Dear Friends and Parishioners
What a mixed bag of weather we have had this summer, more like autumn sometimes! Our climate never leaves us short of conversation material. It also makes us aware of the fragility of the world and our individual and collective responsibility to be good stewards of creation.
Since our Lent Eco-challenge, hubby and I have been looking at how we are – or aren’t – good stewards here at the vicarage. We have made a few small but concerted changes to daily tasks. For example, we have swapped most of our cleaning products for plant-based ones; they clean just as well but their environmental impact is much less than chemical versions. We think twice about how often items need to be washed before putting our clothes into the laundry basket. We try to do several errands at the same time to cut down on car journeys. And, of course, we recycle as much waste as possible.
St Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth in response to problems that had arisen in the life and faith of the early Church there. One of the topics he addressed was eating food considered ‘unclean’ according to Jewish Law. St Paul makes it clear that there are no longer any ‘forbidden’ foods;
‘For, as the scriptures says “The earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord”.’ (v. 25)
This verse encapsulates our belief in God’s power and sovereignty over creation, what God has made is good and, therefore, also precious and to be used wisely.
The previous verse reads ‘No one should be looking to his own interests but to the interests of others.’ (v.24) This verse shows we have a clear collective responsibility to guide one another into righteous actions and do our best to steer ourselves and others away from harmful activities.
Towards the end of chapter 10,
St Paul wrote ‘When you eat or drink or anything else, always do it to honour God’ (v.31). This sums up our daily aim, to honour God by all we do. Whether we are talking about the food we eat, the way we clean our homes or travel arrangements, we should strive to treasure God’s creation. So keep ecologically aware, our Eco-challenge was not just for Lent!
Prayers and blessings
Canon Janice
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