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.

Counting on … day 48

16th February 2024

Greenhouse gases is a collective name for all the gases that cause the greenhouse effect – including water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, ozone, and others. The greenhouse gas effects describes how these gases create an insulating layer in the atmosphere that keeps heat in. Without some degree of insulation like this, the world would be a very cold environment and would not support the life forms we currently have. Gases like water vapour and carbon dioxide, for example, occur naturally as plants and creatures breathe. Greenhouse gases become a problem for use when they become excessive, trapping in more heat that destabilises the earth’s systems.

 Too much carbon dioxide is a particular problem because once in the atmosphere it stays there  for thousands of years. Whilst on the hand methane has a life of only 12 years but in that short time the warming effect it causes is far greater than that of carbon dioxide. 

Day one/ two of the Lenten No faith in fossil Fuels vigil

15th February 2024

I took the night shift – we were a cheerful group of a half dozen. Melanie had emphasised the need for lots of layers to counter the cold so I had a sleeping bag inside a bivvy bag with a poncho on top to keep out the rain and my ski suit underneath. It was an unseasonably mild night so I was super super warm and had to remove hat and gloves to allow for some cooling! 
I took the night shift – we were a cheerful group of a half dozen. Melanie had emphasised the need for lots of layers to counter the cold so I had a sleeping bag inside a bivvy bag with a poncho on top to keep out the rain and my ski suit underneath. It was an unseasonably mild night so I was super super warm and had to remove hat and gloves to allow for some cooling! 

Parliament Square in the late evening feels very different from early morning or midday. The traffic swings round faster headlights catching on the buildings. The pedestrians are night owls and theatre goers – they can saunter by as they have the full width of the pavement to themselves.

Traffic in and out of Parliament is still controlled by the police but the bobbies on the beat are replaced by teams of four armed police – rifles nonchalantly slung on their backs.

Across the square Nelson Mandela, Gandhi and Millicent Fawcett are more visible in the street light than their loftier companions mounted on much higher pedestals. They stand patiently but what was must be their desire to move and walk the streets again? What would they say to us? How would they encourage us to act?

Around midnight the view of sky became obscure and the rain came – not heavy but wet! With my overlarge poncho drooping over my face much of the light and certainly the view is cut out and my tired eyes close and open. Come on, I think, I’m meant to be praying! I squint across the Square at our vigilant companions – how long did they spend restricted by prison life, or pressing on against the odds with what might have seemed an unwinable cause? They strengthen my resolve.

I am feeling very tired, my stomach is rumbling and my legs feel stiff: I’m not sure I can do this. What if I bail out and go home? There are plenty of taxis circling the Square – but I have forgotten to bring a house key; I’d have to wake someone up.

I let my eyes close and doze. 

Maybe I have actually been sleeping.  Certainly I’m now feeling brighter. A couple walk over Westminster Bridge to make use of the toilets and the 24 hour Costa at St Thomas’s. The rain has eased and I am nice and warm inside my multiple layers. Someone shares some dates – nature’s toffees! This is beginning to feel manageable.

I watch the buses loop round on their various routes. Double decker buses are an amazing invention! Nippy despite their size, they provide bright warm transport for dozens of people – so much more efficient than those low slung, gas guzzling cars.

I’ve slept some more and wake to hear Big Ben striking. Its quarter hourly time check is a comfort. I forget to count and now I’m not sure if it’s 4am or 6 am. The sky looks lighter and I can hear birds singing. 

It’s 4am. A digestive biscuit fills a gap. Our companions across the Square encourage my focus, whilst on either side of me, Sandie and Annette are gently singing hymns and Taizé chants. 

Another shift of armed police set out. The night buses are still looping past, bright light shining out so their windows like mobile Advent calendars. Not so many passengers but already people are on their way to work. The first staff are going into Parliament behind us – cleaners and ancillary workers I guess. Someone has raised the flag on the Supreme Court. As the next hour passes the double deckers fill with people  on early morning shifts. A resilient few are cycling past at great speed – or maybe they’re the fun loving one’s taking advantage of the clear roads. I hope they are paid well for their unsocial hours but I suspect not.

