Author: Judith Russenberger

Environmentalist and theologian, with husband and three grown up children plus one cat, living in London SW14. I enjoy running and drinking coffee - ideally with a friend or a book.

3rd Sunday after Trinity, Proper 9

6th July 2025

Reflection with readings below

The Isaiah prophetic writings cover the period before, during and after the exile to Babylon. The northern Kingdom of Israel and and its people had already been conquered and exiled by the Assyrians – the previous regionally dominant empire. Small states like Israel and Judah were routinely offered the choice of becoming a tribute-paying vassal state or of being invaded and destroyed  – or exiled – by the dominant power. Judah, the southern kingdom was caught between two such powers – Egypt to the south west and first Assyria, then Babylon, to the north and east. Those ruling Judah vacillated between the options and were eventually overrun by the Babylonian army.

The prophets of the time, sought to discern God’s will in all that was happening. Were the people being punished by God for their sins? For their failure to love God, to keep God’s commands, or even simply to trust in God’s love for them? The prophets continued to wrestle with this in exile and also to seek to discern how God wanted them to behave. What laws could they follow when they no longer had a temple? How could they appropriately worship God without a temple? Would – and if so how – would God restore the people? Would they return to their homeland? Would they rebuild the temple? Would they have a king again? Would they be blessed, would they prosper and flourish? Such thoughts shape the writings and topics covered in the Book of Isaiah.

Not all the people from Judah were exiled to Babylon; the Babylonian empire took captive the wealthier, more influential people (those who could otherwise cause unrest and who had skills the administration could utilise) but had left behind many of the peasant and labouring people – they were of more value if they remained on the land, ensuring it produced food, wealth and taxes for the Babylonian empire.

70 plus years later, with a new dominant empire – that of the Persians after they had routed the Babylonians – those who had been exiled were permitted to return to their homelands. However, many of the Jewish people choose to remain in Babylon. They had made homes there, had set up businesses, had developed ways of worshipping God and of being Jewish that did not depend upon a temple in Jerusalem. Up until the 20th century there were many Jewish communities in places such as Iraq and Iran.

Here in today’s reading, the prophet’s writings extol the virtues of Jerusalem, the restoration of her wealth and prosperity, and in parallel how Jerusalem reflects the love God shows to the people.  The people are encouraged to rejoice in their new home, to find salvation there  and to renew their identity as God’s people. (NB isn’t it wonderful to hear of God described in feminine terms!)

But was the passage just to be heard by those returning exiles? What about the people who had never left Judah, or the people who,had stayed behind on Babylon? 

Is it perhaps to be heard by all who are making a return – physical, metaphorical or spiritual – all who are embarking on a new life in which they intend to live in accordance with the teachings, the ways of life, the way of God? 

Is Jerusalem in this reading to be understood only as the 5th century capital of a small vassal state or is a metaphor for the kingdom of God? Certainly this Jerusalem is not to be understood as being the Jerusalem that the current Israeli Government dominates! 

Every time we pray the Lord’s Prayer we say ‘may your kingdom come, your will be done’. With these words we are undertaking to be subject to God’s rule, to live within the reign of God. So maybe we should hear these words as addressed also to us, to envisage in this image of Jerusalem, the character and capacity of the kingdom of God that could be present here on Earth.

Every time we pray ‘may your kingdom come, your will be done’ we are committing ourselves to living not according to former ways (which St Paul in writing to the Galatians terms ‘according to the flesh’) but in the new ways shown to us by Jesus – or as St Paul describes, ‘according to the Sprit’. 

Today’s Gospel reading reminds is that the way Jesus taught was not a mere ‘easy-going, do what you want’ way being, but a way of living that both challenged and transformed people’s lives. Indeed it is a way of living that brings the Kingdom of God ever closer. So let’s be inspired and encouraged to be optimistic and expansive in our imagining of the kingdom of God, and to be radical and energetic in pursing the way of life that Jesus opens up to us. 

Isaiah 66:10-14

Thus says the Lord:

“Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her,
all you who love her; 

rejoice with her in joy,
all you who mourn over her– 

that you may nurse and be satisfied
from her consoling breast; 

that you may drink deeply with delight
from her glorious bosom.

