Producers of products such as cocoa, coffee and bananas also face problems due to fluctuations in prices triggered by speculators. Fairtrade can help, by guaranteeing a minimum price but also be developing direct, long term relationships between producers and buyers.
“Many initiatives in the cocoa, tea, banana and flower sectors aim to improve the social, environmental and economic performance of producers. They typically focus directly on achieving change at producer and worker level ….[However] trading relationships can have an important influence on a producer’s economic viability and capacity to invest in sustainable practices. In the banana sector in Ecuador, for example, more secure contracted volumes enable banana plantations to provide more stable year-round employment to their workers. Without these guarantees plantations are often confronted with cancellations in buying orders, making it too risky to provide job security to workers.” (1)
Sustainable food systems need to protect producers and workers, and this does ultimately protect consumers by better ensuring a steady supply of food.
“I, the LORD, have called you for a righteous purpose, and I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and appoint you to be a covenant for the people and a light to the nations. Isaiah 42:6
You Lord are the light of the world:
help us to see.
Your word is a light for our path:
guide us in all we do.
Whatever we say or do:
let it be to the glory of God.
A reading from Luke 2: 29- 35
“Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace,
as you have promised.
I have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all people.
He is a light to reveal God to the nations,
and he is the glory of your people Israel.”
Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
Response:
Where will that light shine?
Will it reach the tops of the mountains where the glaciers are fast disappearing?
Will it follow the rivers that flow down from the mountains?
Will it light upon the people who rely on the river for their livelihoods?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
Where will that light shine?
Will it reach the depths of the earth where conglomerates mine for minerals and riches?
Will it reach the depth of the oceans where conglomerates drill for oil and gas?
Will it follow the flow of money that skips lightly past those who labour,
and fills the ever deepening pockets of the wealthy?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
Where will the light shine?
Will it reach the verdant understory deep within the rainforests?
Or will it find that space already punctured by sugar and soy plantations?
Will it be embraced by a rich biodiverse ecosystem –
or will it search desperately for indigenous lives that are no more?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
Where will the light shine?
Will it glitter on the vast whiteness of the poles?
Or will it sink into the void that melting ice has left behind?
Will it bring life to the Arctic tern and the walrus?
Will it be a ray of light for the penguin chick and the polar bear cub?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
Where will the light shine?
Will reach inside apartment blocks split open by bombs?
Will it reach inside the ‘temporary’ abodes of the refugee camp?
Will it reach inside those precarious homes where the need for heat
faces a constant battle with the need to eat?
Will it spotlight communities in need of levelling up?
Will it herald a bright future for them or pierce their soul as with a sword?
For the times we have masked your light so that its message is obscured:
Lord have mercy.
For the times we have refocused your light away from those in need:
Lord have mercy.
For the times we have directed your light away from our own shortcomings:
Lord have mercy.
For the times we have refused to see where your light is pointing:
Lord have mercy.
Renew in us your spark that we may be visible agents of your Kingdom and active agents of your purpose.
Amen.
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5
Over a thousand people sat in the road outside the Royal Courts of Justice to protest at the deliberate diminution of the right to protest in the UK. Inside the Courts an appeal was being heard brought by 16 climate protesters challenging the severity of the sentences they had been given.
As we sat in silence on the road in three orderly lines back to back, police offices walked up and down the lines, stopping to address individuals asking them to move. ‘We recognise your right to protest but this is a live road’. ‘What can we do to make you move?’ ‘Please move to the designated protest area in between the church of St Clement Dane and the court house’. ‘A section 14 notice may be imposed on this section of road and then we may arrest you’. ‘You might spend hours in a police cell.’
This was a silent vigil so most chose not to respond to the police. Instead maintaining the silence with eyes downcast, we resolutely continued to sit in the road.
Yes we were blocking the road. Yes we were preventing vehicles from using that section. Why? Because – yes – this was a protest. And what is a protest if it does not cause some degree of disruption?
The reason for any protest is to raise awareness – to draw people’s attention – to an issue in order to effect change. This the protest was about the failure of the system to allow justifiable and reasonable protest.
Over the last few years the right to protest has been has been crushed and demonised by the government through new laws, by judges through punitive interpretation of laws and sentencing guidelines, and by corporate interests through their ability to drop quiet words into significant ears, and their ability to afford the cost of legal actions and injunctions.
