This Sunday, 30th November, is Remembrance Day for Lost Species. For some species in the UK it is now too late, but for others there is perhaps still time to safeguard their existence for future generations – provided we take action now.
The Greater mouse-eared bat; the Kentish plover; the large chequered skipper; the short-haired bumblebee; the blue bugle – these have all in recent years become extinct or near extinct in the UK
Amongst the woods and forests,
between oaks and cedars,
God’s name is holy.
In the seas and oceans,
with whales and sea urchins,
God’s name is holy.
Across the moors and meadows,
with curlews and plovers,
God’s name is holy.
By riverbanks and streams,
following eels and kingfishers,
God’s name is holy .
High up on mountain peaks and glaciers,
sheltering in cwms and gullies,
God’s name is holy .
Gathered in barns and hives,
buzzing with bees and bats,
God’s name is holy .
Hidden under stones and snuck into crevices,
lying low with lizards and spiders,
God’s name is holy .
In all corners of the world
and where ever life exists,
God’s name is holy!
Creator God, we come from, and we dwell in, your beautiful, magnificent world. We share it with the myriad of creatures and plants that praise you by being what you created them to be. By our lack of care, our lack of love, we are wiping out pieces of your handiwork, silencing their praise.
We are sorry.
Forgive us.
Give us now what we need to safeguard the beauty and diversity of your world. Let us not be thwarted by the immensity of the challenge, for your power working within us can do more than we can imagine. May the love, unearthed by the sadness we feel for that which is lost, burn in our hearts, and ignite in us the courage to stand up against all that threatens what remains.
Through Jesus Christ, in whom and for whom all things were created.
Amen.
This prayer comes from the Green Christian website – where you can also find other resources and a link to their workshop ‘Remembering Lost Species’ on 7th December.
Now is the sky blue!
Now is it framed
by a fretwork of branches
where leaves still linger –
some as big as dinner plates
some as small as butterflies.
Jackdaws riddle the earth
harvesting riches that lay below.
And squirrels skip and skitter
their autumn dance.
All is now, and now, and now!
But tomorrow, next week, next year?
Merciful God will they still be there?
Will our apathy,
our slowness to act,
our aversion to change
allowed all this
to be threatened,
diminished, and
evicted from life?
Have mercy.
But not just mercy –
rather prod us, prompt us,
push us into action.
Renew our hearts and minds,
reverse our expectations
so that we change the future
and once more
be restorers of creation.
The Green Tau 