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The meteorological term "polar vortex" entered the common parlance
across the nation this week as temperatures plunged deeply below zero on
Tuesday in a large part of the nation and all of the lower 48 states
experienced readings below freezing, creating inconvenience for many and
hardship for others. Authorities blamed the cold for at least 21 deaths,
several of them from traffic accidents. Meteorologists say a polar vortex --
or, more specifically, a distorted polar vortex -- is the reason for
the Arctic blast.According to CNN International senior meteorologist Brandon Miller, a polar vortex "is circulation of strong, upper-level winds that normally surround the northern pole in a counterclockwise direction -- a polar low-pressure system. These winds tend to keep the bitter cold air locked in the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere." But, says Miller, "on occasion, this vortex can become distorted and dip much farther south than you would normally find it, allowing cold air to spill southward ... in any portion of the Northern Hemisphere."
On Monday, due to the extreme cold in Minnesota, the governor called off all public school for the whole state -- a matter that's usually left up to each district. Such a statewide shutdown had not been done since 1997.
In Chicago, Anana, the lone polar bear at the Lincoln Park Zoo, was kept in her 40ish-degree habitat because she has not grown the thick layer of fat that bears in their native Arctic develop to insulate themselves against bitter winter temperatures.
In the Deep South, hard freeze warnings were in effect from eastern Texas to the Florida Panhandle.
In cities across the Midwest and the Northeast, shelters have taken in record numbers of homeless people. With shelters over capacity, some churches have opened their doors to the homeless and those whose houses have heat outages.
In Lexington, Kentucky, an escaped inmate got so cold that he turned himself in so he could warm up. His fingers and toes were frostbitten.
As of Tuesday morning, 2,000 flights were canceled within, into or out of the United States, and passengers on three different Amtrak trains were stranded overnight in Illinois as the trains became stuck in snowdrifts.
The National Weather Service characterized this week's cold outbreak as "historic and life-threatening."
More on this story can be found at these links:
Polar Vortex: Deep Freeze Moves Across US. Sky News
Deep Freeze to Reach All Lower 48 States. News Channel 9
Frigid Air From the North Pole: What's This Polar Vortex? CNN
The Big Questions
1. Is there a moral aspect to life-threatening weather -- that is, are weather extremes "evil"? (We note that in his work the Divine Comedy, the Italian poet Dante pictured the ninth and innermost circle of hell as a solid sheet of ice.) If so, who is responsible for the evil? Explain your answer.
2. Would we be better off without the cold of winter? Why or why not? What does your answer say about those places that lack cold weather (much of the tropics) or lack warm weather (Antarctic)?
3. Where do you see God in weather events? How is God revealed in the choices people make during these events? In the ways they serve others? What ministries of your church are related to the extremes of weather?
4. How does deep cold affect your mood? What opportunities, spiritual and otherwise, does deep cold present?
5. When have you gotten caught in a figurative "distorted polar vortex"? What did you do to "come in from the cold"?
Confronting the News With Scripture and Hope
Here are some Bible verses to guide your discussion:
Genesis 8:22
As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. (For context, read 8:20-22.)
This is part of God's promise to himself after the great flood of Noah's day subsided -- the promise of an ordered cycle of seasons.
Questions: There is a difference, of course, in the usual cold of winter and the extreme cold of this week. Should we take the extremes of weather to mean anything in terms of God's governance of the world? Why or why not? How quickly do you bounce back from these extremes? Do you feel down? Joyful? Why?
1 Chronicles 11:22
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds .... He also went down and killed a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. (For context, read 11:22-25.)
Benaiah was a member of King David's "mighty men," a kind of special-forces troop. The report above tells of him killing a lion. Many people in Israel kept sheep for food and wool, so a marauding lion was a real problem. And because it was winter, the small game that lions usually ate were seldom out of their burrows. Thus sheep, and especially lambs, were a natural target for lions, which, due to their hunger, were at their fiercest.
The chronicler comments that Benaiah killed the lion "on a day when snow had fallen." Snow is not as common in that part of the world as it is here, but it is not unheard of either. What Benaiah did in ridding the countryside of this marauding lion would have been remarkable at any time, but the chronicler seems to be saying that Benaiah turned the misery of winter to his advantage. While others huddled against the snow, Benaiah used it to track the lion.