Where once walking peacefully along a street was considered a valid means of protest, it is now designated as ‘public nuisance’. Where once sitting and blocking a road was considered a valid means of protest, it is now designated as a ‘disruption of national infrastructure’. Have we reached a situation where you can only protest by staying quietly on the pavement, well away from anyone or anything you might disrupt?
Protest is meant to disrupt. It is meant to irritate. It is there to draw attention to a situation that needs to change. Yes, protest has to be proportionate. Yes, protest has to target the appropriate audiences. Yes, protest has to be based on valid claims.
The climate crisis is the biggest existential crisis that we humans have ever faced. A delayed car journey diminishes into insignificance compared with the potential loss of life of millions of people.
The climate crisis has no favourites, it can and will continue to affect us all. There is no audience that can argue that it doesn’t threaten them.
The climate crisis is a scientifically hypothesised, modelled and proven crisis. There is no valid data that proves otherwise.
And yet since the rise of Extinction Rebellion in 2018, and subsequent groups such as Insulate Britain and Just Stop Oil, governments, judges and the Criminal Prosecution Service have gone out of their way in refuting that the actions being taking by these groups represents genuine protest.
Protesting about the right to protest is vitally important in an era when we face not only the existential crisis of climate change but also the threat of oppressive right wing politics that is beginning to dominate the world.
Thus says the Lord, “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” Jeremiah 31: 15
You Lord, are the source of all good things:
Yet we fail you.
You call us to tend and care for your creation:
Yet we fail you.
You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:
Yet we fail you.
A reading from Matthew 2: 16-18
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:
‘A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’
Response
Thus says the Lord, ‘Not only in Ramah but in Ramallah too
is the sound of wailing and lamentation heard!’
In Rafah, Jabalia and Khan Yunis too
is the sound of wailing and lamentation heard!
In Zamzam, Abu Shouk and Al Salam of North Darfur
is the sound of wailing and lamentation heard!
In the refugee camps of Arkoum, Adré and Farchana, Chad
is the sound of wailing and lamentation heard!
In Goma, north east in the Democratic Republic of Congo
is the sound of wailing and lamentation heard!
In the gang warfare in Haiti
is the sound of wailing and lamentation heard!
In the aftermath of earth quakes in Vanuatu
is the sound of wailing and lamentation heard!
In the small boats crossing the Mediterranean and the Channel
is the sound of wailing of wailing and lamentation heard.
In the underground shelters and the streets of Kharkiv, Lviv, and Odesa
is the sound of wailing and lamentation heard!
Lord, how is it we do not hear and do not respond?
Lord, how is it that our governments ignore the cries
and yet continue to send arms?
Lord, how is it that politicians say they understand people’s concern
and yet just sit on their hands?
Lord, how is it that financial institutions perceive the risks
and yet continue to provide the funds?
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the son of her womb? Even if she could forget, I will not forget you!” Isaiah 49:15
Prayer
Merciful God, Mother and Father of all,
remake in us new hearts for love,
new minds for wisdom,
and new resolve for action.
Help us to reshape our world as a place
where the wolf shall live with the lamb,
where refugees will not have to fear a tyrants rage.
Help us to reshape our world as a place
where the leopard will lie down with the kid,
where those of minority faiths will not fear oppression.
Help us to reshape our world as a place
where the calf, the lion and the fatling will be led by a child,
and where no child will be sidelined by those in power.
Help us to reshape our world as a place
where the cow and bear, the calf and cub, will eat together,
where no one will go hungry because someone has hoarded the surplus.
Help us to reshape our world as a place
where the lion eats like an ox,
where the CEO will dine like a delivery driver – and vice versa.
Help us to reshape our world as a place where the
where the baby shall play over the hole of the asp,
where babies will sleep to the lullabies of the wind turbine.
Help us to reshape our world as a place
where the toddler will put its hand on the adder’s den,
where all will be inoculated against childhood diseases.
In today’s readings it is the small and the marginalised that are brought centre stage – Ephrathah the smallest of the clans, sheep (that ubiquitous farm animal), women (even today in many societies women are still marginalised) and unborn children. The texts offer peace and security, restoration and salvation, and a rebalancing of wealth and power.
Micah’s words promise peace and security. We only have to glance at the newspapers to see how important those two still are. Micah lived in a time of great turmoil when powerful empires sought to grab control of the known world – and largely disregarding small nations in the process: their purpose was to be a source of taxation – and rich men tried to grab as much profit as they could, and would willingly bow to any god or passing fad, if that helped them up the greasy pole. In other words Micah’s world was not dissimilar to our’s today. If you read more of Micah’s words you will find the vocabulary highly critical and harsh.
