Creation Time Day 7

It may seem strange to some to include gardens in this celebration of the creation. Since the rise of industrialisation and the claustrophobic atmosphere of the crowded cities it created in Europe in the early 19th century, there's been a romantic tendency to regard the wildness of  (apparently) uncultivated country, the mountains, jungles and savannahs, and also the oceans , of the world as more authentically natural and awesomely beautiful than human- influenced spheres like gardens.Yet the garden is a place where human creativity and co-operation with the natural world come together with life-enhancing result.To adapt a line from a children's hymn : think of a world without any gardens!

Creating and working a garden is a source of huge satisfaction and fulfilment, emotional and spiritual, to many people as well as an underrated substitute for expensive gym fees! Gardening is a recognised form of therapy promoting psychological well-being.You do not need to be a house dweller to do gardening- there are many volunteering opportunities as community gardens are developed - or you might get involved in creating one in a neglected public area. And millions of people all over the world find retreat and refreshment for their soul visiting a beautiful garden. All of the senses may be engaged in a garden.

Spiritual writings in many faith traditions extol the garden as a foretaste on earth of the divine home. The Christian Bible begins its story of God's purpose for humanity in the Garden of Eden and ends in the heavenly city, which with its river of life and its trees of many fruits with leaves for the healing of the nations, is clearly a garden city. (Revelation 22).

This photograph is of the garden at National Trust property Mottistone Manor in the Isle of Wight.

"God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars" Martin Luther, (1483-1546) , Christian theologian and church reformer.

Creation Time Day 6

Today's Creation Time image is a cascading mountain stream in the English Lake District. Water is the elixir of life. Without food humans can survive for three weeks or more, but water is different; without water we die within a week. Up to 60% of the adult human body is water. Access to clean water is also vital for human health. Yet 780 million people in the world do not have access to clean water and more than a third of the earth's population - 2.5 billion - have no access to proper sanitation.  In 2015 the World Economic Forum identified the water crisis as the top global risk in terms of impact on society. The commercialisation of water supplies and control by large businesses may become a source of conflict in the future.

"Praised be to You my Lord through Sister Water,
So useful, humble, precious and pure."
St Francis of Assisi

Creation Time Day 5

Who doesn't enjoy seeing butterflies fluttering around on a sunny summer's day? The life cycle of the butterfly is one of the wonders of nature. It's understood from our earliest school days not only as a fascinating fact, but also a symbol of the possibilities of new life and beauty through transformation. Whilst the radiant colours and patterns of butterfly wings may be explained though natural selection and survival needs, their beauty may be enjoyed as a sheer gift in creation.

This photograph depicts a Marbled White; which is widespread and expanding in central and southern England, South Wales and east Yorkshire. But the general outlook in Britain for biodiversity is not so good. Climate change and habitat loss is having a significant impact. A recent major study  has found that many of the species that perform the important role of pollinating plants and trees such as bees, moths and hoverflies are in decline; as are those such as ants which act as important pest controllers. Increases in some species like the Marbled White butterfly are not compensating for the loss of the others. 

"We do not need to be heroes to save the world; all we need is humility, a critical view of the commercial and political interests of those who would mislead us into wrong-doing, and a sense of wonder." John Burnside (New Statesman, 22 April 2013)

Creation Time Day 4

Trees and humankind have a long, rich and complicated relationship. In evolutionary theories the separation of human species from other primates involved a move away from time spent in the trees. In modern human history, farming and the building of cities has required deforestation. The forest has come to symbolise a wilder, more pristine space; a place of danger even.

Yet trees have constantly inspired awe and respect, lifting human spirits with their majesty and beauty. Towering over the human form, their longevity and their capacity for re-generation has caused trees to be revered spiritually. In the holy scriptures shared by Jews and Christians, trees are metaphors of the blessings of life, health and prosperity; signs of the dependable presence of the divine in the world. Modern research has revealed that time amongst trees and green plants decreases measures of bodily stress and increases feelings of well-being in urban residents.

On the other hand,trees have been and continue to be vital for humanity's existence in practical ways; source of food and medicine, material for building and industry; and for fuel. Still today millions of people in rural communities across the world are dependent upon daily access to firewood for domestic use. As well as demand for tree products, the demand for more land for extensive farming is driving the destruction of tropical rain forests at an alarming rate; destroying irreplaceable habitats which contain many unique and, no doubt, as yet undiscovered species of all kinds.

There is a growing public awareness, though still not strong enough, that trees and forests need to be preserved and protected; not only for the enjoyment and refreshment of the human spirit, but to prevent irreversible loss of biodiversity, and to sustain the balance of the global climate. Burning of forests worldwide is one of the main human activities contributing to global warming; but planting more trees can combat climate change. In the United Kingdom The Forestry Commission has made climate change a major focus of its policy; and the leading woodland conservation charity The Woodland Trust is committed to creating thousand of new native woodlands across the country.