For thus says the Lord:

I will extend prosperity to her like a river,
and the wealth of the nations like an overflowing stream; 

and you shall nurse and be carried on her arm,
and dandled on her knees. 

As a mother comforts her child,
so I will comfort you;
you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.

You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice;
your bodies shall flourish like the grass; 

and it shall be known that the hand of the Lord is with his servants,
and his indignation is against his enemies.”

Psalm 66:1-8

1 Be joyful in God, all you lands; *
sing the glory of his Name;
sing the glory of his praise.

2 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! *
because of your great strength your enemies cringe before you.

3 All the earth bows down before you, *
sings to you, sings out your Name.”

4 Come now and see the works of God, *
how wonderful he is in his doing toward all people.

5 He turned the sea into dry land,
so that they went through the water on foot, *
and there we rejoiced in him.

6 In his might he rules for ever;
his eyes keep watch over the nations; *
let no rebel rise up against him.

7 Bless our God, you peoples; *
make the voice of his praise to be heard;

8 Who holds our souls in life, *
and will not allow our feet to slip.

Galatians 6: 7-16

Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow. If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.

See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised– only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule– peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

The Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest. Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, `Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the labourer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, `Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’

“Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

A lament in times of drought

5th July 2025

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. Proverbs 3:5

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 lament:-

Dried up grass, withered leaves, parched earth:

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

Wilting stems, shrivelled fruit, sun-bleached petals:

 My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

Desiccated trees, with premature leaf fall:

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

Harden mud in the ditch, ponds reduced to a smudge:

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

The smell of ash and dust – no scent of roses now:

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

What future for frogs and toads? Will newts survive?

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

What future for caterpillars? 

If no caterpillars, what future for birds and butterflies?

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

What future for worm-eating birds?  

What future for grass-grazing rabbits?

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

What future for arable farms when the rain doesn’t fall? 

What future for livestock farms when fields are bare?

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

What future for humanity when reservoirs and taps run dry? 

What future for humanity when food is unaffordable?

My heart aches, my soul cries with pain.

A reading from Isaiah 55:1-5 (The Message)

 “Hey there! All who are thirsty come to the water! Are you penniless? Come anyway—buy and eat Come, buy your drinks, buy wine and milk. Buy without money—everything’s free! Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy?
Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest.  Pay attention, come close now, listen carefully to my life-giving, life-nourishing words. I’m making a lasting covenant commitment with you, the same that I made with David: sure, solid, enduring love.

To you O Lord, we turn for help! Make your ways known to us: 

Embed them in our hearts.

Give and do not count the cost, be generous in every way.

Exercise leadership with diligence, show care with cheerfulness. 

Gracious God, help us to hear your words.

Share one another’s burdens, remove the burden of debt.

Care for the widow, the orphan and the stranger.

Gracious God, help us to hear your words.

Do  good; seek justice, correct oppression; 

bring justice to the abandoned, plead the widow’s cause.

Gracious God, help us to hear your words.

Love your neighbour.

Establish governance with righteousness. 

Gracious God, help us to hear your words.

Do not be greedy, foreswear dishonest gain.

Do not bear false witness.

Gracious God, help us to hear your words.

Tend and care for the soil, give the land due rest.

Tend and prune the plants; give them due respite.

Gracious God, help us to hear your words.

Care for the animals of the fields, and the wild creatures.

Have respect for every living thing. 

Gracious God, help us to hear your words.

The Grace

Counting on … day 102

4th July 2025

Fast fashion is as destructive of our environment as fast tech and is fuelled by many of the same features. Fast fashion is cheap (in terms of purchase price only – its lifetime cost is considerably more when factoring in disposal); its new and trendy and it – and its advertising – is designed to attract our attention; it’s intended to have a short life. 

Yet just like fast tech, fast fashion produced vast amounts of waste that cannot easily be recycled. And like fast tech, a lot of the materials used in production are plastic based (ie synthetic fibres, plastic zips etc). Instead discarded clothing ends in landfill sites, in incinerators, clogging up oceans, and strewn across deserts. 

Again we need to ask ourselves: Do I need this item of clothing? Should I buy the cheapest, or should I look for the durable, repairable option? Will I value it?

