‘Along the river, on either bank, will grow every kind of fruit tree with leaves that never wither and fruit that never fails.’
(see Ezekiel 47:1-9,12)
Forests still cover about 30 percent of the world’s land area, but they are disappearing at an alarming rate. Since 1990, the world has lost 420 million hectares or about a billion acres of forest, mainly in Africa and South America. About 17 percent of the Amazonian rainforest has been destroyed over the past 50 years, and losses recently have been on the rise. It was reported that the Amazonian destruction rose by 21 percent in 2020, a loss the size of Israel.
The coming of God’s kingdom offers us a new vision. Through Christ, we see a new world. He opens our eyes to all that God is doing, which should fill us with a joy that cannot be contained. The prophecy of Isaiah uses the familiar image of creation as a means of expressing the life God gives, as we imagine a world of health and healing, with trees restored, bringing life.
With such mass deforestation of our planet, human beings are ransacking the diversity and sustainability of the planet, destroying habitats, and ripping out the lungs of the earth. How can our choices make a difference? What can we do to increase a gratitude and appreciation of the created order, and care for the earth to which we belong.
PRAY FOR a more responsible care of the planet, and for leaders, governments and businesses to live and work in a more environmentally sustainable way.
Our daily reflections for Lent focus on the many injustices which exist in our world, as we seek to connect our life of prayer to social justice, the Justice of God which Christ proclaimed. More resources are available at www.southcardiffministryarea.co.uk/just-lent
South Cardiff Ministry Area 