Tag: nature

Counting on … Lent 2

6th March 2025

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.” John 1:1-3a

There is no existence – no life – that exists outside of the totality that is God. To deepen our relationship with God is to deepen our understanding of life – and therefore nature. This feels like a good starting point to appreciate the loving mercy of God and God’s everlasting commitment to life

Wisdom learned from creation

2nd November 2024

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of her hands. Psalm 19:1

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 – Psalm 119: 4-6, 18-19,27- How to live: 

You, O Lord, have charged that we should diligently keep your commandments. 

O that my ways were made so direct that I might keep your statutes.

Then should I not be put to shame, because I have regard for all your commandments.

Open my eyes, that I may see the wonders of your law.

I am a stranger upon earth; hide not your commandments from me.

Make me understand the way of your commandments, and so shall I meditate on your wondrous works. 

If  the idea of obeying commandments sounds too authoritarian, too black and white, think of God’s commandments as the instruction manual for the world, the user’s guide, best practices for living – or even as an expanded set of the rules of nature.

A further reading, Isaiah 55: 6-9:

As the rain and the snow come down from above, and return not again but water the earth,

‘Bringing forth life and giving growth, seed for sowing and bread to eat,

‘So is my word that goes forth from my mouth; it will not return to me fruitless,

‘But it will accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the task I gave it.’


For the sun and moon 

that mete out the seasons,

and measure out the days and weeks:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For chlorophyll and photosynthesis, 

for leaves and phytoplankton,

that turn sunlight into energy: 

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For H2O in all its forms,

for evaporation and precipitation that waters the earth 

and quickens life.

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For the air we breathe, 

a fluctuating mix of gases 

whose balance must be conserved for life to bloom:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For rocks and mountains,  

erosion and sedimentation, 

that lays out a rich blanket of soil: 

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For DNA building blocks 

that see life adapt and evolve, 

reminders of our network of kinship:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

For flora and fauna that twist and twine, 

building habitats and 

grounding ecosystems:

We thank you, Lord our creator.

As ‘Johnny-come-lately’ to this world,

Lord grant us the humility to learn from what is already here, 

to look with awe and wonder at what is happily established, 

to treat with respect ecosystems built up over millennia, 

to study and understand the laws of nature, 

to observe and respond to the natural cycles that maintain life,

to cooperate with others 

and with sensitivity to share this space where all can be at home.

Amen.

The Grace

Proper 24, 21st Sunday after Trinity

20th October 2024

Reflection with readings below

‘Words without knowledge’

How well do we know – how well do we look at, observe and study – God’s creation? Recently I was watching a swan fly overhead and was struck by the way it stretched out its neck as straight as an arrow, and contrasted that with the way a heron bends its neck into an S shape to fly. Why the difference? It could be differences on the centre of gravity of each bird. Swans are among the heaviest flying birds and need to extend their neck (muscular and therefore heavy) out in front to optimise its centre of gravity vis a vis its wings. As the swan comes into land it begins to curve its neck in so shifting the centre of gravity to prepare it for a landing position.

Nature, the natural world around us, is often referred to as the first Bible – the first reference point for perceiving and understanding God and our relationship with the both the divine and creation. History repeatedly shows us that our knowledge is often partial and and that we need a greater and more sympathetic understanding of the world God is creating.

Currently our lack of understanding – or perhaps as importantly our failure to act sensibly upon what we know – about the human production of carbon emissions and climate change is causing significant harm to both the environment and to our fellow inhabitants of this planet. God might very rightly say to us ‘why do you darken counsel by words without knowledge?’

And similarly so when God looks at the state of biodiversity across the globe. Our human greed has extracted resources from the earth and displaced other beings such that our consumption levels are no longer sustainable – either for us nor for the rest of nature. 

Both the passage from Job and the psalm invite it to look at, to contemplate, to marvel at the beauty of creation and in it to recognise God’s divine presence. How often do we set aside time for such worship? Time to engage with and encounter the divine in nature? 

How often do we give ourselves the time and space to contemplate the natural world, to rest in its presence and so allow God’s Spirit to revive and re-create us?

And how often do we look and listen and learn from nature that divine wisdom which would help us live lives according to God’s way? To live lives which through God’s wisdom, would ensure a good life for everyone – for plants and animals, for fish and birds, for humans in the North and the South, for rivers and oceans, for agriculture and for commerce.

A better – a God-shaped – life is possible. That is what we might otherwise call ‘salvation’. Jesus came to save the world – not just some humans, not even just all humans, but all that has been created – the whole cosmos!

In this context humans cannot demand that they be seen as the most important species. Rather as in today’s gospel story, it is better if we follow the example of Jesus and be willing servants of all – human and non human, creaturely and earthly. This calling to follow Jesus will involve us in speaking up and speaking out about the value and importance of paying attention to and understanding the natural world God has created and in which we find the divine presence.

Jesus is the source of eternal salvation 

Job 38:1-7, 34-41

The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone

when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?