And we also need to ask questions about the system that allows so many cheap (and not so cheap) items of clothing to be produced and as quickly discarded. Does the fashion industry  need to be held to accountable? Should manufacturers also be responsible for end of life disposal or recycling of garments? Should manufacturers be reviewing how much plastic goes into their garments? And on a related issue, should manufacturers be reviewing how much they pay those who actually do the making?  Cheap products are often cheap because wages are cheap.

Further reading –

How fast fashion fuels climate change, plastic pollution, and violence
https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20201208STO93327/the-impact-of-textile-production-and-waste-on-the-environment-infographics
ABOUT

Counting on … day 100

2nd July 2025

Plastic recycling is now much more common place, with local authorities making collections of certain frequently used items such as plastic bottles, margerine and other food tubs, shampoo bottles etc. Soft plastics can be recycled if they are kept separate from more rigid plastics – and some supermarkets have collection points for these. However there is, apparently, no guarantee that plastics going into a recycling bin will be recycled (sometimes it is cheaper and easier to incinerate the waste which causes air pollution). Nor are there many effective closed loop recycling programmes – each a system where a plastic bottle, for example, is recycled and returns as a ready to use plastic bottle. It is often cheaper to make a plastic bottle from virgin oil based polymers than from recycled plastic. 

These problems are a further incentive for us to reduce the plastic we use so rescuing the problem at source. If we don’t buy things that come in  plastic bottles, plastic tubs and tubes, in plastic wrappers etc then we reduce the amount of plastic that is in circulation before it becomes a problem. 

Further reading –

https://shunpoly.com/article/does-plastic-get-recycled-in-the-uk
How Effective Is Plastic Recycling?
Eco Tips: Packaging

Counting on … day 101

3rdJuly 2025

Plastic waste pollution doesn’t just come from single use items; it also comes from ‘fast tech’ – cheap plastic-encased electronic items that whilst not single use are quickly discarded. Eg hand held fans, electric toothbrushes, mini torches, fairy lights, head phones and ear buds. (1)

Conventional thinking goes:-

Being cheap we don’t worry of it breaks – we just throw it in the bin (from where it will go to landfill)

Being cheap we buy it as a fun gift whether it’s needed or not.

Being cheap we don’t worry about buying another if we forgot to pack it.

Being cheap, well discard last year’s model because this year’s looks so much nicer.

Being cheap we don’t try and look after it or to mend it if it breaks.

The problem of plastic pollution needs us to ask: Do I need this product? Should I buy the cheapest, or should I look for the durable, repairable option? Will I value this product?

(1) https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/aug/02/throwaway-culture-products-repair-reuse-recycle-obsolete?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 97

27th June 2025

Developing countries need not only sustainable, affordable energy, they also need sustainable, affordable and efficient means of transport. As the United Nations reports:-

“Sustainable transport also makes countries more economically resilient. In a world increasingly shaped by volatile energy prices and inflationary pressure, clean transport systems offer greater long-term stability. Electrified public transport, shared mobility services, and efficient logistics across land, water and air are becoming increasingly cost-effective, with costs continuing to fall as technologies advance and markets mature. Moreover, well-planned networks improve access to jobs, healthcare and education, particularly for women, youth, people with disabilities and underserved communities, while also lowering operating costs. Although upfront investments can be high, electrified and efficient transport systems reduce energy use, cut traffic-related expenses, create new jobs and generate public health savings. Therefore, these investments have the potential to pay for themselves in the medium term.” (1)

When globally transport counts for 13.7 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable is transport is also good for everyone. But switching to – or even making the initial investment in – sustainable transport comes with a financial tag which may be beyond the reach of developing countries – especially those who are already paying high interest rates on existing international loans.  Yet in many situations, the markets are designed to favour fossil fuels, with oil and gas companies receiving considerable subsidies that ensure the initial cost of these fuels remains relatively low. 

The United Nations research suggests that fossil fuel subsidies, both explicit (direct public spending) and implicit (externalities like the effects of climate change or premature deaths caused by air pollution), reached US$7 trillion in 2022 – this included public money that went directly to fossil fuel producers and the  public money spent indirectly covering the health service costs incurred because of  air pollution  and other public costs arising because of the adverse effects of climate change. 

