Pastoral Letter: Rev Ulrike Bell

Dear friends,

As the news comes in that Parliament was unlawfully prorogued, I hear a great big thunder from above – a commentary from heaven on the unbelievable drama we’re being part of since Brexit all started?

There is one good thing that came with the last months in this nation: people seem to have become more political. Demonstrating on the streets, signing petitions online. Maybe we have come to learn that democracy lives from participation, otherwise it’s meaningless; maybe we have come to learn that we have to put effort into creating the world we want it to be(come).

And there is more: Greta Thunberg delivered a strong speech at the United Nation’s Climate Summit, challenging the world leaders in their approach to the crisis of our planet. A determined prophetess, set on her course, not to be distracted, focusing on nothing less but saving the earth for future generations.

She managed to mobilise millions of young students and adults world wide to demand change. Again, teaching us that we need to put personal effort into and fight for the world we want it to be(come).

With these signposts for more political and environmental action we go into the season of autumn, and into the second half of our Holy Habit “Sharing Resources”.

We are called to find ways of joining our voices and our actions to be salt and light within our communities. We need to take an active part for the sake of God’s creation, and for the sake of God in creation (“see the lilies of the field…” Mt 7,28f.), for the sake of finding (again) an agreeable way of living together in this nation as well as with our next-door, over-channel and over-seas neighbours.

A song-line comes to my mind:

“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me”.

I’d like to add:

“Let there be respect for mother-nature on earth, and let it begin with me.”

“Let there be fair discourse on the earth, and let it begin with me.”

Have a blessed October.

Yours in Christ,
​
Ulrike

(Photo taken at the Extinction Rebellion Friday student protest in September at Walthamstow Market).

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