Judith Russenberger

Proper 23, 19th Sunday after Trinity

11th October 2026

Reflection with readings below

Everyone enjoys a good party! And a feast is the opposite of a famine. So when God invites us to a feast we should expect a scenario where they will be plenty of food and plenty to drink, plenty of joy and happiness. If the feast is a wedding feast then we should know this as a celebration of a lifelong union, of an eternal covenant.

Last week’s readings had a focus on vineyards. In Isaiah the story focused on the vine and the failure of its fruit, whilst the gospel story focused on the tenants – those who were meant to tend and harvest the vine’s fruits, passing on what was due to the owner. Isaiah’s story focused on the fruitfulness of God’s people; the gospel on the honesty of those who were tasked with looking after the people of God.

Today’s gospel story may be a combination of both. The wedding feast reminds us of all that God has prepared for us to enjoy – the bounty and beauty of creation. God’s good earth is wonderfully productive and resourceful. Even with this century’s projected human population of ten billion, the Earth’s produce would more than satisfy their appetites. Surprisingly it is not a lack of food that underpins hunger and famine but a lack of equality and of a fair distribution of resources. Equally it is note lack of accommodation that causes homelessness, but a lack of equality and of fair distribution. (There are in the UK 309,000 long term empty houses against 290,000 people who are homeless!)

It is not the feast that is a problem. Rather it is the unwillingness of those invited to engage with the king. Those who are rich, those whose lives are self sufficient, those who feel no need to pay attention to anyone else, turn down the invitation. They do not want to waste their time and effort in a celebration that benefits others.

And is that not what we see with those in our world today who are rich, who are self satisfied, who have not concern for anyone else? They take all they want – and more! – and do nothing! ensure that the bounty of the Earth – the feast – is intended for everyone.

And so yes, as is told in the parable, surely we would love to see those who have been marginalised, those cast out by the rich and powerful, those who lack any fair share of resources, being invited to share the abundant bounty of the Earth’s harvest.

But hang on a moment! Are we not actually some of the rich and powerful -maybe not super rich but certain,y richer than most of the world’s population? Are we ready and willing to participate in this feast, are we ready and willing to ensure a just and fair distribution of food, of drink, of homes, of safety even if that means forgoing some of our pleasures and privileges, even if it means forgoing some of our wealth and incomes? Are we in danger of saying yes to the invitation but then failing to act accordingly? Are we in danger of wishing to benefit from the Earth’s bounty whilst pressing for a fairer share of the feast? Are we in danger of arriving at the feast underdressed?

There is still time to repent and make amends. Isaiah long knew that the people of God were easily distracted from their invitation to enjoy rich lives if they stuck to following God’s ways. He knew that these false ways would lead to eviction and deportation. But Isaiah also know that God would always quickly be ready to help those who turned thwir back on sin, those who were repentant and sought to live a better life following the way of God.

Jesus knew that many were caught up in systems, caught in the snare of wealth and high wages. He knew that they could repent and be welcomed I to God’s kingdom. He also knew that for some it would be a difficult choice to make because it would be sacrificial. But he also knew that individuals could make the right choices, and that if the band of disciples was growing in numbers, then more and more would respond to that message.

May God release us from the ties of wealth and privilege and give us the courage to invite and enable everyone to enjoy the feast that God’s Earth has to offer equally and fairly. Amen.

Isaiah 25:1-9

O Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you, I will praise your name;

for you have done wonderful things,
plans formed of old, faithful and sure.

For you have made the city a heap,
the fortified city a ruin;

the palace of aliens is a city no more,
it will never be rebuilt.

Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will fear you.

For you have been a refuge to the poor,
a refuge to the needy in their distress,
a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat.

When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place,

you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds;
the song of the ruthless was stilled.

On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.

Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.

It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Psalm 23

1 The Lord is my shepherd; *
I shall not be in want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures *
and leads me beside still waters.

3 He revives my soul *
and guides me along right pathways for his Name’s sake.

4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil; *
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5 You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me; *
you have anointed my head with oil,
and my cup is running over.

6 Surely your goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, *
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Philippians 4:1-9

My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.

