A rock and a hard place

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7.24

With COP 27 in full swing, the world's attention is once more on climate change. Yet still the doubts linger. Is it really all down to us? And, with so many other pressures on budgets, is it realistic to expect governments to prioritise an issue which will inevitably disrupt the lifestyles we have come to enjoy and expect. Even if they do, how long will they survive the inevitable unpopularity before they get voted out of office? But, if we do nothing - or not enough even - how shall we feel if/ when the dire predictions come to pass?

Many Christians hear God speaking through the events which are being interpreted as harbingers of climate catastrophe: floods, droughts, wildfires, record temperatures... But even those not among them must surely notice that when God himself entered creation - in the person of Jesus - he trod lightly and showed reverence for his surroundings. No wonder he made them! What is a source of wonder is that God gave us the privilege of being responsible for creation, as stewards. While governments have a role to play in making the big decisions, so do we, in terms of our influence on those decisions - through our votes- and the implementation of those decisions - through our behaviour.