Raining in my heart
Genesis 1:29-31
And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
"Raining in My Heart" is a song by Buddy Holly, released in 1959, the flip side to “It doesn’t matter anymore”. It’s been a very rainy, wet beginning to this year. Some places have experienced rainfall every single day.
Met Office Senior Scientist Mike Kendon said in a Met blog. “there are clearly some common themes: firstly, our climate is continuing to change dramatically…wetter than average — and we expect this to continue in future decades. Secondly, we have broken a number of high temperature and rainfall records over the year, and this pattern is also consistent with our changing climate”. Mike was writing in 2023!
Six of the 10 wettest years on record have occurred in the last 30 years, according to analysis from the Met Office. Global heating is intensifying rainfall. Warmer air can hold about 7% more moisture for every one-degree centigrade rise in temperature. Our wetter winters have arrived roughly two decades earlier than regional climate models had predicted. The same weather systems have also hit Spain and Portugal with devastating floods, killing several people and forcing thousands from their homes. Climate scientists point to fossil fuel pollution making the jet stream more erratic, allowing extreme weather systems – from heavy rain to heat domes – to become stuck over the same areas for prolonged periods.
In other parts of the world rising sea levels are forcing migration. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned last year that over 680 million people living in low-lying coastal regions are at risk of displacement from their homes by 2050.
We also know that there are micro plastics in the oceans and that rainforests, which act as carbon sinks, are shrinking due to deforestation. The world is losing around 11 million hectares of forests (equivalent to around five times the area of Wales) every year.
As we read through the book of Genesis, we find people using the earth’s resources to provide food, through farming of plants and animals, creating tools, but also musical
instruments. Through his creation God has provided resources for humankind to use for both economic and cultural purposes.
Although God gave human beings the right to rule over the earth, it remains his. The Psalmist wrote; “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world and all who live in it.”
Loving God raises challenging questions for us about how we live, and the impact of our lives upon the planet and the universe beyond, that God has created.
Does the way we live damage the natural world which itself sustains our earthly life?
Does the way we live honour and respect God’s creation?
Are the resources of the world ours to own and possess or are we only custodians? “We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” to quote the Apostle Paul.
Our love for God challenges us about how we care for his creation. We wouldn’t deliberately or unthinkingly, continually damage a loved one’s kitchen if they enjoyed baking, or trash their garden if they enjoyed growing flowers, wreck their studio or craft room if they were painters, dressmakers, knitters, or burn down their shed if they enjoyed woodwork.
Our love for God challenges us about our carbon footprint, care for wildlife, farming practices, our destruction of rain forests, and global heating. If we fail to care for the natural world what does that say about loving God with all our heart soul, mind and strength?
What does our miss-use of God’s creation say about our love for our fellow human beings, people created by God, and made in his image?
Does God look upon his creation and say, “It’s raining in my heart”, and that the flip side to that is that it does matter – more and more.
Prayer:
Creator God, you have made a wonderful world, and we marvel at the interconnections between ocean currents, wind systems, the phases of the moon and the micro eco-systems across the planet. You have provided for all that we need. So, we ask your forgiveness that we have cared little for your creation and put the life of the world in danger and endangered the life of every living thing – each one created by you. Have mercy on us as climate change confronts us. Open the ears of our world leaders that they will listen to those most affected by climate change and grant them wisdom and courage to act urgently so that our common home may be healed and restored, that we, our children and our children’s children may
delight in it. May our love for you, Father, creator God, be demonstrated in our treasuring the natural world and cherishing all life upon it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