I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

Matthew 22:1-14

Once more Jesus spoke to the people in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his slaves to call those who had been invited to the wedding banquet, but they would not come. Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited: Look, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready; come to the wedding banquet.’ But they made light of it and went away, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but those invited were not worthy. Go therefore into the main streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ Those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both good and bad; so the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing a wedding robe, and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding robe?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Lamenting our shortcomings

11th October 2026

The LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading: Psalm 10:1-6, 12

Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In arrogance the wicked persecute the poor—
let them be caught in the schemes they have devised.

For the wicked boast of the desires of their heart,
those greedy for gain curse and renounce the Lord.
In the pride of their countenance the wicked say, ‘God will not seek it out’;
all their thoughts are, ‘There is no God.’

Their ways prosper at all times;
   your judgements are on high, out of their sight;
   as for their foes, they scoff at them.
They think in their heart, ‘We shall not be moved;
   throughout all generations we shall not meet adversity.’

Rise up, O Lord; O God, lift up your hand;
do not forget the oppressed.

Response based on Daniel 9:4-10

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have sinned and done wrong:

our greed has made paupers of those we should love,

our desire for more has taken away even the little they had,

we have despised and oppressed our brothers and sisters.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have acted wickedly and rebelled:

we have carved out our paths

and ignore the ways of your creation

leaving behind us a trail of devastation.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have turned aside from your commandments:

we over-grazed the land, over fished the seas,

we have decimated the forests and polluted the waterways,

we have taken more than we can restore.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

we have not listened to your prophets, who speak in your name:

we have ignored the wail of the sea birds,

the gasps of the rhino

and the disappearing drone of the insects.

Great and awesome God,

keeper of promises

and steadfast in love,

shame falls on us:

we let islands drown and ice sheets melt,

we let the tundra burn and rivers dry up,

we let cities flood and fields whither.

Lord our God,

to you belong mercy and forgiveness,

reform and redeem us,

renew a right spirit within us,

that all your creation may be treated

with love and care.

Amen.

The Grace

Counting on … day 101

8th October 2026

Droughts and energy supplies

The German language has a lovely word to describe those days when there is neither sunshine nor wind to power renewable energy – Dunkelflaute. We are probably less aware of the impact that drought can have on energy supplies.

Hydro power clearly is dependent on a sufficient fall or flow of water to drive the turbines. During periods of low river flow, less energy can be produced. (Tidal power is not affected but would I imagine be affected by storms which might overwhelm the system.)

Nuclear power relies on water for cooling. In the UK nuclear power stations are located by the coast and use sea water for cooling, but many nuclear power stations in Europe use river water for cooling. During droughts they are therefore adversely effected with low river levels, but equally when the river volume is low, it is not possible to return the cooling water to the river because the heat of this water cannot be sufficiently dissipated by the river water to ensure the wellbeing of river wildlife.

Gas and coal power stations steam water to drive the turbines – if there are several water shortages, this will impact their ability to produce electricity.

As consumers we can

support a range of renewable energy sources through utilising a green electricity tariff (a mix of solar, hydro and wind seems to be the ideal especially if combined with battery storage).
Aim to minimise the amount of energy we need to use, and by limiting our consumption of consumer goods – joy in enough (1) – to help curtail industrial demand for both water and energy.

Counting on … day 100

7th October 2026

Water use and fashion

Across Europe each persons buys on average 19kg of clothes a year – and throws away 12kg. Given that little if that is recycled is of its self a concern, but alongside that consider the environmental footprint of each person’s new clothes: 323 square meters of farmland, 523 kg of raw materials (including various chemicals used to make dyes, elastic, coatings, zips etc), and 12000 litres of water. (1)

Droughts are clearly a problem for farmers growing cotton (less so for those growing hemp or flax which are less thirsty crops). They can also be a problem for manufacturers if the cost of water and of raw material goes up – manufacturing and dying cloth is highly water intensive. Such costs are more likely to affect those manufacturing cheap clothes – and it is likely that one area of cost saving might be in reducing labour costs which is not good for vulnerable workers.

We as consumers clearly have a role to play – we can choose to buy fewer clothes (and repair, reuse or redesign what we have) and we can choose to buy second hand clothes – and donate what we don’t need. We can, if it is within our budget, choose to buy good quality clothes that will last.

We can also campaign against fast fashion, supporting groups such as Oxfam, Friends of the Earth, Transform Trade etc.