“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?

Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you, ‘Here we are’?

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or given understanding to the mind?

Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,

when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?

“Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?

Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food?”

Psalm 104:1-9, 25, 37b

1 Bless the Lord, O my soul; *
O Lord my God, how excellent is your greatness!
you are clothed with majesty and splendour.

2 You wrap yourself with light as with a cloak *
and spread out the heavens like a curtain.

3 You lay the beams of your chambers in the waters above; *
you make the clouds your chariot;
you ride on the wings of the wind.

4 You make the winds your messengers *
and flames of fire your servants.

5 You have set the earth upon its foundations, *
so that it never shall move at any time.

6 You covered it with the Deep as with a mantle; *
the waters stood higher than the mountains.

7 At your rebuke they fled; *
at the voice of your thunder they hastened away.

8 They went up into the hills and down to the valleys beneath, *
to the places you had appointed for them.

9 You set the limits that they should not pass; *
they shall not again cover the earth.

25 O Lord, how manifold are your works! *
in wisdom you have made them all;
the earth is full of your creatures.

37b Hallelujah!

Hebrews 5:1-10

Every high priest chosen from among mortals is put in charge of things pertaining to God on their behalf, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is subject to weakness; and because of this he must offer sacrifice for his own sins as well as for those of the people. And one does not presume to take this honour, but takes it only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

So also Christ did not glorify himself in becoming a high priest, but was appointed by the one who said to him,

“You are my Son,
today I have begotten you”;

as he says also in another place,

“You are a priest forever,
according to the order of Melchizedek.”

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him, having been designated by God a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

Mark 10:35-45

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came forward to Jesus and said to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you.” And he said to them, “What is it you want me to do for you?” And they said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptised with the baptism that I am baptised with?” They replied, “We are able.” Then Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptised, you will be baptised; but to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.”

When the ten heard this, they began to be angry with James and John. So Jesus called them and said to them, “You know that among the Gentiles those whom they recognise as their rulers lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. But it is not so among you; but whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all. For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Lament for the loss of biodiversity

19th October 2024

My eyes grow dim with weeping. Each day I beg your help; O Lord, I reach my pleading hands to you for mercy.  Soon it will be too late! Psalm 89:9, 10a

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 from Luke 18: 9-14 (The Message) He told his next story to some who were complacently pleased with themselves over their moral performance and looked down their noses at the common people: “Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax man. The Pharisee posed and prayed like this: ‘Oh, God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, crooks, adulterers, or, heaven forbid, like this tax man. I fast twice a week and tithe on all my income.’ “Meanwhile the tax man, slumped in the shadows, his face in his hands, not daring to look up, said, ‘God, give mercy. Forgive me, a sinner.’” Jesus commented, “This tax man, not the other, went home made right with God. If you walk around with your nose in the air, you’re going to end up flat on your face, but if you’re content to be simply yourself, you will become more than yourself.”

Response:-

Suffering God, 

Full of grief, I pour out my sorrows;

Full of mourning, I bewail my loss: 

Bluebells that cannot keep pace with climate change,

Ash, elm and chestnut trees felled by disease,

Frogspawn that succumbs to unseasonal cold,

Butterflies deceived by unseasonal warmth/ rain*

Suffering God, 

Full of grief, I pour out my sorrows;

Full of mourning, I bewail my loss: 

Wetlands that are no longer wet,

Curlews that have nowhere to feed,

Streams overwhelmed by fertilisers, 

Rivers polluted by sewage.

Suffering God, 

Full of grief, I pour out my sorrows;

Full of mourning, I bewail my loss: 

Glaciers receding  up mountains,

Alpine plants pushed over the edge,

Mountain hares with nowhere to go,

Moorlands and tundra burnt to a cinder.

Suffering God, 

Full of grief, I pour out my sorrows;

Full of mourning, I bewail my loss: 

Oceans with no whales,

Savannahs with no elephants

Coral reefs with no coral,

Icecaps with no ice.

Merciful God,

Forgive us our greed and our complacency,

Our folly and selfishness.

Forgive us when we have failed to see our errors, 

have chosen to overlook our faults.

Forgive us when we have not listened to the facts, 

preferring to believe our own stories.

Forgive us when we have ignored the plight of others, 

caring only for number one.

Restore in us a right mind and a right spirit.

Strengthen our hands and our hearts to care for your world.

Embolden our will to love our neighbours as ourselves. 

Free up our grasp on wealth and resources 

that all may benefit from your bounty.

Release us from our pride and self assurance 

that we can truly worship you, 

our creator, redeemer and sustainer.

Amen.

