Words of Light and Hope from Helena Crockford
Words of Light and Hope for 30 th October 2022
Helena Crockford LLM
This week will see the start of the COP27 climate conference on 6 th November. From Glasgow last year, to Egypt this year, it will be “the African COP”.
The “Green Christian” offers this: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6
It is hard to imagine world leaders coming up with an agreement at COP27 that preserves the abundance of Creation. That is why we need to pray, and in the words
of Walter Wink, ‘pray an alternative future into being.’
CAFOD offers this prayer:
God of blessings,
the universe sings of your glory.
Deepen our gratitude for all you have made
and awaken in us a renewed commitment
to care for the earth and each other.
Inspire world leaders at COP27,
with openness to listen
to those most affected by climate change
and with courage to act urgently and wisely,
so that our common home may be healed and restored
and all people, and generations to come,
may delight in it.
Amen.
Tearfund asks us to pray particularly about ‘Climate finance’ – funding for actions that stop the crisis from getting worse (known as ‘mitigation’) and help countries
to adapt to its impacts (‘adaptation’)….[and]pay for the unavoidable ‘loss and damage’ experienced by those whose homes, livelihoods and even lives are being lost as a result of the climate crisis. It matters because – although the climate crisis is a global problem – its effects are felt most acutely by people in low-income countries: those who did the least to contribute to climate change and have the fewest resources to cope with it.” Action can include signing this petition: https://www.tearfund.org/forms/climate-petition
We can pray particularly for Africa’s Great Green Wall (www.greatgreenwall.org). 
Desmond Tutu quoted this Ghanian prayer in An African Prayerbook –
“Lord, I rejoice in your creation,
And that you are behind it, and before,
And next to it, and above – and within us.
Lord your sun is balmy,
It caresses the grass and the cassava
Out of the clay,
Tops it with flowers,
Draws out the mahogany,
Throws birds into the sky,
And out of us it drums
A song of praise for you.”
