You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘He is one, and besides Him there is no other’; and ‘to love Him with all the heart, and with all the mind, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbour as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”     Mark 12 : 32 – 33

Thought for this week

On the eve of the COP26 in Glasgow we are called to pray. Bishop Graham has said, <em>I believe that creation care is an integral part of being a Christian, because we are called by God to tread gently on this earth to steward and care for creation.

Clearly as humans we have failed to care for our God – given home. We have allowed the planet’s resources and beauty to be stripped and exploited. Now we owe it to the world’s poorest people, those who live on islands and places already depleted, to give them hope. We owe it also to the generations to come, even our own children and grandchildren, to change.

Our Gospel reading gives us our pathway. ‘Love the Lord your God’, and ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’. We are called to put the Lord first, and look to Him, listen to Him, trust in Him, above all things, and all other voices. We are called to come before Him with humility, to say sorry for our failings, to look to our Creator for a new future.

We are also called to listen to the voices of those who are largely unheard. The young. The indigenous people. The poor and refugees. Also those who have been given prophetic ministries by the Lord. Those who have been on the edge for years.

The Lord is the true sovereign of this world. He loves us. We are called to pray. To trust in Him. To ask that His will, not ours, may be done.

Rev Paul

Prayer from the Archbishop of York For COP26 in Glasgow

Creator God, giver of life, you sustain the earth and direct the nations.

In this time of climate crisis, grant us clarity to hear

the groaning of creation and the cries of the poor.

Challenge us to change our lifestyles.

Guide our leaders to take courageous action.

Enable your church to be a beacon of hope.

And foster within us a renewed vision of your purposes for your world,

through Jesus Christ our Lord, by and for whom all things were made.
Amen.