Yet Micah did seem confident that the God he worshipped and for whom he spoke, did still love Israel, was still merciful and still offered hope for a better future. In an earlier part of the Book of Micah, we hear of swords being beaten into ploughshares and spears into pruning hooks. Peace – and justice – will only come into being through radical change. The ‘same old, same old’ will not do. Mary’s Magnificat comes with the same message. Existing power structures need to be upended. Existing patterns of wealth distribution cannot continue. Radical change is needed.
Jesus’s birth heralds in God’s era of radical change. The writer of Hebrews articulates that in the issues of his day. God’s desire is not going to be met through burnt offerings and sacrifices, God’s will is not going to be achieved through a set of laws that have passed their sell-by date. God’s salvation comes through the incarnation, through the indwelling of Christ in a human body – through the lived experience of Jesus as a human encompassing birth and death and resurrection.
And God’s salvation is still be found in those bodies wherein Christ dwells today. Like Mary before us, we are called to say yes to God, to allow God’s word to be implanted in us, to allow that living word to shape our thoughts and words and actions. We may find ourselves echoing the prophet Micah or echoing Mary the mother of Jesus, in challenging the ongoing sinful practices of the rich and powerful. We may find ourselves enacting countercultural actions that will turn swords into plough shares or redistribute wealth to the poor. We may find ourselves embracing the mind of Christ that understands that everyone is to be loved.
Micah 5:2-5a
You, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth;
and he shall be the one of peace.
Psalm 80:1-7
1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; * shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.
2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, * stir up your strength and come to help us.
3 Restore us, O God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, * how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people?
5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; * you have given them bowls of tears to drink.
6 You have made us the derision of our neighbours, * and our enemies laugh us to scorn.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; * show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
Hebrews 10:5-10
When Christ came into the world, he said,
“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘See, God, I have come to do your will, O God’ (in the scroll of the book it is written of me).”
When he said above, “You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings” (these are offered according to the law), then he added, “See, I have come to do your will.” He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And it is by God’s will that we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Luke 1:39-55
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Globally we know we have to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 – at the latest – if we are to curb the inexorable rise in temperatures, the associated increase in extreme weather events and any of the various tipping ecological points that would accelerate this process.
Here in the UK our government has set a target of reducing emissions by 68% (compared with 1990 values) by 2030 and by 81% by 2035 and ultimately by 100% by 2050.
To achieve these targets we need to reduce sharply our use of fossil fuels to heat our buildings (including cooling in the summer), to run our transport systems (vehicles, trains, airplanes etc), to generate electricity, and in various industrial processes such as making steel.
Such changes will impact is all. For householders it will include having to add more insulation to their homes and replacing gas boilers with electrically based heating. And for tenants, hopefully such alterations will be carried out by their landlords. For commercial and institutional buildings there will equally be the need to replace gas with electric heating and cooling systems, as well as upgrading thermal insulation. Such buildings may well have the scope to install solar panels and batteries so that they can generate their own electricity. The managers of such buildings may also want to reflect on how staff, users and customers travel to and from their premises to enable these to become more sustainable in their use of energy.
For car drivers it will be switching to electric cars or, even better, switching to public transport and active travel. For delivery drivers it will be switching to cycles for small, local loads and electric vehicles for larger ones. For the railway it will be investing in further electrification of the rail network and potentially developing battery units for short, smaller capacity branch lines. For airlines it must mean reducing the number of flights as there really is no green alternative to aviation fuel, although for short flights serving outlying islands battery planes may be a developmental opportunity.
For the energy sector, it will include continuing to develop and expand renewable energy sources (solar, wind and tidal) to provide all the extra green electricity that will be needed by other sectors, and to provide the necessary infrastructure to support that and to enable individual households, businesses and communities to develop their own generation capacity.
For industrial processes it will be switching to new methods of production such as using electric arc furnaces for steel making and for cement production developing new chemical formulations that avoid releasing large amounts of CO2.
These changes will also have impacts on jobs with some people needing to retrain for new careers – for example oil rig workers retraining to build and maintain offshore wind turbines, car workers might switch to building public transport rolling stock, airline staff might switch to working in the rail industry, blast furnace workers might retrain as installers of heat pumps and thermal insulation, or switch to manufacturing double glazing units, solar panels, and wind turbines etc.
