Prophets are people who can speak truth into situations to challenge the status quo and to make people sit up and take heed. In the bible, God’s prophets speak for God and what they say can challenge the morals and attitudes of people and countries.   Lamentations is the prophet Jeremiah’s song of sorrow for Jerusalem’s destruction. The nation of Judah had been utterly defeated, the temple destroyed, and captives taken away to Babylon. Jeremiah’s tears were for the suffering and humiliation of the people, but those tears penetrated even deeper into his heart. He wept because God had rejected the people for their rebellious ways.

Extinction Rebellion is a prophetic voice to our world as we face extreme climate change challenges. They say ‘We are facing an unprecedented global emergency. Life on Earth is in crisis: scientists agree we have entered a period of abrupt climate breakdown, and we are in the midst of a mass extinction of our own making.’

The vision of XR states: Our world is in crisis. Life itself is under threat. Yet every crisis contains the possibility of transformation. Across the world, heralded by the young, people are waking up and coming together. 

We hear history calling to us from the future. We catch glimpses of a new world of love, respect and regeneration, where we have restored the intricate web of all life. It’s a future that’s inside us all – located in the fierce love we carry for our children, in our urge to help a stranger in distress, in our wish to forgive, even when that seems too much to ask. 

 What is our response to this? In the Gospel reading (Luke 17: v5-10)  Luke reminds us that we can achieve great things with even faith as small as a mustard seed and the importance of simply being faithful followers of Jesus. Caring for our planet – God’s planet and heeding the voice of today’s prophets like XR is part of our partnering with People of Peace to protect the world and we all can play a part.

Caroline, Rector