(1) https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20201208STO93327/fast-fashion-eu-laws-for-sustainable-textile-consumption

Further information:-

https://www.oxfam.org.uk/oxfam-in-action/oxfam-blog/the-water-cost-of-fast-fashion-a-crisis-of-climate-change-inequality-what-we-can-do-about-it/

https://friendsoftheearth.uk/nature/fast-fashion-end-exploitation-big-business

https://www.wwf.org.uk/challenges/less-more

Home

https://www.transform-trade.org/fashion

Counting on … day 99

6th October 2026

For farmers adaptation may involve building new reservoirs on their land to store more water – this is what they did on the Elveden Estate but despite adding a 500,000 cubic metres reservoir to their exit 700,000 cubic metres storage capacity, they still reached a point if no more water for further irrigation. (1)

To help fill reservoirs, farmers may need new permits to allow them to abstract water from rivers during the wetter winter months – rather than doing so in the hotter dryer summer months. Reservoirs can also host floating solar panels! (2)

Some farmers are experimenting with restoring wetlands -such as water meadows, creating or restoring ponds, and re-wiggling rivers to keep more water on their land when it rains which both helps reduce flooding in the winter and keeping ground water levels higher in the summer.(3)

Another approach is to grow different crops that are more drought resistant, or to use different farming methods such as planting shade crops, sylviculture, smart irrigation techniques etc. Another consideration is to shift growing crops dependent on large amounts of water to a wetter region of the country. (4)

We as consumers can be part of the change: be willing to buy and eat different fruits and vegetables; eating more home grown vegetables (rather than relying on the produce of other drought challenged countries); eating less meat and dairy – both being large consumers of water.

(1) https://www.farmersguide.co.uk/machinery/drainage-irrigation/elveden-reservoir-water-security/

(2) https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2026/08/20/tackling-drought-aquifer-recharging-to-smart-irrigation-trials/

(3) https://www.lancswt.org.uk/blog/what-wetter-farming

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/21/somerset-rewilding-holnicote-estate-wetlands-rivers-resilience?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

(4) https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/sep/27/most-of-uks-essential-food-supply-grown-in-drought-risk-areas-report-warns?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 98

5th October 2026

How do we as a society and as individuals adapt to increasing likelihood of more frequent and longer droughts in the years to come? How should the different industries respond? How should the agriculture sector and farmers in particular adapt?

The following observation comes from the railway industry.

“The most important consideration is that we should now distinguish between maintenance and adaptation. Clearing a drain prepares us for the next storm, [but] redesigning or increasing the capacity of that drainage system prepares us for the next 30 years. We need to be doing both.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/21/britains-railway-prepares-for-more-extreme-weather-as-intense-el-nino-develops?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Droughts and floods threaten the stability of the ground on which railway lines have been built – both cuttings and embankments. This summer hot dry weather dried the ground underneath the railway lines (particularly those on embankments) with the risk that the ground might move – laterally or vertically and possibly in different directions at the same time – with the risk of disturbing the alignment of the tracks and this the risk of derailment. To reduce the risk, many train has to run more slowly over these sections of tracks, disrupting time tables. Flooding can equally undermine stability as well as blocking the line. Strong winds can lead to more trees falling onto the tracks – or blowing other things such as garden gazebos and trampolines onto the tracks. Winds can destabilise trains, dislodge overhead lines etc. Adverse weather can hinder staff – drivers, train crew, signallers etc – getting to work. And hot weather be debilitating for staff especially those who can’t readily access cool spaces, fresh water and toilets. There is a lot of adaptation that is going to be necessary if the railway industry is to operate effectively in an increasingly extreme climate.

Will we as customers have to be more flexible about how and when we travel? More willing to both accept and factor in, adverse weather conditions?

Proper 22, 18th Sunday after Trinity

4th October 2026

Reflection with readings below

Again the teaching from the prophets – in this reading Isaiah – is that we are not aligning our will with God’s; that we are not shaping our lives and lifestyles to conform to God’s expectations – that we are sinners. But there is still the option of turning back to God, allowing God’s wisdom to shape how we live. It might involve accepting radical change, accepting pruning but also gaining from God’s nurturing guidance.