Soon it’s 6.30am. The dawn has crept up on us and the light is daylight bright. The traffic is picking up its day time pace. 

7.00am and here comes Alison who will be taking the next shift. And – of wonderous joy – here comes my husband! He’s got up early to join us for breakfast at Gail’s! 

I could do this again.

Pilgrimage for the Climate: All Saints’, Kingston to Christ Church, West Wimbledon 

You can find a map for this walk on Plot a Route – https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2485740?units=km

(This walk is going to be part of a series taking place in the Southwark Diocese for Lent 2024).

Beginning (If you arrive with time in hand do take a look round the church building and its many treasures)

Our journey today begins at the church of All Saints’ in Kingston. This place, rather than the building (which is old but not that old), is believed to have been where seven Saxon kings were crowned. Commemorating this, All Saints’ has commissioned a series of embroidered panels which will hang beneath the east window. Four are already complete and in place but to find out more about all seven visit – https://www.allsaintskingston.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/All-Saints-Kingston-Seven-Saxons-Embroidery-Project-2022-.pdf

Of these King Athelstan stands out as being the first king of England who, having subdued or conquered the neighbouring Viking, Northumbrian and Welsh domains,  established a centralised form of government. He coronation at Kingston was also ground breaking as he was made monarch with a crown rather than a military helmet – all of which took place within a new order of service led by Archbishop Athelm. 

Did this unification create a period of peace and stability allowing the common person the chance to safely gather in the harvest without the threat of their home being burnt down? 

Possibly but retaliatory incursions and invasions nevertheless continued over the next hundred plus years. Although at times, the various kings would chose to pay tribute to their enemies as a price for peace.

It is interesting to note that after a while the newly established tribes of Israel decided that they did not want their lives governed by a panel of judges but wanted instead a king to govern over them: a king who might invaders or turn the tables and take over other adjoining territories. When they voiced their request, God advised them against it, telling them that kings would take their young men as soldiers, their daughters as servants, and the better proportion of  their lands, their crops and their livestock as payment. 1 Samuel 8:10-18.

The way a country is governed can vary from the absolute control of an absolute monarch (or dictator), governance by a ruling class or elite,  a combination of rule by monarchy and the elite, or a democracy (with a varying degree of shared governance depending on who is allowed the  vote – only the rich, only the men, only those of a particular religious faith etc). At times the seat of power can feel very remote which can be dissipated by devolving some of the powers eg  to local and district councils,  urban councils, (secular) parish councils etc. More recently democracies have experimented with citizens assemblies that can bring together a cross section of the populace together with experts, so as to discuss and agree policies that will be meaningful to the whole community. A citizens’ assembly was used to shape the  legislation created when abortions were made legal in Eire. 

Citizens’ Assemblies can provide a way of creating  legislation to tackle the climate crisis that reflects the long term view of people rather than the short term political constraints of an elected government. To learn more visit – https://citizensassembly.co.uk/

Setting off  As we prepare to set out on our pilgrimage from All Saints’, we will pause for prayer before we leave.

1. Walking along the Thames Path

The Thames is tidal as far as Kingston. It is navigable out to the estuary 56 miles downstream and upstream to Cricklade (135 miles). In the past it was an important means of communication between places of power – royal palaces, bishops’ palaces, abbeys and monastic houses, the houses of the aristocracy, and of Parliament itself. And upstream at Runnymede the Magna Carta Libertatum –  “Great Charter of Freedoms” – was sealed establishing a sharing of power between the monarch, the church and the leading aristocracy. 

