At ‘Once in a Lifetime’ conference. Here are five hymns and a children’s song on the theme of climate justice. All to familiar tunes. (Small revisions made December 2019 to improve scansion and ease of singing)
As Mighty Glaciers Recede
(Tune 88.88 Suggested – Grenoble)
As mighty glaciers recede
and leave great scars which cause alarm;
be sure it is the rising heat
of greenhouse gases causing harm.
When coastal glaciers discharge
their rapid melt, to chilly seas:
we know, that ocean levels will,
rise swiftly and inexorably.
By contrast, inland glaciers
cause havoc through reduced cascades,
so downstream waters can’t suffice
to turn hydraulic turbine blades.
We need to switch from fossil fuels
to wind and wave and solar power:
renewables already can
make all these risks far lo-o-wer.
For everyone who loves the earth
clean energy must be the aim,
to strengthen hope the planet can
be saved through this essential change.
The evidence of shrinking ice
invites all those who love the Lord -
be stewards wise – and build up hope
of justice for the coastal poor.
For as such massive change takes place
the least resourced will bear the toll
of harshness in the furious wake
of worsening weather through the world.
Does the God who Lived a Human
(Tune 87.D Suggested - Through the Night of Doubt and Sorrow/Marching)
Does the God who lived a human,
weep with anger, weep with rage,
at the vile and gross injustice
of this money-driven age?
Wealth and arrogance are forcing
powerless people to the brink;
such as those who live in terror
that their homes and fields will sink.
Add to that the lies and falsehoods
in our corridors of power:
Lord of justice, cause your people
to rise up in this dark hour.
Seeking truth and resolutely
challenging both lies and wealth
that are careless of resources,
or strip others of their health.
Listen now to children’s wisdom,
many of whom recognise
that unless we change our lifestyle
earth is facing its demise .
If we strive more for God's vision
of an earth where love and care
guide the actions of its people,
hope can flower and quell despair.
So, bring hope, O great Creator,
let the planet’s saving be
hastened by your Holy Spirit,
calling leaders, calling me.
Make us Good Stewards, Lord
(Tune: 66.66.88 Suggested - Hills of The North Rejoice )
Make us good stewards, Lord,
of this your earthly home.
help us be resolute
in curbing damage done
by fossil fuels and plastic waste,
and other ways earth is defaced.
Help us encourage hope
that the world can achieve
limits to harm caused by
products we scarcely need,
which strip the world of minerals rare,
and plunder water without care.
Give us, your people, Lord,
zeal so we might protest,
when justice is denied
by wealth’s voracious quests
that ransack earth, afflict the poor,
as greedy profiteers make more.
O Great Creator, Who Desires.
(Tune 8.88.88 Suggested - Eternal Father, Strong to Save/ Melita)
O Great Creator, who desires
that humans should protect the wild,
and weeps when tiny sparrows die,
forgive us when we close our eyes
to grasping greed with single aim
that spoils and kills for short term gain.
Lord, rouse us now to recognize
that we too often stand aside
from finding ways to stop the rape
of threatened creatures’ habitats;
so your command is disobeyed,
with species failing day-by-day.
Lord, help us to change attitudes
and work to challenge such abuse
that linked with trends through climate change
is now destroying a wide range
of species in life’s fragile tree
making earth sterile, needlessly.
Suns of Great Brilliance
(Tune55.54.D Suggested – Bunessan).
Suns of great brilliance pierce through our darkness,
from their colossal distance in space;
if their light dips it may be a planet
making a transit of that star’s face.
Like ours, those suns may have many planets
circling close or orbiting wide,
rocky or gaseous, balmy or frigid,
maybe benign or sterile to life.
Far in the future there may be humans
making their way to planets afar:
will they be stewards with good intentions,
or will their greed those pristine worlds scar?
Pray that our race would honour the wonders
of God’s creation’s beauty and worth,
ever alert to how careless commerce
threatens the fragile, as here on earth.
God Gave us This Lovely Earth.
(A children’s song with a tune based on London Bridge is Falling Down)
God gave us this lovely earth,
lovely earth, lovely earth.
God gave us this lovely earth,
so let’s help save our planet.
Energy from sun, wind, tide,
sun, wind, tide; sun, wind, tide.
Energy from sun, wind, tide,
can save our lovely planet
Fossil fuels must be turned off,
be turned off, be turned off.
Fossil fuels must be turned off,
to save our lovely planet.
Batteries must better be,
better be, better be:
Batteries must better be,
to save our lovely planet.
Scientists draw more power from the seas, please;
and also build better batteries