But note too that had the vine been responsive it would have had a flourishing life and would have produced beautiful sweet wine. God truly wants us and all creation to have good and flourishing lives. God’s ways are not random nor arbitrary; they are the means of a bountiful and eternal life.

In the letter to the Philippians, Paul declares that his confidence – his certainty that he is pursing the right way to live – comes not from following the Law (an inspired yet still human construct) nor from status, nor from race or class, nor from inherited traditions, but from following Jesus, from becoming more and more Christ-like. The Hebrew understanding of righteousness is to be in a right relationship with God and therefore with one’s fellow creatures. To be righteous is to reflect the face – the image – of God. To pursue righteousness is to become more Christ-like: in John’s gospel we hear Jesus saying that whatever the Father does, the Son does.

So we come to today’s gospel, again with a parable about a vineyard. But here it is not the vine that is the focus, but the tenants who tend the vine – the ones who are standing in for the owner, ie God. Do the designs and action of these tenants reflect the image of God? No, they are clearly self interested and motivated by the potential for their own gain. Whilst the gospel writers of the day clearly saw the Pharisees as the tenants, in the current day we might rather see the parable as addressed to us as humans in all our roles and guises where we have not tended the vineyard – ie the Earth and all its bounty – in a manner that reflects God’s ways. Like the vineyard tenants, we have sought to impose our own values on how we deal with what has been shared with us, and seek to maximise our own gain at the expense of others.

Can we yet refocus and discern what is important in how we conduct our lives? Can we seek out the corner stones that will allow us to rebuild a better way of life? Can we identify what are the key components of a thriving ecosystem, a thriving economy, and build on them, setting side our own arrogance and selfishness?

This does sound like – and in reality is – a huge change of direction. It will involve systemic change at the highest levels, requiring global cooperation, the de-prioritisation of the rich and wealthy, a genuine sharing of resources between all creaturely beings, replacing destructive economic models, and reforming and reasserting justice for all. But that is not to say that it is impossible, nor is it to say that we as individuals can’t do our bit.

We are each called to reflect the image of God – to be Christ-like in all that we do. This will involve us in re-examining our relationships with one another – with our human and non human neighbours. It will involve us in re-examining our lifestyles – what we buy, what we eat, how we travel, how we share our gifts and our financial resources. It will involve us in spending time with and rebuilding our relationships with the rest of creation. But we will not be doing this on our own: Christ will be there with us, giving us strength and guidance. And the goal will not be a diminished life nor a diminished world, but a life and a world of beauty and peace in which all flourish.

Isaiah 5:1-7

Let me sing for my beloved
my love-song concerning his vineyard:

My beloved had a vineyard
on a very fertile hill.

He dug it and cleared it of stones,
and planted it with choice vines;

he built a watchtower in the midst of it,
and hewed out a wine vat in it;

he expected it to yield grapes,
but it yielded wild grapes.

And now, inhabitants of Jerusalem
and people of Judah,

judge between me
and my vineyard.

What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I have not done in it?

When I expected it to yield grapes,
why did it yield wild grapes?

And now I will tell you
what I will do to my vineyard.

I will remove its hedge,
and it shall be devoured;

I will break down its wall,
and it shall be trampled down.

I will make it a waste;
it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and it shall be overgrown with briers and thorns;

I will also command the clouds
that they rain no rain upon it.

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts
is the house of Israel,

and the people of Judah
are his pleasant planting;

he expected justice,
but saw bloodshed;

righteousness,
but heard a cry!

Psalm 80:7-14

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

8 You have brought a vine out of Egypt; *
you cast out the nations and planted it.

9 You prepared the ground for it; *
it took root and filled the land.

10 The mountains were covered by its shadow *
and the towering cedar trees by its boughs.

11 You stretched out its tendrils to the Sea *
and its branches to the River.

12 Why have you broken down its wall, *
so that all who pass by pluck off its grapes?

13 The wild boar of the forest has ravaged it, *
and the beasts of the field have grazed upon it.

14 Turn now, O God of hosts, look down from heaven;
behold and tend this vine; *
preserve what your right hand has planted.

Philippians 3:4b-14

If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.

Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained this or have already reached the goal; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus.

Matthew 21:33-46

Jesus said, “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.’ So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.”