These changes will need considerable financial investment, which must mean shifting money currently invested in supporting carbon intensive industries and projects, to these low carbon sustainable alternatives. And this will mean a shift in thinking by those who work in the financial markets – bankers, financiers, investment managers, pensions and insurance fund managers, etc.
These changes will also need government support, both in terms of legislation that will deliberately shift markets in the right direction, and in terms of subsidies, switching these away from carbon intensive industries and towards the green alternatives. And this will be a key role in achieving the carbon emission targets. Our capitalistic economic system is not well equipped to create the change we need. It is not well equipped to reflect the risks and damage caused by carbon intensive industries and products. Nor is it well equipped to ensure that those responsible for the damage already caused should pay for all necessary remedial and restorative action.
Earlier this week – 5th December – Shell and Equinor announced a plan to combine their operations in the North Sea to more effectively extract the remaining oil and gas reserves for ‘decades’ to come! This would ensure their continuing profit levels and in particular share dividends. How can it be economic to extract more carbon emitting oil and gas over those very same decades when we as a nation – and globally – are struggling to reduce our carbon emissions to net zero?
And how can it be that our government will provide subsidies to these oil companies to enable them to develop these projects? It is calculated that with tax breaks and subsidies, the UK could pay upward of 90p in the pound for the cost of developing the Rosebank oil field.
And how can it be that these oil companies can talk about – and use this in their advertising – that they are maintaining the UK’s energy security, and that they are keeping homes warm – and neglecting to point out that the cost of what they provide is at an increasing to customers and the environment – as if only gas and oil could achieve energy security?
What we need for a just transition is:
proactive action taken by the government to create and safeguard a transition via legislation that is fair to the working population, that is fair to householders, and that ensures a level and consistent playing field for businesses
Proactive action taken by the government to redirect subsidies so that they support and enhance the transition to renewables and ensure that the price to the consumer is affordable in the short term. (In the long term re-newables will be cheaper)
Proactive action by the financial world to shift finances from the old carbon intensive industries to the growing low carbon, sustainable ones
Proactive action by companies and organisations to ensure their operations are shifting at pace to achieve net zero.
A key part in this transition can be found in the Climate and Nature Bill – the CAN Bill – which is a private member’s bill that is currently making its way through Parliament. We can show our support for this via the Zero Hours web page and by asking our individuals MPs to back the bill when it comes for its second reading on 24th January – https://www.zerohour.uk/climate-and-nature-bill/
This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. The feast was first celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church in 1925, moving the the last Sunday of Ordinary Time in 1970. It was included by both Anglican, and other Churches, in the Revised Common Lectionary in 1974 where it forms the conclusion of the Kingdom Season and therefore the conclusion of the Church’s year.
The feast celebrates Jesus as the king of the universe or perhaps more usefully, as king of all creation.
Today’s gospel reading introduces the question as to whether this is a worldly or heavenly kingdom, with Jesus asserting that “My kingdom is not from this world”. This I feel declares that Christ’s kingdom is not one that adheres to,or is shaped by ‘worldy’ rules and practices – ie those that are shaped by greed, selfishness, cruelty etc. Rather Christ’s kingdom is that kingdom whose values we pray for in the Lord’s Prayer, the values of God that we wish to be present and applied on earth just as in heaven.
What does it mean for Jesus to be king? The passage from the prophet Daniel, suggests it is to be our judge. A judge can be the one who sifts the evidence, ways up the options, and tells you where you are going right or wrong. A skilled judge can then give directions as to how to get on to the right pathway.
If we have ears to hear, we will benefit from Christ’s judgement!
The effective reign of a king requires support from the realms’ citizens. If that support is lacking, it will undermine the king’s ability to take action and to change things. To be a citizen of Christ’s kingdom is to show our allegiance to Jesus. How do we do this? By acknowledging that relationship. By reverence. By doing the things that Jesus has shown us – that we act kindly , seek justice, walk humbly before God; that we be a good neighbour… praying the Lord’s Prayer as if we mean it.
But we are still faced with the reality that Jesus’s kingdom is not ‘of this world’ whereas ‘of this world’ is the predominant system in place on earth. How is God’s rule to become not just the predominate, but the only rule?
Kingdom parables suggest that we should be agents or seeds of change – like yeast in the dough; or like the mustard seed that keeps on growing and providing a common home for everyone; or like treasure seekers hunting for buried treasure wherever it may be found; or like merchants who will let go of our personal wealth to gain the pearl above price.