Even today ease of communication is essential in ensuring a fair balance of power. It is important that all members of the electorate can contact their member of Parliament and local councillors and expect a reply. On the other hand there is much disquiet that large companies and organisations have an  unduly large influence on government decision-making both here and abroad.  At COP28 a record number of fossil fuel lobbyists – 2456 – were given access to the negotiations, far outweighing the 316 official Indigenous representatives. 

Pause for prayer

God of justice, 

we pray for all those who are marginalised 

by political systems, 

all those who lack a voice – 

especially those  forced to flee from their homes 

because of conflict and climate change. 

May their voices be heard, 

may their rights be upheld, 

may just governance prevail. 

Amen.

2. Through Canbury Gardens and along Kings Road, to The Keep.

The Keep was built as a brand new set of barracks for the local militia in 1874-5 on what was then agricultural land, as part of Edward Cardwell’s reform of the army. It became home to the East Surrey Regiment. The castellated battlements and arched entrance  was  designed to attract new recruits and enhance the image of the army. 

As we noted earlier at All Saints’, defence and the maintenance of law and order can be key in ensuring the peace needed for the good governance of a country. But as Christians we might want to question whether military might is the best way of establishing and maintaining that peace. 

Pause for prayer

God of peace, 

we pray for all those caught up 

in the machinations of war, 

for the homeless and dispossessed, 

the injured and traumatised, 

the fearful and those who have lost hope. 

We pray for the success of those who are peace makers, 

and those who bring aid and relief. 

We pray for those in power 

that their hearts may be softened 

and the minds refocused on the richness of peace. 

Amen. 

3. Continue in Kings Road to Richmond Park’s Kingston Gate. 

Richmond Park is a place of natural beauty as well as a place where biodiversity is cherished and enhanced. It was created as a new and larger royal hunting park for the palace at Richmond by Charles I. Having moved his court to Richmond in 1626 to avoid the plague, he commandeered 2500 acres of land and enclosed it with an 8 mile long wall. This acquisition of local farming land was hard  on the then local community (it was a parliamentary stronghold during the Civil War) but is now an asset from which the local community greatly benefits. 

One of the conditions when the Park was created was that pedestrians should continue to have access. When in the 1750s Princess Amelia tried to stop this right of access, a local businessman, John Lewis took legal action and successfully reinstated pedestrian access for all.

Richmond Park is designated a European Special Area of Conservation (SAC), a National Nature Reserve and a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSI) for its stag beetle and saproxylic invertebrates – ie  invertebrates that are dependent on dead or decaying wood for part of their lifecycle. The Park is home to 1,300 veteran trees as recorded on the Ancient Tree Inventory, and around 320 of these are ‘ancient’. A veteran tree is one in its second or mature stage of life, whilst an ancient tree is one in the last third of its lifespan. The usual lifespan of a tree varies between species: an oak tree becomes  ancient when it is more than 500 years old. 

Pause for prayer 

Creator God, 

we give thanks for the beauty of creation. 

With awe we acknowledge its diversity;

with wonder we marvel it at its complexity, 

realising how little we know 

and how much there is yet for us to learn. 

Amen. 

6. Follow the path along the southern edge of the Park to Robin Hood Gate 

Robin Hood Gate owes its name to a pub of that name, long since gone. But the story of the counter-cultural hero still resonates with us. A nobleman skilled with both sword and bow, Robin Hood used his skills to stand up for the underdog, taking from the rich to give to the poor. 

It is still true today that those with wealth and riches have greater power to determine their own lives and those of others around them – for good or ill. We might want to reflect how we as individuals and as groups, can readjust the balance of power between those with money and those without. To what extent do our lives and actions live up to the challenge of the values of God’s Kingdom as expressed in the Magnificat? 

Pause for prayer

God of righteousness, 

we pray for those who are marginalised by poverty, 

for those whose life chances are limited by lack of money, 

for those whose needs are overlooked by the market. 

We pray for a restructuring of taxes and benefits, 

of markets and opportunities 

so that the divisions between rich and poor are closed. 

Amen. 

