Growing - Reflection by Canon Ellen

The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
​the world, and those who live in it;
Psalm 24.1
 
This week I have spent a lot of time thinking about the environment and our sustainable goals. At its February 2020 meeting, General Synod members voted in favour of a revised date encouraging all parts of the Church of England to take action and ramp-up efforts to reduce emissions. So, the Church of England have committed to reducing our carbon emissions to net zero by 2030. The Diocese and Cathedral will need to play our part in meeting this goal - we started our work last year by gaining the Bronze Eco-church Award https://ecochurch.arocha.org.uk/ .

We have a long way to go and 10 years is a short time for us to work toward how we will meet this target – and I pray we will also be a Gold Eco-church by 2030 as well. It will be a group effort and I hope that in the next few months we will be able to form a new environment and sustainability group that will help to work together to initiate change and encourage others to join the efforts. We all have a responsibility to care for God’s creation and look after this beautiful world in our lifetime and contribute to its sustainability for our children and generations to come.

I was fortunate to receive a ‘growing pack’ from Faiths4Change  https://www.faiths4change.org.uk/ (see before and after pictures) which I planted out and in just a week the seeds had sprouted and the plants are flourishing…this is the miracle of God’s earth. What an amazing privilege to be able to see new life emerge from the earth. So, this week I am giving thanks for God’s creation, for its beauty and magnificence. I am also praying that we will meet these environment and sustainability targets.

Creator of our common home,
You fill the earth and sea and sky with life
Forgive us our neglect of your creation
The choking waste of our pollution
The damage done by careless habits
And our indifference to future generations.
Help us to amend our lives
To refuse more plastic if we can’t reuse it
To lift our voice for lasting change
And to live well and gently on the earth
To the glory of your Son, the living Word
Through whom you made this fragile world. 
Amen
Rt Revd Steven Croft 

Canon Ellen 

While you're here:
Why not prepare for next Sunday's worship? Our preparation sheet for adults and for children can be accessed by clicking on the Resources tab of this website: https://www.prayerforliverpool.org/prayer-resources.html.