We need to be counter cultural agents of change that challenge the ‘of this world’ rule that allows companies to make profits from exploiting the destructive use of fossil fuels; that allows nations who have benefited from exploitative practices to avoid paying for the damage caused to others; that allows the poor to go hungry – both here in the UK and across the world – whilst the rich squander the earth’s natural wealth; that encourages governments to sell – and profit – from weapons sold to the perpetrators to war crimes. There is no end to the things we as Christians should be challenging as unjust. And there is no end to the ways in which we can reshape our lives to enable us to be better neighbours not just towards our human kin, but to all living things with whom we share this earth, our common home.
Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14
As I watched,
thrones were set in place, and an Ancient One took his throne,
his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool;
his throne was fiery flames, and its wheels were burning fire.
A stream of fire issued and flowed out from his presence.
A thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood attending him.
The court sat in judgment, and the books were opened.
As I watched in the night visions,
I saw one like a human being coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed.
Psalm 93
1 The Lord is King; he has put on splendid apparel; * the Lord has put on his apparel and girded himself with strength.
2 He has made the whole world so sure * that it cannot be moved;
3 Ever since the world began, your throne has been established; * you are from everlasting.
4 The waters have lifted up, O Lord, the waters have lifted up their voice; * the waters have lifted up their pounding waves.
5 Mightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than the breakers of the sea, * mightier is the Lord who dwells on high.
6 Your testimonies are very sure, * and holiness adorns your house, O Lord, for ever and for evermore.
Revelation 1:4b-8
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
John 18:33-37
Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.”
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. Isaiah 11:1
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: So Paul stood up and with a gesture began to speak: ‘You Israelites, and others who fear God, listen. The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors ….. he made David their king. In his testimony about him he said, “I have found David, son of Jesse, to be a man after my heart, who will carry out all my wishes.” Of this man’s posterity God has brought to Israel a Saviour, Jesus, as he promised. Acts 13: 16, 17a, 22b,23
Reflection
Roots secure us to the past, ensure that we are part of the continuity of creation; shoots and branches take our lives forward into the as yet unformed future. Without the next generation there will be no ongoing continuity. The gospels of Luke and Matthew both locate Jesus within a human family tree; the prologue of John’s gospel locates him as co existent with the beginning of all creation. Later in John’s gospel, Jesus affirms his coexistence with the Father and the ongoing coexistence, through him, of all believers, all God’s children.
For gifts of past generations
We thank you God:
For the gift of fire for cooking and heating
For the gift of clean water and sewers
We thank you God:
For the domestication of cattle and horses,
Cats and dogs, sheep and pigs,
Hens and geese
We thank you God:
For the gift of gardening and arable cultivation,
sowing and reaping,
growing and harvesting
We thank you God:
For the gift of healing and caring,
of medicine and surgery
For the understanding of the intricacies of mind and body
We thank you God:
For the gift of story telling and drama,
of art and observation
means of sharing grief and joy.
We thank you God:
For the gift of learning and research,
of teaching and sharing
We thank you God:
For the gift of exploration and endeavour, of travel and communication
We thank you God:
For the gift of worship, of self realisation and of the knowledge of God.
We thank you God:
But what shall we pass on to generations to come?
Do we offer gifts or burdens?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Clean air or choking smog?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Living water or dying oceans?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Renewables or fossil fuels?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Biodiversity or widespread extinction?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Fertile soils or inhospitable dust?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Balmy summers or wild fires?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Snow capped mountains or drowned coastlines?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
Homes for all or camps for migrants?
Merciful God forgive and inspire us.
May we be wise guardians of what we have received
Skilful custodians of what we consume
Generous donors of what we hand on
That the future of creation will be bright and beautiful,
In recent weeks we have been reminded again and again that there is wisdom that comes from ‘above’ – Godly wisdom – and wisdom that has a base origin – ‘worldly wisdom’. The latter is what drives stock markets and banker’s bonuses, that exploits workers and despoils the earth. The former seeks to honour God and love our neighbours – both human and creaturely. The former encourages us to care for, and be cared for, by each other; to be as children, trusting and open, understanding our dependence on God.
Jeremiah suggests the example of being like lambs, or like fruit trees. And drawing on Jesus’s own parable about fruit trees, the implication of the latter being that we should bear a rich harvest in response to God’s tending.