The continued marketing of fossil fuel products – especially to those in developing countries – is push for increased climate disaster.

  1. https://climatepromise.undp.org/news-and-stories/what-sustainable-transport-and-what-role-does-it-play-tackling-climate-change

Counting on … day 100

2nd July 2025

Plastic recycling is now much more common place, with local authorities making collections of certain frequently used items such as plastic bottles, margerine and other food tubs, shampoo bottles etc. Soft plastics can be recycled if they are kept separate from more rigid plastics – and some supermarkets have collection points for these. However there is, apparently, no guarantee that plastics going into a recycling bin will be recycled (sometimes it is cheaper and easier to incinerate the waste which causes air pollution). Nor are there many effective closed loop recycling programmes – each a system where a plastic bottle, for example, is recycled and returns as a ready to use plastic bottle. It is often cheaper to make a plastic bottle from virgin oil based polymers than from recycled plastic. 

These problems are a further incentive for us to reduce the plastic we use so rescuing the problem at source. If we don’t buy things that come in  plastic bottles, plastic tubs and tubes, in plastic wrappers etc then we reduce the amount of plastic that is in circulation before it becomes a problem. 

Further reading –

https://shunpoly.com/article/does-plastic-get-recycled-in-the-uk
How Effective Is Plastic Recycling?
Eco Tips: Packaging

Counting on … day 98

30th June 2025

What is waste? 

Waste can be what we throw away – what we no longer want. What goes into a waste paper bin or down the waste pipe. That paper bin might as easily be a recycling bin. The waste water pipe might feed into a grey water system and flush the loo too.

Waste can be what is left over when we have cut out the material for an item of clothing – ditto a piece of timber, a sheet of metal etc. The waste from shirt might become a matching pair of boxers, or a lavender bag. A timber off cut might become a bread board.

Waste can be the outer leaves of a cabbage, the stalk from a Brussels sprout plant, the core from an apple. Such waste can be the basis of a compost heap, or the start of a jar of cider vinegar.

Waste land can be the land we don’t cultivate – it may become a haven for biodiversity. 

A waste of time – a sense that we could have made better use of the time; ditto a waste of space. But these are both subjective. Wasting time may actually be restful and restorative. 

Feast of St Peter and St Paul

29th June 2025

Reflection with readings below

Peter was a fisherman who gave up his job, not once but twice, in response to God’s call. He gave up security and income and the guarantee of a bed to follow Jesus. He listen to and struggled with what Jesus was teaching, sometimes giving the correct answer to Jesus’s questions and sometimes the wrong. He took risks – like walking on water – and accepted that sometimes he ended up (so as to speak) flat on his face. His risk taking and his passion for Jesus gave the gift of oratory when it came to addressing a potentially hostile crowd. He was willing to have his deepest beliefs challenged by God and understood the need for the church to include not just Jews but Gentiles too – and still he could make mistakes and still he accepted justifiable reproof (from Paul).

Paul began as Saul, an ardent deeply faithful Pharisee skilled both with his hands (a tent maker) and intellectually. He was adept both at learning and in teaching, and deeply committed to his religious cause. After his conversion through a visionary experience, the ardour with which he pursued his

Pharisaic ideals, he transferred and more so to the development of the Christian faith. Initially happy to be apprenticed to more experienced missioners, he quickly became a master missioner establishing church communities and developing the skills of others. And yet he never forgot the place and the people from whence the church had first grown, bringing back financial aid and gathering for worship with the community in Jerusalem. Paul’s vision for the church went beyond even what Peter imagined, setting aside many of the traditions which had seemed such important parts of Judaism, to allow the church to grow in new  – God inspired – directions.

Both Peter and Paul were people willing to take radical action, to go against the norm. They were both willing to acknowledge that they made mistakes and to accept forgiveness for their mistakes. They were both willing to grow in knowledge and understanding in response to God’s wisdom.