The grace

  • Each year has different extremes of weather

Counting on … day 192

15th October 2024

Rewilding the sea – seawilding – is as important as rewilding the land. Rewilding Britain explains why. “Britain’s seas used to be home to the biggest creatures on the planet: blue, humpback, fin, sperm, bottlenose and sei whales. Our rich, soupy waters helped fuel a thriving, diverse ecosystem, attracting huge numbers of small fish, and in turn massive balls of herring and whiting, which would bring these ocean giants to our shores to feed. Like the decline of large mammals on land, whales were hunted to near local extinction for their meat and oil. Alongside the decline of these very visible giants, all marine ecosystems are suffering. The UK has lost around 92% of its seagrass meadows, 95% of its native oyster reefs and nearly all its kelp in regions like Sussex where it once was abundant” (1)

In February 2023 three areas of water of the coast of England were given the status of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMA) where all activities such as fishing, mining and laying cables that might damage the sea bed, are banned. The aim is to protect marine biodiversity by allowing seaweeds such as kelp and sea creatures to recolonise the sites. That said, these areas cover only 0.5% of English seas. 

There are other projects where a proactive approach has been taken by actively replanting new kelp meadows – such as the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project – or in the Humber Estuary by creating oyster reefs to serve as nurseries for the reintroduction of native oysters (2)

  1. https://www.rewildingbritain.org.uk/why-rewild/what-is-rewilding/examples/introduction-marine-rewilding

(2) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/02/oyster-restoration-project-rebuild-uk-reefs-overfishing-seabed-trawling?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Counting on … day 177

24th September 2024

Community gardens can not only boost biodiversity but also the supply of locally grown food. 

“Pam Warhurst … the founder of Incredible Edible, a food-focused guerrilla gardening movement, wants the state to get out of people’s way. “The biggest obstacle is the inability of people in elected positions to cede power to the grassroots,” she says… Her big idea is guerrilla gardening – with a twist. Where guerrilla gardeners subvert urban spaces by reintroducing nature, Incredible Edible’s growers go one step further: planting food on public land and then inviting all-comers to take it and eat. “I used food because it seemed to me that we needed to act fast,” Warhurst says. “We needed to get experience as soon as we could, and probably food was the thing that we could demonstrate an alternative way of living around, in a really simple way.”” (1)

Here in London the Edible Bus Stop in Lambeth grows a range of flowering plants, herbs, vegetables and fruit trees. https://theediblebusstop.com/the-kerb-garden/

  1. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/sep/13/radical-food-group-incredible-edible-guerrilla-gardening?

Counting on … day 155

23rd August 2024

Ecosystem engineers have an ability to modify resources they have to hand to alter  their environment. This alteration maybe to change or to destroy or to maintain (ie prevent change) a habitat. Coral species that form coral reefs, and trees that form forests, both have the impact of radically changing the environment into which they move. Beavers are well known for creating new habitats by felling trees and damming water ways. Prairie dogs by tunnelling and turning over the soil, provide accessible habitats for other burrowing mammals, birds, snakes and toads. They also keep the grass nibbled short, providing a favoured habitat for various birds,  as well as enabling the prairie dogs to spot would-be predators – and their whistled alarm alerts other creatures in the vicinity too. 

Many living beings, on land and in water, are important because they can engineer environments that support a greater diversity of life forms than might otherwise be the case. Humans fall into this category of ecosystem engineers but the outcome is not always one that promotes greater biodiversity. 

Counting on day … 154

22nd August 2024

Tool makers 

Both humans and creatures have developed and do use tools to help them make better use of their environment. Bottlenose dolphins carry marine sponges in their beaks to stir ocean-bottom sand and so uncover prey; sea otters and chimpanzees uses stones as hammers to break open shells etc; octopuses use coconut shells – carrying them from place to place -to wear as armour; crows use sticks to winkle insects out of logs.

That humans also use tools, does not per se mark them out as different to other beings in the natural environment – it is just the scale with which humans do this. 

https://www.livescience.com/9761-10-animals-tools.html

Counting on day … 153

21st August 2024

Niche construction

Many creatures – and plants – create niche environments that benefit their well being. For example, many birds make nests as a safe place to raise their young; beavers build dams to create deep waters where they can build a lodge (home) where they will be safe from predators such as wolves and bears; termites build mounds to both protect their underground nests from predators and to ensure cool fresh air for their nest. 

Likewise humans have from early days created niche environments that have helped them thrive – building houses on platforms in a lake to protect them from predators; burning wooded areas to create open spaces where they could graze animals and sow crops; obstructing rivers to trap fish. And we continue to do this! One new venture could be in creating 15 minute cities where we can live more independently of cars and improve social communication.

Counting on day … 151

19th August 2024

If we embrace the definition that humans are as much a part of nature as any other living thing, how does that prompt us to understand humans as contributors to the natural environment?

As hunter gatherers, were early humans any different from other creatures in their interaction with the natural environment?
Like other creatures they would have found ways of getting food – hunting and gathering – and water, finding shelter from the elements and protection from dangers, evolving ways of rearing their young, learning and passing on knowledge about what was safe and what was dangerous in their environment, developing forms of communication to share knowledge, to give warning of danger, and to build social cohesion. They would have developed patterns of living that optimised their survival – and on an ongoing basis adapted these as and when the environment changed around them.