This time of year when we celebrate creation-tide and – for those of us in the northern hemisphere – harvest, so the call to be fruitful is particularly apt. Being fruitful is about flourishing. In the second story of creation in Genesis, God sees an earth that is bare and void of life and desires to see it becoming a verdant garden teaming with life. To this end, God provides water, trees and plants, and beings to till and safeguard all that is growing. That I believe is still God’s desire. We – together with all the other creaturely beings that God created as helpers – have a calling to tend and care for the earth and its flourishing. We are called to tend the plants and trees, the soil and waters, and to care for each other – birds and animals, insects and waterlife as well as our fellow human beings where ever they live across the world.
To do that is to draw upon the wisdom from above – God’s wisdom.
In the letter of James we read: “Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom.” And “the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.”
And in Mark’s gospel we hear Jesus telling us: “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” That is not the wisdom of the world. That is not about huge pay deals and share dividends; that is not about spending £1000s on new clothes; that is not about exploiting oilfields leading to extreme weather events that will cause devastation to those most vulnerable; that is not about seeking huge subsidies so that profits will not be diminished by costs. Nor is it about the 14,000 plus children killed in Gaza, nor the 4.3 million of children growing up in poverty in the UK.
Until we live by the wisdom that comes from above rather than by the wisdom of the world, such grief and suffering is going to continue. Until we can truly live out the command to love our neighbour as ourself, we are going to struggle to follow the example Jesus gave us. Until we become like children recognising our dependency on God, our need to learn from God’s wisdom, we are not going to be able to address these woes for we will constantly find ourselves coming up against the uncompromising negative impact of worldly wisdom – the wisdom that always puts self first.
Let us once again affirm our desire and intention to be live our lives as followers of Jesus.
Jeremiah 11:18-20
It was the Lord who made it known to me, and I knew; then you showed me their evil deeds.
But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter.
And I did not know it was against me that they devised schemes, saying,
“Let us destroy the tree with its fruit, let us cut him off from the land of the living, so that his name will no longer be remembered!”
But you, O Lord of hosts, who judge righteously, who try the heart and the mind,
let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause.
Psalm 54
1 Save me, O God, by your Name; * in your might, defend my cause.
2 Hear my prayer, O God; * give ear to the words of my mouth.
3 For the arrogant have risen up against me, and the ruthless have sought my life, * those who have no regard for God.
4 Behold, God is my helper; * it is the Lord who sustains my life.
5 Render evil to those who spy on me; * in your faithfulness, destroy them.
6 I will offer you a freewill sacrifice * and praise your Name, O Lord, for it is good.
7 For you have rescued me from every trouble, * and my eye has seen the ruin of my foes.
James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
Who is wise and understanding among you? Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful and false to the truth. Such wisdom does not come down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there will also be disorder and wickedness of every kind. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.
Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.
Mark 9:30-37
Jesus and his disciples passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it; for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” But they did not understand what he was saying and were afraid to ask him.
Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then he took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.”
Saturday 21st September: Hammersmith Bridge to Teddington Lock
The ancient practice of pilgrimage, honoured by many of the world’s great faiths, has a renewed focus in this age of climate and ecological emergency. Walking together with intention, mindfulness and prayer proclaims a different pace and place in relationship to the earth; and with each other. We become fellow travellers, learning again to ‘tread lightly’ on the earth. Pilgrimage invites a renewal of body, mind and spirit, while offering a visible sign of a different way of living and travelling.
We meet to start our journey in the community garden at Holy Trinity, Barnes – to leave by 10.30am following these opening prayers
Most High, all powerful, good Lord, To you we offer praise and glory, the honour and blessing. All creation – all that lives and breathes and moves – praises you.
All the elements praise you –
Brother Sun radiant with light and energy, beautiful and awesome,
And who with Sister Moon, establishes day and night, tides and seasons.
All praise to God!
Brother Wind and air, calm and serene, powerful and fearsome,
Bringer of weather, and source of energy.
All praise to God!
Sister Water, humble yet precious, simple and beautiful,
fluid energy and source of life.
All praise to God!
Brother Fire, playful, robust and strong,
offering warmth and comfort, yet to be handled with care!
All praise to God!
Sister-Mother Earth who sustains us and governs us,
And produces plants and minerals, sustaining life in all its rich diversity.
All praise to God!
All the elements praise you
and so too all that lives and breathes within your creation!
All praise to God!
In your bountiful love,
forgive our carelessness, our greed and our destructive acts.
Lord have mercy
Forgive our selfishness, and our failure to show compassion.
Lord have mercy
Forgive our heartlessness, our narrowness of vision and our failure to act justly.
Lord have mercy
Forgive our self-certainty, our disregard for your wisdom and our failure to learn.
