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| Mackenzie River near Tuktoyaktuk, NWT. Image by Martin Male |
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A GREETING
May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
Oh God, my rock and my redeemer!
(Psalm 19:14 TIB)
A READING
Those who come to me and hear my words and put them into practice—I’ll show you who they’re like: they are like the person who, in building a house, dug deeply and laid the foundation on a rock. When a flood arose, the torrent rushed against the house, but failed to shake it because of its solid foundation.
(Luke 6:47-48 TIB)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
You will keep me safe in your shelter when trouble arises...
you’ll set me on a rock, high and out of reach.
(Psalm 27:5 TIB)
A POEM
In the boreal forests, in a landscape staggered
with lurching birches, ice is a memory, while farther
north, where glaciers begin to thin, ice is memory,
or the keeper of memories, a kind of collective mind
in which buried deep are layers of ancient volcanic ash,
soot from fires primeval, banked bubbles of archaic air—
stories stored, frozen, in cerulean cerebral cortex, a vortex
stilled, which soon may spill.
- from "Drunken Forests" by Jessica Goodfellow,
found in Scientific American
VERSE OF THE DAY
You have been my shelter,
a tower of strength when I am in danger.
(Psalm 61:3 TIB)
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| "Town from the Point." Tuktoyaktuk, NWT Image by DVS |
In today's reading, Jesus tells a parable in which he compares the faithfulness of someone to a person who builds a strong foundation for their house. He wants the disciples to hear that being his follower means having a faith that will uphold them in the work of discipleship.
The metaphor of the house built on a rock can be challenging for us in an era of climate catastrophe. In Tuktoyaktuk, an Inuvialuit community in the Northwest Territories on the Beaufort Sea, the entire community is being forced to consider a massive relocation of their entire settlement. It has everything to do with the ground that their houses are built on. What seemed like rock has collapsed into silt, as the underlying permafrost has melted. Permafrost is not permanent anymore.
For the Inuvialuit, building on the permafrost has been a good foundation for several millennia. The activity of the community in its hunting and fishing is not in any way responsible for the greenhouse gases that have led to the melting of their land.
How do we reconsider some of the parables of Jesus in the face of the climate and ecological crisis? One way is to focus on the people themselves and the ways in which they have found to endure. By building barriers, the residents of Tuk have bought themselves some time to consider their options. But they know they will likely have to move. As the linked article in the New York Times says below, the question becomes when and where?
Tuktoyaktuk is also home to House of Hope, a youth-formed initiative for creating fun and positive programs for youth who might otherwise be drawn into an alcohol or drug culture. They hang out together, bake, sew, and learn traditional activities. When the community moves, these youth will have strong ties and bonds to fall back on as they adjust to a new home.
Jesus wants us to build our lives on a rock of faith. Deepening our faith is what helps us to face life's troubles when unexpected realities like melting permafrost make the structures of our lives difficult to sustain. "Keep moving on and don't give up," sing the youth in today's music. How can we stand in solidarity with those coastal communities who are slowly losing everything? How can we uphold them in their desire to preserve their way of life, even as they have to transplant it?
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IMAGES OF RESISTANCE
"The Arctic Ocean and land's end in Tuktoyaktuk." Image by Renaud Philippe.
Taken from an article entitled "An Arctic Hamlet is Sinking Into the Thawing Permafrost," by Norimitsu Onishi New York Times, December 2, 2024.
Access the article without a paywall here.
Image by Jenna Dulewich, from "Youth-led House of Hope in Tuktoyaktuk, N.W.T., sparks healing, friendships and connection," by April Hudson, CBC News, January 26, 2023.
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Resources in today's devotion:
Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible.
Full lyrics for "Don't Give Up" are embedded in the youtube link for the song - found here. N'we Jinan is an Indigenous-led music company that brings professional musicians to remote Indigenous communities to collaborate on music making.
Jessica Goodfellow is a teacher and poet living in Japan.
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LC† Streams of Living Justice is a devotional series of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!