Today's photograph is a beech tree seen from the ground; captured in Edinburgh's Royal Botanical Gardens.

"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction." Rachel Carson.

Creation Time Day 3

The coastline has inspired and awed humanity always. It is the interface of the human habitat with the element in which we cannot naturally survive. The ancient Hebrews feared the sea as symbolic of chaos and disorder; whilst other pre-modern civilizations found ways to cross thousands of miles of ocean harnessing the wind, and using the stars for navigation.

Storm surges, flood-tides and tsunamis continue to act as a powerful reminder that the coast is a place of particular human vulnerability, where the wildness and freedom of the elements remain unconstrained by human effort.

Yet the very vastness and apparently limitless power of the ocean may have contributed to the carelessness of humanity towards the coast and the sea in modern times - the false belief that since the ocean is so big our trash and waste products can be dumped in it with no repercussions.

Our society's thirst for oil and for plastic is the most obvious culprit of sea pollution and coastal degradation, when the oil is spilled and as plastic litters our beaches and finds its way into the tissues of marine life. But the greenhouse effect of releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by our burning of fossil fuels has a more widespread, if virtually invisible,  devastating effect on the oceans.

Global warming leading to increases in seawater temperature causes the body of the sea to expand , one of the factors leading to the rising sea-level. And secondly, the absorption of additional carbon dioxide is causing sea water to become more acid, leading to the destruction of coral reefs and other marine ecosystems. Rising sea levels ultimately threaten many of the major concentrations of human population especially people who are poorest and, without help, have least resources to adapt.

Coastlines are also home to special and beautiful creatures sustained in unique ecosystems . Today's photograph depicts cliffs on the southern coast of the Isle of Wight. As chalk  these formation are themselves the product of the deposition of marine creature over millions of years. The British Isles is one of the richest areas in the world for seabirds with an estimated 8 million birds. For example it is home to 60% of the world's Great Skuas.

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Creation Time Day 2

Photo by Lorraine Hodgson

For the second day of the Creation Time season I've selected this aerial view of the European Alps captured on a flight from Greece to London. Its stunningly beautiful snow-capped mountains and glaciers, so accessible to some of the most prosperous and densely-populated regions of the world, have ensured the Alps are a major tourist attraction. According to some measures the Alps are the second most-visited tourist destination in the world after the Mediterranean coastline. For many the Alps with their towering peaks and bright white snowfields symbolise the unfettered wildness of nature. 

Yet the Alps are especially vulnerable to climate change. Temperatures in the region have risen by almost 2°C in the last 120 years; twice as much as the global average. Many glaciers have consistently retreated in recent decades and total ice volume today is estimated to be half what it was in 1850.

"At bottom, mountains, like all wildernesses, challenge our complacent conviction - so easy to lapse into - that the world has been made for humans by humans." Robert Macfarlane 

World Day of Prayer for Creation

Rector of All Saints Wokingham, Canon David Hodgson, writes:

Today is the World Day of Prayer for Creation. The day for the protection of the natural environment is observed globally by the Anglican, Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches . Other churches have also adopted it. Many churches including the Church of England have extended this into a special season of Creation Time, which lasts until the Feast of St Francis on 4th October.

During this time Christians are encouraged to celebrate the glory of God shown in creation, to pray for the protection of the creation; and to promote sustainability to reverse human damage to the environment including climate change. At All Saints Church Wokingham during Creation Time our main Sunday Communion service at 9.30am encourages us to cherish God's creation using a specially-adapted liturgy.

This year I will be posting every day during Creation Time a photograph from my own collection which shows the awesomeness and wonder of creation. And I will add a comment to highlight a different aspect of creation and the challenge to protect and sustain it.

For the World Day of Prayer for Creation I've chosen this beautiful image of a wheat field with wild flowers being allowed to grow alongside it. It was captured on a gloriously sunny day alongside the Ridegway, an ancient route used since prehistoric times, and now an 87 mile-long National Trail, following the high ground of chalk downs in the southern midlands of England.

Selecting this image of wheat growing for the first day of Creation Time  highlights for me our dependence upon the soil and the climate for our basic foodstuffs. It reminds me too that many of the so-called natural landscapes are in fact the product of the work of humans on the earth.

Western European farmers have been encouraged to provide wildflower field margins to counteract the loss of habitat and decrease in biodiversity which results from modern intensive agriculture. Agriculture is an all-important interface between humanity and the natural world.

As well as being vital in providing food for all consumers, agriculture provides the livelihood of around a half of the world's population, concentrated especially in poorer areas. Sustainable agriculture and protection from the impact of climate change is vital to defend  millions of rural communities across the world from degradation and destitution.

"The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope."
Wendell Berry

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