you to write to your elected leaders and tell them to respect the independence of Greenland and the Greenlandic people.

In Christ,

The Rev. Dr. Larry Kochendorfer, National Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The Rev. Yehiel Curry, Presiding Bishop Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Rt. Revd. Henrik Stubkjær, Bishop of Viborg Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark