Category: Uncategorized

Day five of the No Faith in Fossil Fuels’ Vigil

18th February 2024

It has rained all night and I hope those outside have stayed warm and reasonably dry

5.40 I dress and pack last things in my bag. Bike lights on. Waterproofs secure. Go. The road is empty and sparkling with the combination of street lights and rain. 

Like everywhere else, Parliament Square is sodden but the overnight vigilers are positive! We perform a tricky dance as we swop places, adjust rain clothes, fold and unfold umbrellas. With my ponchos spread like a tent I sit on a small camping stool. Inside a foggy warmth builds up – it keeps me warm if not dry. Waterproofs have a tendency to be less so as the wet persists! 

Calm returns and Jonathan and I settle into the composure of  vigil. 

Jonathan reads a passage by Thomas Merton about rain in which he talks about rhythm and sound of rain. Parliament Square has its own sounds for a wet Sunday morning. There is the swish of car wheels against water. The gentle slap of running shoes – running on a Sunday morning is clearly popular come rain or shine. The illusive sound of wetness that seems to hang in the air. 

There are few people walking by. Sunday is not a working day for many. There are no construction vehicles wheeling past, and few delivery vehicles either. Even the police presence is diminished. 

The Square has both a daily rhythm and a weekly rhythm and even a yearly rhythm. Sit here long enough and you’ll become part of it.

On the far side of the expanse of flat green grass that fills the Square, a row of London plane trees provides a lacy edge to the sky, whilst in the rain their patterned trunks stand out proudly. In between at head height, way-farer palms trees look oddly out of place in a rain soaked London. 

On the grass seagulls stab for food – maybe worms brought up by the rain. Picking up on yesterday’s thoughts, I greet Brother Seagull with a silent “Good morning”. His reply comes back, “Awk….awk…awk!”

The gulls are joined by a pair of Egyptian geese, their feathers glossy in the rain-washed light. “Good morning Mr and Mrs Goose!” Egyptian geese are known for their fidelity. 

There are few tourists this morning. Sight seeing is a fair weather pursuit and only a few resilient Japanese walk past following their tour guide. 

The rain which has blown both heavier and lighter, dwindles and fades away. Faint patches of blue appear in the sky and ten flags unwrap themselves from their flagpoles.  

Wetter weather may well be a consequence of increasing temperatures: warmer air can hold more water. Adapting to wetter winters and drier summers is something we will have to embrace. 

A pavement cleaner stops to talk. He’s seen our signs and is from personal experience deeply aware of the effects of the climate crisis and equally convinced that it is unlikely we will make  changes to turn the situation around. He is 73 and comes from Bangladesh. Rivers that used to teem with fish – the key part of their diet and a source of income – are lifeless, the waters polluted  with pollution from factories and cities. Children can no longer swim there – nor too do the dolphins. He despairs that it will never change – yet he tells us that whilst simply to pray will not achieve anything, to pray and act is a different matter altogether. And he prays all day – and as to working, his name, Abdullah, means slave of Allah. He left us feeling greatly uplifted. Somehow despite the odds, he radiated hope. 

Second Sunday in Lent

18th February 2024

Reflection (readings follow on)

Is the story from Genesis actually acknowledging that we humans are always going to be sinful, that we are always going to be falling back into ways that are selfish and thoughtless, cruel and destructive? And that God is frequently going to have cause to feel anger and grief? Certainly looking at my own life and the life of the world around me, this does seem to be a truthful observation. 

Is it also a useful observation? Does it help us understand our relationship with God and with each other?

This thinking about the inate tendency of humans to be sinful tallies with the continuation of the story in Genesis.  The rainbow is a reminder to God that such is the fallen nature of humanity and that that is why God undertakes to always  show us mercy and to protect us from our own actions. The covenant of the rainbow is that God will stand by humanity however foolish and stupid and downright evil  we may be. 

George Herbert expressed something of this in his poem, The Holdfast. He discovers through repartee that he has no way of his own making or will of holding onto God. Even to confess that he has nothing is not for him to take comfort from. Rather it is only, solely and totally through Jesus Christ that he is held fast with God. (The poem is below).

It is also a view that Paul expresses clearly in his letters – there is absolutely no way to salvation other than through Jesus Christ. Apparently the Greek grammar, when he writes of faith and Jesus Christ, is ambiguous: it could be read as faith in Christ that saves us, or as the faith of Christ that saves us. The former credits us with some of the success, the later leaves it squarely with Christ himself. I personally would have more faith in Jesus than in myself. 