The combination of all these attributes was probably essential in establishing and developing the early church taking it from being a group of passionate pupils into becoming a resilient, international community. One of the biggest changes to which both  Peter and Paul contributed was the expansion of that community to include non Jews – outsiders, foreigners, people of different backgrounds! And to hold women and men, slaves and freeborn as equals – so becoming a truly inclusive church. To achieve this it was important that both Peter and Paul were leaders who were willing to be imaginative and to think outside the box, willing to discuss difficult issues – and to listen and to share their thoughts with others in the community. 

In contrast the reading from Acts presents a different sort of leader – Herod. Here is someone who likes to use violence to assert their authority, but who also likes to ‘toady up’ to others if that will gain their support. 

Good leaders that are able to listen to their community, that are able to keep their community together  (with unity), that are concerned for the needs of their community especially the marginalised, are of great value – both then and now. And equally leaders who use violence and favouritism, leaders who are ‘me’ focused and who disregard the needs of others were – and are – a great danger to everyone. 

The passage from the Gospel of St Matthew shows what a very heavy responsibility was being laid upon Peter – and other leaders following after.  The church is both to present Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God to the world, and to shape the ways people and communities live such that here on earth we may live in accordance with rules or the reign of  heaven. 

It seems to me that the church – whether that is the overarching Church or the local church – has a huge responsibility to both witness to the truth of Jesus Christ, and to walk and talk in the way of the kingdom of God.  The church – whether Church or church, and actually both – should be calling out the unacceptable bloodshed and oppression being afflicted on the people of Gaza; should be providing financial aid and support to the victims and not facilitating the supply of more armaments; should be praying and using diplomatic skills to ensure peace and justice for all in the region. 

The church – both church and Church – should be calling for tax justice and for a fair distribution of wealth and opportunity; should be praying for and offering skills and financial support for those marginalised by poverty, ill health, disability and prejudice, should be offering a clear vision of an alternative economic system.

The church – both church and Church – should be calling for action to protect the earth from climate change and biodiversity loss; should be encouraging each and everyone of us to live more simply, to ensure that our lifestyles choices do not take more than the planet can give, nor more a fair share bearing in mind the needs of all our brother and sisters.

The church – both church and Church – should be encouraging and enabling discussion as to how we can all live and work together for the common good: for the kingdom of God. 

As we remember the gifts that Peter and Paul brought the church, let us pray for and encourage good leadership in our communities and churches today. 

Acts 1:1-11

About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.) When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him.

The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ And the chains fell off his wrists. The angel said to him, ‘Fasten your belt and put on your sandals.’ He did so. Then he said to him, ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.’ Peter went out and followed him; he did not realise that what was happening with the angel’s help was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. After they had passed the first and the second guard, they came before the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went outside and walked along a lane, when suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hands of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.’

2 Timothy 12:19-26

But God’s firm foundation stands, bearing this inscription: ‘The Lord knows those who are his’, and, ‘Let everyone who calls on the name of the Lord turn away from wickedness.’

In a large house there are utensils not only of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for special use, some for ordinary. All who cleanse themselves of the things I have mentioned[b] will become special utensils, dedicated and useful to the owner of the house, ready for every good work. Shun youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with stupid and senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to everyone, an apt teacher, patient, correcting opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth, and that they may escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Matthew 16:13-19

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, but others Elijah, and still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’

For a better tomorrow 

28th June 2025

I will pour out My Spirit on all people.  Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your elders will dream dreams,  your youth will see visions. Joel 2:28

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.

Acts 4: 42-47 – See! Together we can create a better world.

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need.

With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I pray that tomorrow the seas will be full of fish 

and whales, seahorses and turtles, 

whilst the skies above throng with a whole gamut of sea birds. 

I pray that tomorrow the fields will be full of flowers, 

and the air buzzing with insects, whilst the hedgerows 

 thrill with the dancing of butterflies.

I pray that tomorrow’s streets will be full of children at play 

and old people chatting, passing the time of day,

whilst cyclists weave carefully through the mix.

I pray that tomorrow houses will twinkle with solar panels,

and hum with heat pumps, whilst insulation 

mitigates the ‘way too hot’ and the ‘way too cold’.

I pray that tomorrow, our futures look bright, 

and our children secure, whilst we relish 

the satisfaction that we can live in harmony with all. 

Amen.