Creationtide - Day 22. Corals Are Bleaching

 Throughout Creationtide, 1st September - 4th October, there will be a daily posting of material to help us reflect on the various themes associated with this period in the Church’s year.

Bleached coral, like this in New Caledonia, 

become a global phenomenon and a stark indicator

of the impact of unabated climate change. 

Corals are crucial ocean nurseries,

nurturing up to 25 percent of all marine species.

Credit: XL Catlin Seaview Survey/March 2016. 

Photo and comment copied with thanks from ‘Inside Science News’

The posts will incorporate the following themes:

• Glory of the Cosmos, 
• Bible 
• Earth’s Wonders 
• Care of the Planet 
• Meditation/ Prayer 
• Praise & Adoration
• Jesus, the heart of it all

I hope you will find these notes, prayers, hymns and meditations helpful and that you will feel you want to call in on the site each day. You will be very welcome and as many of the items reflect the biggest challenge of our times (notwithstanding Covid 19), I hope you might encourage other like-minded people to join us on this 34 day pilgrimage. 

Corals are bleaching 
(Suggested Tune Bunessan/ Morning has broken)

Corals are bleaching,

glaciers receding,

sea levels rising

on many shores.

Species are dying,

fewer birds flying.

Plastics defiling

the oceans’ floors.

Refrain

Father forgive us

all of our blindness

that fails to see

the truth in the facts,       

that we are killing       

our precious planet.

Wake us from slumber;

Stir us to act.

Cyclones, tornadoes    

are more ferocious;

witness the records

of current times.      

Flooding and droughts

are far more disastrous;                    

homes and lives lost

in torrents and slime.

            Refrain.

Make us determined

To be good stewards

of this your planet

to which Christ came.

We as his people

must fight for justice

by seeking ways 

to curb climate change.

The justice identified in the last verse, is a critical concept for Christians: over and again, it becomes absolutely clear that it is the poorest who already are, and will keep on suffering most from the effects of climate change and chaos. So if we have any heart for the poor, doing whatever we can to mitigate these effects is our duty as followers of Christ. 

Further poems, hymns, songs about Caring for our Common Home can be found at the 

 Living With Integrity pages on this blog

You might also like to reflect on the internationality of the potential contribution towards the stewardship of the earth from the Christian church globally by spending ten minutes listening to one of the many versions of ’The Blessing’ which have been published during Lockdown times. Today’s choice comes from Luganda