7. Leave the Park and make for St John the Baptist, Kingston Vale – and lunch 

St John the Baptist has its own orchard and throughout the year holds ‘orchard church’ services. 

Nearby Dorich House (now a museum) also has an orchard recently restored by the Orchard Project, whilst further afield in Kingston an allotment has been transformed into an orchard  known as the Kingston Edible Forest. 

From the story of creation in Genesis 2 we hear of the interdependency that God planned for humans, fruit trees and the soil. When we connect to the soil as tillers and guardians, and can eat produce of the tree we tend,  then are our lives truly enriched. 

In the aftermath of the English Civil War there was a radical movement called The Diggers. They believed that all men were created equal and that if the earth was treated as “a common treasury for all” poverty and oppression could be overcome. Their aims were first put into action at St George’s Hill, Weybridge, where they dug up and cultivated the common land to provide food for their newly formed community. Their success was short-lived as other landowners, feeling threatened, hired men to beat up the Diggers and destroyed their crops. 

The Diggers were nevertheless pursing a philosophy that dated back at least to the Peasants’ Revolt in1381 when verse of the Lollard priest, John Ball, wrote the verse: ‘When Adam delved and Eve span, who was then the gentleman?’

We may no longer all aspire to have enough land to grow our own food (although the sit com, The Good Life, set in Surbiton reflected such as desire), but we do now know how important it is for our mental and physical health to have access to green spaces.  In January 2023 the Government set a target (now only an ambition) that everyone should be able to access a blue or green space within 15 minutes walk from their home. Again part of the problem is inequality as surveys show that people  with low incomes, disabilities or from ethnic minority backgrounds have the least access to green spaces.  

For further information on the Green Infrastructure Framework visit – https://designatedsites.naturalengland.org.uk/GreenInfrastructure/Home.aspx

Pause for prayer 

God of green pastures, 

we praise you for the wisdom and delight 

with which you created the first garden 

and the first gardeners. 

May we reclaim our vocation 

as those called to till and tend the earth. 

May we ensure that that heritage is shared equally 

so that all may benefit from the bounty of the earth. 

Amen

8. Crossing the A3 and into Wimbledon Common

As we cross the main road notice the safe space that has been created for horses. The high wooden walls screen out the noise and flashing lights of the traffic which might spook them. Further on we are going to make  another crossing – this time by a bridge over the Beverley Brook. 

The climate crisis is going to lead to a greater number of climate refugees. How can their journeys be made less scary? How easily will they be able to cross borders? And how easily can they be integrated as citizens in their new homes?

Pause for prayer 

Shepherding God, 

be along side all those who travel 

to new lands and new homes. 

Guide those who feel lost.

Comfort those who are anxious and frightened.

And in Jesus Christ, be an example for us to follow.

Amen.

9. Follow the course of Beverley Brook along the bottom edge of Wimbledon Common.

The land that is Wimbledon Common was originally part of the manor of Mortlake and owned by the archbishop of Canterbury. During the reign of Henry VIII the land was given to the King. The land and it various properties was frequently bought and sold, such that it belonged at various times to members of royalty including Charles I, and to members of the aristocracy. 

As a manor  – which was effectively an estate – some of the land was farmed, some was sold off for the building of country residences,  whilst other parts were held as common land. Such land belonged to the Lord of the Manor but gave certain local residents commoners rights – such as grazing and gathering firewood. 

By the 19th century the Manor of Wimbledon belonged to Earl Spencer. He sought to buy out the commoners’ rights so that he could enclose  the land and develop it for housing. This was opposed by some local residents who greatly valued the amenity of the Common, and legislation was brought in the form of  the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Act of 1871 which states that it is to be used for the benefit of the general public for informal recreation and the preservation of natural flora and fauna. In recompense an annual annuity is paid to Earl Spencer, with a charge being levied on properties adjoining the Common. 