This suggests a very one side relationship within which we are never going to be able to fully reciprocate. Nevertheless we have been created in God’s image and are called to ‘seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly before our God’. In this we must be as ready to recognise that our fellow brothers and sisters are equally prone to be being sinful, of doing the wrong things, of being careless or even harmful towards each other – or maybe just of being mildly irritating. We must strive to be forgiving and understanding, and never to discard or ignore them. At the same time we need also to accept that what we hope to achieve won’t be perfect: we are called simply to keep on trying. I have a phrase I find comforting: I am called not to be successful but faithful.

The phrasing in the letter of Peter also chimes in with this thinking. The writer notes that the baptism which saves you is not so much about removing the  dirt of sin as ‘an appeal to God for a good conscience’. Is this good conscience ours or is it God’s? If God’s it is again that message that we contribute absolutely nothing of ourselves to gain salvation: it all comes from God.

So to our gospel reading and the baptism of Jesus. As with story of the ark, which as the letter of a Peter says, prefigures baptism, so with Jesus’s baptism God’s sign is to be seen in the heavens. The skies are rent apart and what appears to be a dove descends. Jesus is filled with the Spirit and God’s voice is heard, “You are my Son!” From now on God needs no rainbow as a reminder of the need for mercy in the face of human foolishness. Now God knows unique way what it is to be human, and in that human form always sees the image of the Son. God’s salvation comes to us absolutely without hesitation or deviation through Jesus Christ. The good news of salvation is made real to us in the one true human  form – the one who can not fail or fall (to quote from Herbert). 

Alleluia!

Genesis 9:8-17

God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Psalm 25:1-9

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul;
my God, I put my trust in you; *
let me not be humiliated,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.

2 Let none who look to you be put to shame; *
let the treacherous be disappointed in their schemes.

3 Show me your ways, O Lord, *
and teach me your paths.

4 Lead me in your truth and teach me, *
for you are the God of my salvation;
in you have I trusted all the day long.

5 Remember, O Lord, your compassion and love, *
for they are from everlasting.

6 Remember not the sins of my youth and my transgressions; *
remember me according to your love
and for the sake of your goodness, O Lord.

7 Gracious and upright is the Lord; *
therefore he teaches sinners in his way.

8 He guides the humble in doing right *
and teaches his way to the lowly.

9 All the paths of the Lord are love and faithfulness *
to those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

1 Peter 3:18-22

Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison, who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water. And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you– not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

Mark 1:9-15

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

The Hold-fast

BY GEORGE HERBERT

I threaten’d to observe the strict decree

    Of my dear God with all my power and might;

    But I was told by one it could not be;

Yet I might trust in God to be my light.

“Then will I trust,” said I, “in Him alone.”

    “Nay, e’en to trust in Him was also His:

    We must confess that nothing is our own.”

“Then I confess that He my succour is.”

“But to have nought is ours, not to confess

    That we have nought.” I stood amaz’d at this,

    Much troubled, till I heard a friend express

That all things were more ours by being His;

    What Adam had, and forfeited for all,

    Christ keepeth now, who cannot fail or fall.

Lent – against consumerism 

17th February 2024

The earth is the LORD’s, and the fullness thereof, the world and all who dwell therein. Psalm 24:1

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: Matthew 6: 19-26 The Message 

“Don’t hoard treasure down here where it gets eaten by moths and corroded by rust or—worse!—stolen by burglars. Stockpile treasure in heaven, where it’s safe from moth and rust and burglars. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.

 “Your eyes are windows into your body. If you open your eyes wide in wonder and belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and distrust, your body is a musty cellar. If you pull the blinds on your windows, what a dark life you will have!

 “You can’t worship two gods at once. Loving one god, you’ll end up hating the other. Adoration of one feeds contempt for the other. You can’t worship God and Money both.

 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.”  

A reflection on Proverbs 1:10, 13-15:-


If shop windows say, 

“Buy all kinds of costly things; 

fill your houses with luxury”:

Do not be seduced, 

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.


If magazines say, 

“Here are the solutions to all life’s problems; 

 check out this month’s lifestyle”: 

Do not be seduced, 

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.


