Orthodoxy is not a religious philosophy or way of thinking but revelation and life standing on the foundations of divine experience; it is the transcendence of the created and the intimacy of the Uncreated. Remember, Paul wrote what we now call the Epistle to the Romans—you know, one of the most important books in the Bible—before he had met any of its recipients personally. A basic precept of Orthodoxy is that of the person – the personhood of God and of man. So many now, it seems, want to think through what this planet will be like for our grandchildren, and then their grandchildren. That naming should not come as too much of a surprise. Could it be that the Christians in Rome had not appreciated Paul’s earlier long letter to them? We would like to think that he was welcomed warmly by the local Christian community when he arrived in the city as a “minimum security” prisoner, but this letter to Timothy is a sign that it may not have been the case. Some tipping points have passed – but we can do small things as households and as churches to foster ecological well-being and good practice: so many congregations around the world do that now. A great many people will tell you, if they’re honest, that they feel alone—seriously, depressingly, alone—even those who come across to the world as outgoing and friendly. If the author is known, he or she is listed in the article above. We have become so used to extreme rhetoric of late where fake news and alternative facts trump common sense and diplomatic reserve. So we celebrate today the proclamation of Good News – the careful work that Luke undertook to “write an orderly account” for Theophilus of the amazing story of the Son of God. (Now, can you imagine not appreciating the epistle to the Romans? Other than Paul’s personal references in his epistles, it is from Luke’s writings, in the last two-thirds or so of the Acts of the Apostles, that we know what we know about Paul’s conversion, about his missionary efforts, and about his eventual arrest, trial, and imprisonment. With two degrees of warming, three times as many insects and twice as many plants and vertebrates will lose their geographic range. We have suffered instead from what Norman Habel, a bible scholar from Adelaide, has called ‘heavenism’: we have looked upon this earth as somehow disposable – so much so that for a moment in time there were car bumper bar stickers that proclaimed “In the event of the rapture this car will be driverless”. But these headlines had nothing to do with these constant companions. And this, of course, is why we have this reading appointed for today—the mention of Luke. The online diary of the Right Reverend Daniel Martins, Bishop of Springfield (Episcopal Church). They have not called us to touch the Earth lightly; they have called us to show much concern for a broken beauty. At times the two shores are so close to one another they nearly meet. I’m not a psychologist, so I won’t speculate as to why this is. Our lives are filled by daily contact with others. Don’t wait. And then, after being encouraging to Timothy and reflective about his own situation--then Paul indulges in what might be described as a bit of a pity party: Do your best to come to me soon. The head of the panel, Debra Roberts, declared that the next few years are probably the most important in human history. The people of Tuvalu did not cause what is happening to their islands – and the story of Job helps them out in one other way. A couple of years ago my husband and I went on holiday to Germany. The incarnation of God the Word found fertile ground in man’s proclivity to beauty, to goodness, to truth and to the eternal. But, even in the midst of this potential swerve, even within this hope, Lifton realizes that the tipping point for some cultures, some places has already passed. He was a Greek from the Great city of Antioch in Syria (today’s Antakya). Ten million more people would be exposed to permanent inundation; several hundred million more to “climate-related risks and susceptible to poverty.” Malaria and dengue fever will be more widespread; crops like maize, rice, and wheat will have smaller and smaller yields—particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Central and South America. Its story line has to do with a wager between God and Satan over whether Job is a righteous man and can preserve the integrity of his faith in the face of innocent suffering. It is central to the way we think and speak about the gospel. This litany almost feels apocalyptic. We have become so used to extreme rhetoric of late where fake news and alternative facts trump common sense and diplomatic reserve. Greek philosophers from Ionia considered held that there were four elements or essences (ousies) in nature: earth, water, fire and air. But you never know.) Do you know it? We celebrate the feast day of Luke, evangelist. How do we respond to (or preach to) a book in which God answers Job’s anguish by seemingly browbeating him into submission at the end of the story?”. Luke alone is with me. In terms of our reading this morning Eliphaz the Temanite has just laboured the pointed: of what possible benefit is Job’s faithfulness to God. It does not take you long to realize that nearly everyone on these islands goes to church and that their carbon emissions are next to nothing. Are we not your neighbours? Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. If St. Paul succeeded in evangelizing the western Roman empire, Luke may have had more to do with it … it does not take you long to hear that sometime before - during a king tide - the sea invaded the first floor of the hotel in which you are staying; you are glad that you have a room upstairs on the second floor. Not only was he the only Gentile to write books of the Bible, but he was a close companion of St. Paul. Have you ever heard it said about someone that they “love humanity but can’t stand people?” That’s kind of a problem, because we have people all around us, and we interact with them every day. Some commentators believe that the future may well be turn out to be rather ugly.