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is amazing in our eyes’?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realised that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

We do not presume to walk on this earth

3rd October 2026

Know that the Lord is God. It is he that made us, and not we are ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100:3

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading: Deuteronomy 11: 11-17

But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today—to love the Lord your God and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul— then I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil. I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle, and you will eat and be satisfied. Be careful, or you will be enticed to turn away and worship other gods and bow down to them. Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you, and he will shut up the heavens so that it will not rain and the ground will yield no produce, and you will soon perish from the good land the Lord is giving you.

A plea:
We do not presume to walk on this earth,

O merciful Lord,
trusting not in our own righteousness,
but in your manifold and great mercies
We are not worthy so much
as to gather up the leftover grains

nor glean the fruits fallen from your trees –
But you are the same Lord,
whose property is always to have mercy:
Grant us therefore, gracious Lord,
so to live where you plant us,

that we may work in harmony with nature

and share your rich harvest with all.

Amen

Thank you God for trees and fruit, herbs and grasses

Forgive us when through greed and thoughtlessness,

we have cut down forests and burnt the scrub,

when we have prioritised monoculture and marginalised diversity,

when we have drained rivers and aquifers

favouring cash crops over native plants.

Remake our hearts and minds

and so restore our way of living.

Thank you God for birds of the air,

the creatures of the land and the fish of the sea.

Forgive us when through greed and thoughtlessness,

we have promoted our own livestock and made refugees of the native wildlife,

when we enlarged our own living space and made other creatures homeless.

Remake our hearts and minds

and so restore our way of living.

Thank you God for soil and water and the fresh air we breathe.

Forgive us when through greed and thoughtlessness

we take from the soil but do not give back,

when we pollute the waters with waste we do not want,

when we fill the air with an excess of greenhouse gases.

Remake our hearts and minds

and so restore our way of living.

Thank you God for our brothers and sisters, our kith and kin

Forgive us when through greed and thoughtlessness

we rob them of their livelihoods,

when we divert their wealth into our pockets,

when we ignore their pleas for help.

Remake our hearts and minds

and so restore our way of living.

Lord God, as you made us in your image,

so that we might live with you

and, as your Son took on our form that he might live among us,

so you have shown us how to live.

Remake our hearts and minds

and so restore our way of living.

Amen.

Counting on … day 97

2nd October 2026

This summer will hopefully prove the impetus needed for greater adaptation in the face of climate change both within the farming and food industry and for us as consumers.

We will all need to be thinking about eating and therefore growing different crops, and less of some and more of others. For farmers it will also be about different methods of farming.

Ongoing research and field evidence points to the importance of maintaining good soils. Soils that are full of organic material and active life forms – from worms to mycorrhizal fungi – are soils that retain more moisture and nutrients for crops.

Shading the soil – and often the crops too – helps reduce moisture loss and sunburn, and creates a micro climate so that moisture returns back into the soil.

Many farmers are increasing water storage, creating ponds, wetlands and reservoirs.

Trialing different crops is also happening, but is sometimes hindered by the unpredictability of the weather. A hot summer preceded by a dry spring will favour different crops from a hot summer preceded by a wet spring.

As consumers we will need to be willing to accept different fruits and vegetables in our shopping baskets – and more willing to eat seasonally. We may too want to be adaptive in our gardens, ensuring good soil, using shade to advantage, trying different crops – and different flowering and herbaceous plants. We too can invest in extra water butts to store more water.

Counting on … day 96

1st October 2026

Olive oil is listed as the fifth food that will cost more this winter as a result of the extreme climate events and the ongoing conflicts around the world. Whilst olive trees are a native Mediterranean plant that is adapted to the Mediterranean climate, they do need a certain amount of moisture to grow and produce fruit. Recent droughts, excessive heat and a proliferation of pests, has reduced the harvest, whilst in Spain wildfires and earlier in late winter, storms and heavy rain in late winter caused both damage and loss of trees. Reduced harvests like this will lead to increased costs for the consumer.

Of course there are alternative cheaper oils that we can use such as rapeseed oil. The rapeseed harvest has been better than previous years, benefitting from the large amounts of sunshine.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/aug/04/price-olive-oil-expected-rise-again-european-crops-heat-drought-wildfires?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other