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Gently

Live gently.

Something to read

Know well the condition of your flocks and give attention to your herds; for riches do not last for ever, nor a crown for all generations. When the grass is gone and new growth appears, and the herbage of the mountains is gathered, the lambs will provide your clothing, and the goats the price of a field; there will be enough goats milk for your food, for the food of your household and nourishment for your servant girls.

- Proverbs 28:23-27 .

Something to think about

The pastoral imagery of both the Old and New Testaments is a reminder of how far many of us are now removed from the daily experience which once gave it so much force. A growing number of us are urban people and even where we are not, few have a close connection with the land, its produce and rhythms. Our perception of dependence on natural cycles has become attenuated and although climate change affects us all, we are, in the developed and industrialised world, still at a significant remove from the extreme weather events, famines and displacement which are increasingly the harrowing experience of so many.

Climate justice is central in the work of Christian Aid. It should be central to our understanding of loving our neighbours. It also demands of us a determination to seek a deeper engagement with the loving Creator who has given us a creation for all generations.

Something to do

Plant something today, if you can. Care for it and rejoice in the wonder of life as it grows. Read and reflect on our work for climate justice.

Something to pray

May we live gently on the face of your beautiful earth. Help us never to lose sight of the web of creation nor to let acquisition harden our hearts towards our brothers and sisters.

Today’s contributor is Jill Segger. Quaker, writer, journalist and associate director of the thinktank Ekklesia, at the time of writing.