If neighbours say, 

“Come, be like us, 

keep up with our standards”:

Do not be seduced, 

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.


If adverts say, 

“Enjoy today and 

throw away tomorrow”:

Do not be seduced, 

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.


If money-makers say, 

“Here, make a quick buck; 

don’t worry about the risk”:

Do not be seduced, 

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.


If businesses say, 

“Enjoy what we promise, 

forget the environmental cost”:

Do not be seduced, 

but follow the way of righteous simplicity.


Merciful God, 

protect us from ourselves – our ignorance and our gullibility –

Give us wisdom to discern your truth

and insight to see your ways, 

that we may live with simplicity,

enjoying your gifts and sharing your bounty.

Amen.


Praise be to God! For simple things:-

Clean air and the scent of the flowers, 

wind that lifts and freshens.  

For water, crystal clear or dark as bronze, 

now skittering, now languidly flowing.

For trees that grow, ring upon ring, 

and bats and beetles and tiny tree creepers.

For the musical interruption of robin and blackbird, 

and the chit chat of sparrows. 

For fresh picked leaves and fruits in season:

our daily bread.

For the times to pause, to focus our eyes

 and attune ours ears: for peaceful observation.

For all these we give you thanks,

Generous, ever-caring God.

Amen.

Day three of the No Faith in Fossil Fuel’s Vigil

These are my experiences from 7.00 till about noon. Later in the day I know more and exciting things happened!

Walking over Westminster Bridge as Big Ben struck 7 a new day began. In front of the Carriage Gates three vigillers beamed as Sandie and I arrived. Peter and Anne were already folding up their bivvy bags whilst Ben was still snuggled down inside his sleeping bag. Greetings and a few photos and then it was goodbye as Sandie and I settled down behind the climate justice banner. 

I pray of God’s holiness and the holiness of every created thing. 

Watching the traffic, at 7 in the morning it’s mainly commercial vehicles  – plus the ever-circulating buses – and specifically ones serving the construction industry. As the morning passes so the number of cars increases which is not to say that the construction vehicles were any less. Basically the road just gets busier! One was a cement lorry making a delivery to the works going on at Parliament, which claimed to be carrying eco-cement. Cement -which produces 622kg of CO2 per tonnes – accounts for about 7% of global total emissions. It maybe that as well as green cement we need to think twice about building new roads, tower blocks or even just drive ways.

I pray for God’s will, God’s rule – that God’s way of doing things would prevail in our hearts and minds.

During the morning others joined the vigil – a merry band of pilgrims! One had come only a short way – he worked for the Methodist Church. We talked about money. It seems more obvious to swop your pension to an ethical one because pensions obviously deal in investments. But greening your bank seems – initially – less obvious. They just look after your money, nothing more? I talked about CCA’s campaign to encourage charities and dioceses to move away from Barclays. He talked about working with the local circuits to discuss ethical banking. 

I pray that God’s kingdom would come with its transformative ordering of the world. I pray for daily bread – how come we live in a world with food that goes to waste whilst many go hungry?

A mum from Birmingham had extended her visit to her son in London to be able to come. A woman from a UR Church in south east London joined the group. Then a group from a church in Sutton. And a then a fellow Franciscan tertiary. At one point we were accosted by a man asking why we were praying. He thought we should raising money for the scientists in white coats rather than praying to ‘a fairy in the sky’. 

We knelt our ground.

The footfall, like the traffic changes through the day. Initially it is people going to work, streaming out of the underground and striding out down towards Millbank, coffee cups and lunch bags grasped in their hands. There is a slight lull before the tourists dominate the  pavement – and large groups of teenage students being shown the Houses of Parliament and more frequently the companions from my night shift – Mandela, Gandhi and Millicent Fawcett.

There are more families than usual as it is still half term and several children carefully read our posters and ask their parents what we are doing. One young man spends several minutes filming and then interviewing us – he wants to understand more about the climate crisis. 

I pray for forgiveness and healing.

Ten or so small toddlers walk by, each wearing Wellington boots and a small high viz vest and a wrist strap linking them to their respective nursery carer. Like puppies they don’t walk in a straight line and ver off wherever the fancy takes them. I think they’re going to the gardens between Parliament and Lambeth Bridge. Emmeline Pankhurst stands inside the gateway keeping an eye on all who come and go. 

Faithfulness is why we’re here. 

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