Sunday 14th June: Online Worship – Biodiversity and caring for creation

Hello friends!

This week’s worship online is presented by Paul and the St Luke’s Environment Action Team. Thanks to Claire, Ian, Michelle, Jean and Lloyd for working with Paul to prepare this thoughtful devotion, and thanks to everyone who contributed photos and footage – featured at the end of today’s video.

O God, we thank you for this earth, our home;
For the wide sky and the blessed sun,
For the salt sea and the running water,
For the everlasting hills
And the never-resting winds,
For trees and the common grass underfoot.
We thank you for our senses
By which we hear the songs of birds,
And see the splendor of the summer fields,
And taste of the autumn fruits,
And rejoice in the feel of the snow,
And smell the breath of the spring.
Grant us a heart wide open to all this beauty;
And save our souls from being so blind
That we pass unseeing
When even the common thorn bush
Is aflame with your glory,
O God our creator,
Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
– Walter Rauschenbusch

You can watch today’s online worship here:

The hymn “All things bright and beautiful” is included within today’s service, but if you are looking for another tune for today, here’s “This pretty planet”:

https://youtu.be/DCwAbfRkJ4E

If you would like to explore ideas of biodiversity and our faithful response, you might like to check out the Faith Ecology Network here: https://www.faithecology.net.au/

And the Uniting Church’s Just Act page here:

https://justact.org.au/

What position should the Synod take in response to climate change?

The Synod of Victoria and Tasmania meetings have passed resolutions relevant to climate change since 1977. However, the last resolution of a Synod meeting that directly addressed the issue of climate change was in 2008. Members of the Synod congregations have been expressing greater concern to the Justice and International Mission (JIM) cluster that the Synod needs to play a more significant role in responding to climate change. The JIM cluster believes there is a need for the Synod to update its position on the urgency of addressing the causes of climate change and the actions that need to be taken in response.

The consultation paper that can be downloaded from this page explores how serious is the threat of climate change. Based on the assessment of the danger, the paper explores what actions we as Australians should be taking as part of the global effort to respond to climate change. It proposes a position for the Synod to adopt at the next Synod meeting.