Day Three - Always, sometimes, never

What’s your favourite book in the Bible? I sometimes think mine ought to be Numbers because I love statistics.

What were you doing on April 22nd, 2020? According to my diary, I was not doing very much, yet I missed Pope Francis delivering his Earth Day speech. He quoted a Spanish proverb: “God always forgives, man sometimes forgives but nature never forgives”. He also said: “A Christian who doesn't safeguard creation …make it flourish, is a Christian who isn't concerned with God's work, that work born of God's love for us."

The theme of forgiveness is perennially topical for Christians as it is a foundation of unconditional love. But to learn that nature cannot, or will not, forgive us our sins against her is quite challenging. I have always been environmentally aware. Fuel economy has driven (pardon the pun) my choice of vehicle for years. My biggest bugbear is the washing instruction inside my (second-hand) Next clothing – “if not dirty, wash at 30”. Read that again and decide to ignore it – if NOT dirty, don’t wash it! Putting your jeans in the freezer overnight kills odour-causing bacteria; hanging knitwear in the bathroom after a shower will remove odours and creases.

Water companies are accused of turning “our sceptered isle” into a “septic one” according to Geoffrey Lean. Chichester Harbour, which is meant to be a protected marine environment, is nearing catastrophe status. Earlier this year Southern Water was fined £90m for pumping raw sewage into the sea – surely this money would have been better spent learning how to treat sewage adequately?

Humans and livestock make up 96% of the weight of mammals on Earth – no wonder so many species are endangered. Elephants, leopards, rhinos, orangutans, and chimpanzees are among those mammals we are squeezing off the planet, with our carnivorous habits.

But, do I agree with the Spanish proverb? “Nature never forgives” implies that Mother Earth is at war with God the Father – yet we know that God created the world good and continues to work in that (natural) world. If we truly repent i.e. literally turn our backs on our bad ways, will we be forgiven by God and his created world?

God our merciful Father, human activity is ruining the world you created good and we ask you to show us where we can repent and change. Jesus, who taught his first disciples to forgive (Matthew 18:22) “not seven times but seventy times seven”, be with us as we ponder the damage we’ve done and how to redress that balance. Holy Spirit, who guides and inspires, make us aware that we do not live in isolation and that our actions impact on others around us, and our world. Amen.

By the way, I loathe being bombarded with useless advertisements when I play on my phone but I have discovered an app which uses the power of advertising for good! Treeapp invites its sponsors each day to ask me a question; I answer it and a tree is planted. It really is that simple. Two minutes of my time and a tree is planted.

Elaine Kinchin