Weekly Update – 26th April

Wednesday was Earth Day. The first Earth Day was in 1970. The aim of the movement behind Earth Day was, and still is, “to drive positive action for our planet. To broaden, educate and activate the environmental movement worldwide.”

The picture of the Earth on this newsletter was taken by Artemis 2 mission commander, Reid Wiseman. I find all pictures of our Earth show how wonderful and jewel-like our planet is. The beautiful detail of the swirling white clouds, the deep blue of the oceans and the green / brown of the land. The eye is drawn into exploring the depth of the detail of our planet – home to 8.3 billion people.

The pilot of Artemis 2, Victor Glover, was asked during the recent mission, on the eve of Easter Day, to give his thoughts. He replied: “In all of this emptiness — this is a whole bunch of nothing, this thing we call the universe — you have this oasis, this beautiful place that we get to exist together,” he said of Earth. “I think, as we go into Easter Sunday, thinking about all the cultures all around the world, whether you celebrate it or not, whether you believe in God or not, this is an opportunity for us to remember where we are, who we are, and that we are the same thing, and that we’ve gotta get through this together.”
For us, this Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Easter. The theme is “Christ the Good Shepherd”. The reading from the Gospel of John 10.1-10 tells us that Jesus “came that we may have life and have it abundantly.” We are one through Christ who is our Shepherd. As I look at the picture of the Earth and the wonder of creation, I see a powerful reminder that we are one and God’s love is given for all. That is the message that Jesus brought to us at Easter.
Going back to Earth Day, which focusses on action to protect the environment and care for creation, we are registered as an Eco-Church and are actively working to reduce our impact on the environment. Lynn Bourne co-ordinates our activity on this important initiative. Lynn will often include updates in our newsletter on our progress.
Nigel
Churchwarden