It is not uncommon for  people (or organisations) who own land and the people who use the land on a day to day basis, to have different desires and objectives. Owning land and property gives people power and the ability to raise capital through loans and mortgages. Do our current systems of tenure and inheritance laws, ensure a fair distribution of land and resources? Might it be better if more land and resources were held in common rather than being in the hands of a select few?

Pause for prayer

Generous God, 

you created and gave to your creatures 

a vast and beautiful planet, 

with resources enough for all to share.

With grateful hearts, we thank you.

With contrite hearts, 

we confess that have often put our desires 

before the needs of others.

Renew our hearts, 

that our actions may always reflect your generosity. 

Amen.

10.  Continue along the Beverley Brook

The name Beverley translates as “Beavers’ Meadow” indicating that beavers were once an important species for this stream. The South East Rivers Trust is working  with the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, to recreate a more natural shape to Beverly Brook, including obstructing parts of it with woody material imitating the activities of a beaver colony. Such processes create a more diverse range of habitats that can support a greater range of species. These  changes also slow the flow of the stream during periods of spate, whilst at the same time allowing the adjoining meadows to regain their character as water meadows, where excess water can be accommodated during and after periods of heavy rainfall. This can limit flood further down stream. As we walk along side Beverley Brook we will see this as first hand as we splodge through muddy patches and later cross on raised boards walks.  

We might reflect on the importance of working together with different organisations and with different parts of the natural world to create and maintain accessible green and blue spaces with biodiverse-rich ecosystems.

Pause for prayer

God of all that is, 

we give thanks for the resilience of the natural world, 

that when our past actions have caused damage, 

there is still the capacity for new growth and recreation. 

May we be ever ready to help 

and to love all our neighbours – 

plants and creatures and human beings. 

Amen.

Walking along the Beverly Brook as far as Beverly Meads, let us walk silence and enjoy God’s presence with us.

12. Walk up Copse Hill to our destination, Christ Church West Wimbledon 

Christ Church West Wimbledon was built in 1859 at a time when the population of Wimbledon was growing following the arrival of the railway. That said, the landscape then would have looked greener than at present with a mixture, on one hand, of fields and market gardens, and on the other, of Victorian villas with large gardens. 

Christ Church has its own green space – a well-tended garden – and a silver Eco-church award.

Reflecting back over our pilgrimage we can see how important it has been that individuals and communities stand up for, protect and enhance green spaces because they are vital to our well-being. May we to be inspired to be people and communities who are passionate about understanding themselves as an interdependent part of God’s beautiful, generous and vulnerable creation. 

Counting on … day 47

15th February 2024

Over the next few weeks I plan to look at some of the words and phrases we use in connection with the climate crisis.

Climate change is any sustained change in the global climate that occurs over the long term – at least a decade. Climate change is not new. Over the last thousand years there have been changes in climate such as the ‘mini ice age’ which refers to a period between 1300 and 1850 when temperatures fell by about 0.5C producing colder winters when in England the Thames froze and cooler summers when people noted the lack of sunny days. This period coincided with a larger than usual number of volcanic eruptions around the world. Volcanic ash in the atmosphere can produce more cloud and reduce temperatures.

Over the longer time scale there have been real ice ages when temperatures have really plummeted. 

The last glacial period ended 11,000 years ago having lasted for about 100,000 plus years. During that time temperatures fell by about 6C below our current 20th century average. 

 Climate change is now frequently used to mean anthropogenic climate change – climate change that has been caused by human activities. 

Counting on … day 45

14th February 2024

Talk about what you see in the world around you – the things of beauty, the things that make you love – but also the things that upset you, the things that seem to be going awry. Both are important as it can be easy to get into a blinkered  viewpoint of the world. And talking with others helps us to keep a balance view and to stay informed. 

Green Tau extra

13th February 2024

Today is Shrove Tuesday – this is a piece I wrote last year: https://greentau.org/2023/02/21/green-tau-issue-64/

and the follow on piece for Ash Wednesday: https://greentau.org/2023/02/22/green-tau-issue-64b/

in which I wrote “Maybe our penance – the penance for those who see the harm we have as humans have caused – is raise the cry, to sound the alarm, to be prophetic, so that others too can be called to account.”

