Presence: Experiencing the Nearness of God

India, home of more than 1.4 billion people, wants to increase its overall prosperity. Presently, its citizens consume, per person, one tenth of what is consumed by Americans. If India were to take an intense fossil-fuel burning, CO2 producing path to prosperity, the effect on the planet would be catastrophic. So leapfrogging to a higher, more sustainable level of technology is a sane and sustainable way forward for India.

It is astounding how much energy Americans use - especially compared to people elsewhere. The per capita consumption of each person in the U.S. is roughly 11,000 watts every moment of every day. And yet, we today have technology - like the 24 solar panels on my roof that can begin to change the carbon emissions which come from the burning of fuel to make those 11K of power I and every other American consume each day.

Today it's about the same, important word repeated three times. We are reminded that with the shift to a renewable energy focused economy, there are new jobs which will grow from the need for labor to build the new infrastructure. And, as followers of Christ, we are also called to build a just, inclusive world in which all of the creatures within Christ's creation are respected. Any so-called "Christian" who wants to build an authoritarian nation founded on demonizing or scapegoating others, restricting freedom or racial supremacy is sorely misguided and not a follower of the goodnews - the gospel - of Christ.

We begin with the ending quote from the text for letter "I" - "The I.R.A. was called 'historic,' 'transformational,' and 'the best news anyone who cares about the fate of the planet had heard in a long time'" In contrast, just today, Politico reported that an influential oil & gas industry lobbist group 'has drafted detailed plans for dismantling landmark Biden administration climate rules after the presidential election." So much hangs in this election - continued progress with addressing climate change or regression that will continue to dangerously move us backwards.

Just three letters ago we had "D is for Dispair." Now it's "H is for Hope." Which of these two seemingly opposite postures/attitudes is it? Recall the bluntness of "Despair is a sin." Along with faith and love, hope is a core virtue of the Christian tradition. And there's evidence - if we are awake to it, that there's reason to be hopeful that change - with the climate and, well hopefully, with our politics too can come.

Of the many human-made things we take for granted, concrete may be near the top of the list. As it's the building block of nearly every structure we construct - it's always nearby - yet often overlooked. Did you know though that the way traditional concrete is made today accounts for nearly 8% of the global total of carbon emissions in 2023 -which is more than what aviation and shipping combined produced! So, we must make concrete differently. Fortunately, there are scientists working on precisely this urgent task.

It's Indigenous People's (as it's officially named where I live in Columbus, OH) Day. Or perhaps, as an Atlantic article today suggests, we should celebrate this day as Explorer's Day to honor those of all cultures who boldly set out for new frontiers. In this spirit, it's a good day for "F is for Flight." Check out the Alia electric aircraft featured today - at www.beta.team - and prepare to have your mind blown by the versatility plus sheer coolness. It will take hard work to make passenger planes that are electrical. Yet, the Alia shows it is possible. Climate change shows it is necessary. And in the bold spirit of Explorer's Day, let's set out and try to make this new way of carbon-free flying possible.

Today's letter, our second vowel, is so great it gets a double letter. The cost of capturing renewable energy has dropped in price -especially from the sun - even since 2010 - such that generating carbon-free electricity is almost the same price as the cost of what is made from burning fossil fuels - that also make CO2. Wind power - especially - off shore - uses blades so big that one sweep of the blade can power a home for a day! Christ, when he walked among us, had no idea about turbines or electricity. He did care about the birds & the lilies. Thus he'd surely encourage us to burn less and care for creation more!

Today is stark - "D is for Despair" The text we are pondering in the book "H is for Hope" is brief, pointed & the opposite of the title. It brings to mind a related "D" - doom. It's on my mind as I was feeling a sense of doom about this election before Biden stepped down. And I've been pondering it as I read the 2024 book by Brian D. McLaren "Life After Doom: Wisdom & Courage for a World Falling Apart." How do we navigate a sense of doom? Christ's own words give us a pathway within this current countdown and intensifying climate change.

Letter "C" is a tough one for most of us to hear as it's for Capitalism. In the foundational text we're using for this series, this sums it up: "Climate change can't be solved with the tools of capitalism, because it is a product of capitalism." And don't forget that in the U.S. corporations have been granted the same rights as people. The followers of Christ have a different model though - and one which could guide us as we look beyond this laye-stage capitalism. All four gospels share one illustrative miracle - the sharing of the loaves & fishes.