Lord have mercy
With humility and contrition, we praise you
and ask your blessing on our endeavours.
May we serve you with humility,
seeking justice and showing loving care for all creation.
To you be all honour and power, praise and glory.
Amen.
Pauses for prayer.
1. Hammersmith Bridge – this bridge reminds us of the importance of rivers as means of transport and also the obstacle they can present if no bridges are available. The current bridge was designed to allows ships and boats to pass underneath as well as allowing pedestrians, cyclists and until recently, other vehicles, to cross over the river. Weaknesses in the structure have resulted in the bridge being closed to vehicular traffic since 2019. During the heat wave in July 2022, the chains were wrapped in foil and cooled with air-conditioning to 13°C to prevent further cracking – a reminder that climate change presents us with many unforeseen concerns.
We give thanks for bridges and sustainable means of transport that enable us to travel to school and work, to visit friends and family, to send and receive goods and services.
Yet we lament our human perverseness in developing and using modes of transport that damage the environment and disrupt life .
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
2. Leg of Mutton reservoir – Built in 1838, the Leg o’ Mutton Reservoir supplied water until its decommission in 1960. After much toing and froing, it avoided becoming a house estate and in 1990, became a local nature reserve. The reservoir hosts a wealth of wildlife including over wintering teal and shovelers, Common terms, Pochards and Little Grebes, whilst the reed beds are home to various warblers and dragon flies.
We give thanks for these small but biodiverse rich pockets of wild habitat, that remind us of the beauty and interconnectedness of the natural world. We give thanks for the work and dedication of volunteers and staff who enable such places to flourish.
Yet we lament the relentless pursuit of profit which inhibits more widespread development of such sites, and we lament the ease with which we humans expect to dominate over nature and land use.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
3. Black poplar tree – the native black poplar is a rare tree in the UK so it is surprising and delightful to find that a number of them have been identified here along the tow path. They are a floodplain species that thrives in waterlogged habitats, but with many natural wetland areas being drained and cleared for other uses, the loss of habitat has contributed to their decline. To ensure their continued survival, cuttings have been taken allowing some 300 saplings to be planted both here and in suitable sites across the country.
We give thanks for the diversity of trees and plants in creation, each one uniquely special, and acknowledge that it is the diversity of flora that enables humans and other species to thrive.
We lament our shortsightedness in reducing the range of habitats that exist both here in the UK and across the world, and the knock on effect that has on the health and well being of so many human lives.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
4. Mortlake – here in the 17th century the famous Mortlake tapestries were woven by Flemish weavers. Some of the master weavers were granted English citizenship, whilst orphaned boys from the City of London were taken on as apprentices.
Following the potato famine in the 1840s many Irish people sought work in the market gardens that then abound in Mortlake, and this gave rise to the building of Mortlake’s first Roman Catholic Church – St Mary Magdelene’s.
This riverside location has also attracted other migrants; we passed by the Swedish school in Barnes, and further upstream we will pass the German school at Petersham.
We give thanks for the diverse people who have settled along the Thames enriching the lives of their local communities.
Yet we lament the failure of governments to assist those fleeing from climate disasters and the failure of harvests, and those fleeing from wars and conflicts inflamed by climate change.
We lament our failure to offer all in need safe passage and a warm welcome.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
5. Chiswick Bridge – where the Oxford and Cambridge boat race has its finishing line. The participating crews then celebrate or commiserate at the boathouse opposite home to the Quintin Boat Club and the University of Westminster Boat Club. Much of the land on the north bank is used for various sporting and fitness activities.
We give thanks for joy that the Thames provides a place for sport recreation both in, on and by the water, and for the health giving benefits of exercise.
We lament the inequalities of our society that precludes everyone having easy access to open spaces and sporting facilities. We lament the loss of school playing fields and youth clubs.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
6. Kew Gardens – which has a plant collection of some 17,000 species from around the world. Kew Gardens also carries out research into climatechange-resistant crops, zero-carbon fertiliser, and plant- and cell – based foods products. Yet even Kew Gardens is not free from the threat of climate change. A recent report has found that some 50% of Kew’s trees are threatened by rising temperatures, whilst plans are in place to relocate Kew’s herbarium to Reading to avoid the risk of flooding.
We give thanks for the rich diversity of plants that exists around the world, and for the research being done to protect and enhance plants, habitats and food supplies.
