'It 'aint half hot mum'!

 

Last week’s heatwave broke September records.  Saturday felt similar to a winter’s ‘snow day’; we went out early with the dog and then hunkered down enjoying a cool indoors for the rest of the day.

This summer’s weather has been full of extremes.  We had a blazing June followed by a very soggy July.  And the very week the schools returned the sun came out and blazed away for half the month.

Friends have been telling me that it was upon their return from holiday, sometimes even from the Mediterranean, that they encountered significant heat, walking off the plane into a sultry Heathrow.  It all felt the wrong way round!

We are beginning to realise that Climate Change really does seem to be bringing extremes of weather at both ends of the spectrum; more snow, rain and heat and not necessarily in the months or seasons we’d expect.

Throughout September through to the beginning of October the Church observes and celebrates the Season of Creation.  All of that seems highly appropriate as we also regularly hold our Harvest Festivals at this time of year.

Yet, as well as giving thanks for all the blessings we enjoy living in a world of such bounty and potential, we recognise both the increasing fragility our planet is experiencing, because of manmade warming, alongside the fierceness of the natural world, resulting in devasting events such as the Moroccan earthquake or the Libyan floods. 

Someone gave me a little ditty the other day called The Gardener’s Hymn.  It’s opening lines go…

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.

But what we never mention, though gardeners know it’s true
Is when he made the goodies, He made the baddies too.

The drought that kills the fuchsias, the frost that nips the buds
The rain that drowns the seedlings the blight that hits the buds…

Or as Tennyson once said: Nature’s red in tooth and claw.

In many ways I think Harvest Festivals and the Season of Creation are quite a challenge theologically, ecologically, and sociologically.

Returning to last week’s heatwave, I’m conscious that the Bible was written by those who lived in a hot country.  Hence all those references to the Lord being our shade and protector from the noon day heat.  So, God’s blessing is predominantly expressed using the imagery of flowing water and cool running streams rather than blue sky sunny days.

After this year’s heatwaves in Britain of June and September I’m beginning to feel a new respect and appreciation for our more usual temperate climate.  ‘Good weather’ can also mean cool days with grey cloud and light rain showers, for such days really are a great blessing too!