This year Christian Climate Action, and other faith based and ecological groups, have organised a ten day – and night – vigil outside Parliament. Hour by hour, people will sit, stand or kneel, in prayer and reflection for the well being of the earth, for justice, for the preservation of life in all its forms, for human repentance for the harm we have done in driving both the 6th mass extinction of species and the acceleration climate crisis. If you are in the area, do come and join in; if not do nevertheless keep this focus as part of your Lenten discipline.

Join the No Faith in Fossil Fuels Lent Vigil

Last Sunday before Lent

11th February 2024

Reflection ( readings follow on below)

I love the idea that there was a company of prophets – ‘prophets R us’? Was there an apprenticeship course? Were there entrance exams? Or CPD (continuing professional development) courses? 

As I have mentioned before, I see climate activists as some of today’s prophets. And yes we do have, if not companies, then certainly groups. These groups are important for mutual support, for sharing ideas, as a testing ground where we can explore our thinking, for pooling and sharing skills, and the capacity to reach out to a wider audience.

What keeps prophets going? What – or who – inspires them? Where does their power come from? From God, from the power of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes this can feel overwhelming as one is aware of the enormity of the task that lies ahead. Sometimes this can feel as if a glorious window has opened showing all the wonder that is possible.

In today’s readings God’s power is experience through the physical world: the waters of the River Jordan that part, the bright light that illumines Jesus – and through the visionary world: the chariot of fire that carries Elijah away, and the voice of God echoing from the cloud. Whilst in today’s Psalm,  God calls to the heavens and the earth to witness the judgment to be passed on humankind. How will we measure up to God’s expectations? 

Much of the Bible is concerned with the way people live with and alongside each other, and with and alongside the land – nature. The Bible begins with stories describing the beginning of life on earth and  the interrelationship between the different  parts – the land and the water,  the earth and plants, the air and the water and things that fly and swim, the land and its creatures – and the role that God delegates to humans. The Bible ends in the Book of Revelation with a new creation – a garden city of healing and harmony, where God’s will is always done. God’s presence is described as being a shining brightness that negates the need for sunlight. This garden city, new Jerusalem, is a place of enlightenment. 

Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Corinth reminds them that there are two ways of seeing the world: the blinkered way of ‘the world’ and the enlightened way of the gospel. The first sees only a shadow of reality, whilst the second sees the whole of creation illumined by the glory of God. We who believe the gospel can look to see that radiance in the world around us; we can see the glory of God shining through creation; and we can see the vision of how God desires this world to be. That vision became a reality in Jesus and is the vision that will accompany us through Lent to Easter. Let us stride forth into Lent as a company of God’s prophets.

2 Kings 2:1-12

When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”

Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you.” Elisha said, “Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” He responded, “You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not.” As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.

Psalm 50:1-6

1 The Lord, the God of gods, has spoken; *
he has called the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.

2 Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty, *
God reveals himself in glory.

3 Our God will come and will not keep silence; *
before him there is a consuming flame,
and round about him a raging storm.

4 He calls the heavens and the earth from above *
to witness the judgment of his people.

5 “Gather before me my loyal followers, *
those who have made a covenant with me
and sealed it with sacrifice.”

6 Let the heavens declare the rightness of his cause; *
for God himself is judge.

2 Corinthians 4:3-6

Even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For we do not proclaim ourselves; we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as your slaves for Jesus’ sake. For it is the God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Mark 9:2-9

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, “This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!” Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

Counting on … day 42

11th February 2024

Write a thank you note – to a friend, to someone who does something exceptional or maybe someone who is so consistently helpful that no one really notices. Or maybe to the manager of a local business or service, or maybe your local councillor or MP. There are so many people who do make a positive different to our daily lives.