Advocacy

As I write this, I am en route to the Holy Land … A place that I hold deep in my heart and that is sacred to many believers around the world. The land is holy and has such rich history and theological significance. But the “holy land” can not be understood apart from the contemporary geopolitics between Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. And today, the realities on the ground continue to escalate with some of the worst violence we’ve seen in years.

December 9th, I took a circuitous route to the airport making some last minute pick ups. It was the usual dark and cold of winter in the B.C. interior. I traced my way through the lamp lit roads of the city following Siri’s voice directing me towards a friend’s parents’ house where I would dig a plastic bag out of a storage box. I hoped the neighbours wouldn’t be concerned given the late hour.  All day I’d been sending a flurry of texts trying to arrange a collection of winter coats of various sizes and ensuring the final set up of the apartment was finished.

While most Christmas adages point to the joy of the season (e.g. it’s the most wonderful time of the year), this year I have been once again reminded that November and December are two of the most difficult months for millions of people. Feelings of loneliness and anxiety, a fear of missing out, painful reflection and overwhelming sadness during the Christmas season are so common there’s a special term for it—the holiday blues.

The Bible can help us understand contemporary events in new ways.  The story of the Syrophoenician woman who argues with Jesus about healing her daughter helpfully sheds light on a very important event that occurred at the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 27, held in Egypt in November of this year. 

This past week, I had the privilege of attending COP27 (the UNFCCC’s annual climate change conference) in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.  The opportunity arose when I was accepted to the Christian Climate Observers Program, or CCOP.  The program is amazing, the team was both international and incredible, and I am immensely grateful to our two leaders and program founders, Lowell Bliss and Brian Webb.