Yet we lament the industrialisation of farming and the over grazing and exploitation of land to satisfy our desire for meat. We lament the economic models that leave many in the world with inadequate and poor diets .
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
Lunch break!
7. Richmond Lock. The Thames is still tidal here and the lock helps maintain water levels between here and Teddington Lock. Even so during high tides and/ or times of heavy rain land either side of the river can flood and the risk is growing as a result of the climate crisis with both rising sea levels and extreme weather systems. To ease this, work is being carried out in the Old Deer Park to create creeks and swales, allowing the land to become once again a real floodplain.
We give thanks for the natural capacity of the soil, trees and plants to absorb rainfall. We give thanks for the diversity of habitats that enhance sustainable ecosystems.
Yet we lament the pressure we are placing on the environment to cope with the climate crisis that we have caused. We lament the threat that rising sea levels causes for so many small nations.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
8. Water meadows and parks – between roughly Barnes/ Mortlake and upto Kingston /Weybridge, this section of the river is known as Arcadian Thames. It’s a leafy green environment with, as here, real water meadows, and a number of country houses whose grounds stretch down to the river side. These homes were built by past generations of the rich and influential who sought a rural retreat – and the area is still one of desirable and expensive housing. This stretch of the Thames forms part of a scheme called Rewilding Arcadia which seeks to restore the natural, intrinsic functioning of the flood plain as a means of reducing the risk and effects of flooding. Flooding will be – and indeed already is – an increasing problem due to the climate crisis. Rewilding the river allows new and better relationships between people and their lives, the river and its ecosystems.
We give thanks for the beauty of the Arcadian riverine environment, its green spaces and its relaxing atmosphere. We give thanks for the enhanced biodiversity that it supports, and we give thanks for the restorative and health-giving capacities of these blue and green spaces.
Yet we lament the thoughtless creep of urbanisation that can destroy such beauty. We lament the pollution that seeps into the river from roads and homes, from commercial and industrial sites. We lament the careless use of plastic in all its guises which so easily ends up in rivers and waterways.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
9. Teddington Lock – here the powers of the Port of London Authority give way to those of the Environment Agency. The locks allow the passage of boats of various sizes whilst the weir regulates the level of water upstream. A scheme to replace part of the weir with a hydro electric plant was turned down in 2016 because of the objections of the nearby Lensbury Club.
More recently this area is the subject of controversial proposals by Thames Water, involving extracting large volumes of water from the river for use by customers, and replacing it with treated sewage which would be released into the river, adversely affecting the biodiversity of this unique location where the tidal river meets the freshwater river.
Meanwhile the construction work involved would severely damage the special habitats that form the Ham Lands Local Nature Reserve.
Better alternatives would include fully treating sewage at the Mogden and Beckton treatment plants such that the water could be reused to fill key reservoirs, mending the leaks which account for the loss of some 600 million litres of water a day, and encouraging customers (both domestic ones like us and commercial customers) to use less water. Domestic use in the UK averages 140 litres per person whilst in Denmark it is 104 litres per person.
We give thanks for the gift of clean water for drinking and washing. We give thanks for gift of rain and for the streams and rivers which flow through each river basin bringing life and vitality to the environment. We give thanks for the diversity of plants and wildlife that these waters support.
We lament our folly when we let good water run to waste, when we let pollution damage our waterways, when we fail to value what is so precious. We lament our selfishness when we use water as if it was an endless supply, when we use more than we need, putting other lives at risk. We lament the economic system that allows water to be sold, profiting share holders at the expense of the vulnerable.
Lord have mercy:
Let justice flow on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream.
10. St Richard’s, Ham
Let us make a final pause here at the end of our pilgrimage. Having begun our journey with a variation of St Francis’s Canticle of the Creatures, let us end with a modern Franciscan blessing.
May God bless us with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that we may live deep within our hearts.
May God bless us with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that we may work for justice, freedom, and peace.
May God bless us with tears to shed for those who suffer from pain, rejection, hunger, and war, so that we may reach out our hands to comfort them and turn their pain into joy.
And may God bless us with enough foolishness to believe that we can make a difference in this world, so that we can do what others claim cannot be done, to bring justice and kindness to all our children and the poor.
Amen.
Christian Climate Action – we are a community of Christians who support each other to take meaningful action in the face of imminent and catastrophic anthropogenic climate breakdown. We are inspired by Jesus Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit. Following the example of social justice movements of the past, we carry out acts of public witness, nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to urge those in power to make the changes needed. We also work to engage and mobilise people to take action.
The Green Tau 