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A spiritual comment and prayer to start the day with Bishop John Inge

It won鈥檛 be news to any of us that we鈥檙e facing what many are calling a climate emergency. You may be tired of hearing about it: for many people a sense of fatigue has set in. It鈥檚 very important that we shouldn鈥檛 try to block it from our consciousness, though, because I believe there鈥檚 no more pressing, urgent, important, crucial issue facing humanity. The very future of our planet is at stake. Sir David Attenborough has asked whether we鈥檙e happy to suppose that future generations may never be able to see an elephant except in a picture book.

It's over a year since scientists issued what has been referred to as a 鈥榝inal call鈥�, in the most extensive warning yet on the risks of rising global temperatures. Their dramatic report on keeping that rise under 1.5 degrees makes clear that the world is now completely off track, heading instead towards 3 degrees Centigrade. It鈥檚 a scary read 鈥� for us and, even more so, for the next generation and those who follow.

The book of Genesis insists that human beings, are stewards over God鈥檚 creation and God鈥檚 good earth. We鈥檙e not making a very good job of it, to put it mildly.

It鈥檚 easy to feel paralysed in the face of so great an impending disaster. But If we all do that, we sink. Much wiser to heed the Chinese proverb, 鈥渋t is better to light a candle than curse the darkness鈥�, and do what little we can. Collectively, we can make a difference.

Loving and gracious God, thank you for this beautiful world,
Your creation,
Rolled into a sphere,
Packaged in sunshine,
Gift-wrapped in love,
Given to us,
Thank you.
Give us grace to care for it, we pray.

Amen.