Thoughts to help us

My address in the Creation Care service in was, of necessity brief. If I had more time, I would have gone on to talk about Joseph’s family. When the drought and famine came it didn’t just affect Egypt, it affected the whole region including Canaan.   

 Joseph’s brothers had obviously heard that there was grain for sale in Egypt. They travelled there from Canaan, a couple of times, in order to buy some grain. Later on, the whole family emigrated to Egypt because of the easier living conditions and also to be with Joseph.

Today we are seeing significant numbers of people emigrating from the Near East and sub -Sahara Africa to avoid the droughts and famines that frequently occur in those areas. They are crossing the Mediterranean Sea and the English Channel for a better life in Europe and Britain.

With the growing impact of Climate Change drought and famine will only get worse in the Near East and sub-Sahara Africa, this will precipitate greater numbers of people wanting to cross the Mediterranean.

The boats that are used are often far from seaworthy, frequently leading to tragedy. We saw this again in June when significant numbers of people were drowned from one large boat. As the climate gets more extreme and greater numbers use these boats more and more will drown. 

To show our love we need to do all we can to slow down climate change.

It is great that we all do the little things to help the planet. Perhaps we need to do more. If you like a challenge you could challenge yourself not to eat meat, or at least red meat for a week or not to use the car for a week. Make up your own challenge, cutting out something, for a time that would help the planet.

The Guardian newspaper reported recently that a new climate group called Jump had been formed. They are suggesting that we do a number of relatively simple things. One of them is to buy only three items of new clothing a year. The fashion industry has a huge impact on the environment, particularly on water usage. Another of their suggestions is to keep electrical items at least seven years.   

Neville