Speaking symbolically, there are experiences in our lives that are winter experiences -- bad news, griefs, agonies, problems and the like. And in those times, we may be troubled by such beasts as impatience, a judgmental spirit, a foul temper, compulsions to do wrong things and so forth. We may well be able to get away from those things when other matters in our lives are going well. When things are all summer, our moral muscle or spiritual stamina may make little difference. But when the cold winds of bitter adversity or trouble blow, we may find that our lax attitudes or self-centered ways of living just make matters worse.
Question: How can we use the hardship of the winter experiences of our lives to slay some personal lions? If your job allows you to stay home, what do you do with the extra time that is given to you by snow days? Do you almost look forward to these opportunities? Do you act as if you have to accomplish something to justify the time off, or do you simply stop and relax?
Psalm 147:16-17
He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down hail like crumbs -- who can stand before his cold? (No context needed.)
From the verses above, it's clear the author of this psalm believed that winter comes from God.
Questions: What do weather extremes suggest to us about the nature of God? Do we tend to define God within comfortable limitations? Are we truly ready for a God who can be revealed in extremes as well as within what we consider the norm?
Acts 28:1-2
After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it. (For context, read 27:39--28:2.)
Paul, under arrest and in the process of being transferred to Rome by ship, was in a shipwreck during a storm. Although the ship was lost, everyone on board was able to make it to the island of Malta, where the local residents treated them kindly. Because it was cold, the locals made a fire and welcomed all the shipwrecked people around it.
This incident provides a model for how cold can motivate people to offer the protection of warmth to those suffering from chilling weather. Homeless shelters are one way this is done, but in some communities, there aren't enough places for homeless people to get inside during dangerous cold, and thus some churches also open their doors. (In the Fargo, ND-Moorhead, MN area, for example, the homeless must first go to a permanent shelter; only if there is no space there, and once checked in under regular processes at the shelter, are they transported by shelter personnel to the church that is hosting that night.)
Questions: Would Christ encourage churches in offering shelter to the homeless during extreme cold weather? Why or why not? How difficult is it for you to accept help when buffeted by forces beyond your control?
During weather extremes, planes are often grounded and other forms of transportation are bottled up. Describe a time you simply could not get from point A to point B. How did you cope? What was your attitude and state of mind? Were you a help or a hindrance to others? How do we make times like this a blessing? When have you helped others who were stranded?
2 Timothy 4:21
Do your best to come before winter. (No context needed.)
Here, in the closing lines of a letter to his coworker Timothy, Paul urges him to join Paul "before winter." Winter storms and winds basically shut down sea travel in the Mediterranean during Greek and Roman times.
Question: Winter makes a lot of things difficult. How does winter fit into your understanding of God's providence? Do you feel like praising God more or less during times like these?
For Further Discussion
1. Do you expect people to share your attitudes toward weather extremes? If you are one of those who loves times like these, do you find that others resent your attitude? If you dread times like these, are you frustrated with those who don't share your fears?
2. Respond to this: One TWW team member recalls that during his seminary days in the late '70s, "the weather was so severe in the Chicago area that none of us could drive off the campus for days at a time. We were 'snowlocked.' One student made it his ministry to cross-country ski to the stores a few miles away to bring back milk for those families with children."
3. Comment on this: Studies show that those who live in wealthier regions have a greater chance of survival during deadly weather than those in poorer neighborhoods. However, studies also show that in some poor neighborhoods, the survival rate is very high, especially when compared to equally poor neighborhoods that are adjacent. One conclusion of such studies is that people living in neighborhoods with stronger social networks fare better than people who live in comparable, but less socially cohesive, neighborhoods. The stronger social networks include neighborhoods where people venture out onto the streets and the sidewalks to talk to one another -- neighborhoods with stores and restaurants, and of course social centers like churches, so people run into each other on a regular basis. Some churches have arrangements such that when weather is crippling, certain individuals make it a point to check up on those who are most at risk.
4. Respond to this: When Hurricane Charley devastated Port Charlotte, Florida, the Presbyterian Church couldn't find many of its members. With no phones, they sent deacons door to door to check on individuals. But all the street signs were gone, and all of the landmarks were blown down or destroyed. All the streets and houses looked the same, so it was a nightmare trying to find the homes and the people. Since then, many churches have been mapping their members' homes on GPS so they can be located in the dark or in a confusing situation.
Responding to the News
This is a good time to reach out, or plan how to reach out, to any of your members who may be vulnerable when weather extremes occur.
This is also a good time to consider how your church can minister to outsiders during extreme weather. As one idea, see http://shelteringchurches.wordpress.com/.
Closing Prayer
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