Will you heed the signs?

Our faiths all speak of signs: signs from God, or from the sacred realm. These signs often signal dangers. Threats to our safety and security. Signs can also be a glaring warning that we're way off track; that we're doing something wrong; that we need to wake up. Rev., if the past 30 days of climate-induced disasters haven't been a month of signs, I have no idea what they should be called. The heat wave in Oregon, US, wasn’t just about far higher temperatures than normal. It was also the second largest mass casualty event in the state’s history. The catastrophic floods in Germany, France, and Belgium didn’t just destroy thousands of homes. For many elderly residents, they evoked traumatic memories from World War II, when they were forced to leave their homes and belongings, to flee for their lives. A small farmer in Henan province, China watched helplessly as not only did his crops and barns flood, but dozens of his pigs drowned, floating past him after they had died. If we’re not jolted by this, there’s something wrong. We are all people of different faiths and spiritualities. We know signs when we see them. And turning our backs on a sacred sign is not who we are.   That’s why, on 17-18 October, people of every imaginable religion around the globe are going to get up from their pews, prayer rugs, or meditation cushions and join Faiths 4 Climate Justice.   Join us on either 4 or 5 August to kick off the global prep process. At Faiths 4 Climate Justice, we’ll be unveiling signs of our own at our places of prayer on October 17. Then on October 18, we’ll be making sure that governments, banks, and other leaders don’t miss the message. Join us on one of next week’s calls and learn more. I believe God is sending us unmistakable signs. Because of my faith, I’m responding. Will you join me? Rev. Dr. Neddy Astudillo GreenFaith Latinx Organizer